Vol. 4 No. 51 | Dec. 18, 2024
Courts
- 2024 OK 83: STATE ex rel. OKLAHOMA BAR ASSOCIATION v. FRISBY
No published opinions this week.
No published opinions this week.
Dispositions Other than by Published Opinions
The Supreme Court of Oklahoma Court Calendar
The Supreme Court of Oklahoma is in session year round, unless otherwise noted. The court regularly schedules conferences on Mondays and other days as needed.
Member Transitions
More
Bar Center to Close for Christmas Holiday
The Oklahoma Bar Center will close at 2 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 23, and remain closed Wednesday, Dec. 25, in observance of the Christmas holiday.
"Nonprofit organizations frequently seek the expertise of attorneys to serve as members of their Board of Directors. The Board of Directors is legally responsible for ensuring the nonprofit organization operates according to its mission, safeguards its assets and operates in the public interest. Directors serve as fiduciaries who must uphold the duties of care, loyalty and obedience throughout their board service."
"The scales of justice and the Oklahoma Bar Association's return address adorn the envelope in the office mail stack. Seeing this envelope may cause internal alarm bells to ring for some. Maybe this communication was not expected. Maybe it was anticipated with dread. And maybe neither alarm nor dread is warranted. Opportunities may open for help and improvement, or the attorney could be vindicated from an ill-founded complaint. Although it may not feel so, the purpose of Oklahoma’s attorney discipline process is not to punish lawyers. Its primary purpose is to protect the public."
"The Oklahoma Rules of Professional Conduct offer guidance and rules for lawyers confronting ethical challenges. Technological advances often progress more quickly than legislative or regulatory responses to these developments. So where technology is involved, some of our ethical obligations tend to change and evolve before any new rules can be written.
For almost every lawyer reading this, the possibility of a major digital attack is a potential threat to your law firm’s operations. Imagine showing up to work and finding that every computer in the office has had its data encrypted – and even though the provider said it wouldn’t, it also took out the office VoIP phone system.
We, as a profession, must now always consider cybersecurity to protect our clients’ confidential data as well as our business operations, which benefit both the law firm and the clients. As one calendar year ends and another begins, take this opportunity to examine and increase your safeguards against cybercrime."
DUES ARE DUE | Member dues statements are available online. In an effort to save money and cut down on the cost of printing and postage, the OBA Membership Department has posted member dues statements online in MyOKBar. As a follow-up, a paper statement was mailed to members who have not yet paid. Please help the OBA in this effort by paying your dues today! Members can pay their dues by credit card online at MyOKBar or by mailing a check to the OBA Dues Lockbox, P.O. Box 960101, Oklahoma City, OK 73196. Dues are due Thursday, Jan. 2.
MCLE DEADLINE APPROACHING | Dec. 31 is the deadline to earn any remaining CLE credit for 2024 without having to pay a late fee. The deadline to report your 2024 credit has been extended to Feb. 18 due to the Presidents Day holiday weekend. As a reminder, the annual ethics requirement is now two credits per year. The 12 total annual credit requirement did not change. Not sure how much credit you still need? To access your MCLE information, log in to MyOKBar and click "MyMCLE." Still need credit? Check out great CLE offerings at ok.webcredenza.com. If you have questions about your credit, email mcle@okbar.org.
With all of December's hustle and bustle, we know things can get a little hectic! As you wind down to the end of the year, don't forget to earn the rest of your MCLE hours. OBA CLE has dozens of online CLE programs to choose from through WebCredenza.
Just visit the website to access online OBA CLE programs, available anywhere – and even better, on your own time. You can even search the webpage to discover topics that are most relevant to you!
"Throughout November, the Oklahoma Bar Foundation embarked on a heartfelt Road to Giving campaign in honor of Giving Tuesday. The goal was to celebrate the impact of the nonprofits we support and give back to those who give. The OBF staff and board members hit the road, visiting three outstanding organizations that provide essential services across Oklahoma:
- Wings of Hope in Stillwater is dedicated to empowering survivors of domestic violence with comprehensive support services.
- The Center for Children and Families in Norman strengthens families through vital mental health and wellness resources.
- The CARE Center in Oklahoma City is a child advocacy organization that works tirelessly on abuse prevention and intervention.
These visits celebrated the inspiring work of each organization, with meaningful conversations, surprises and shared moments that brought both smiles and tears. In addition, the OBF sent surprise gift boxes to all other grantees, spreading joy and appreciation across our network. You can relive the epic journey by watching the videos on the OBF's Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn accounts."
Featured CLE
By OBA MAP Director Jim Calloway
A headline on a newspaper article or a blog post is supposed to draw readers into the story. So, too, should the subject line on an email encourage the recipient to open the email and read it. Whether you are emailing current clients, prospective clients or opposing counsel, the goal is to have your emails opened and read.
The subject line should help the recipient understand what the email is about. Never assume that the recipient will know because you emailed them about this last week or you have only one case pending with them. We understand that, sometimes, it is best not to put a client's name in an email subject line. But we also understand that overflowing inboxes mean many lawyers are often searching for old emails still in their inboxes, so make sure yours is easy to locate by subject line.
Let’s be informative and avoid these seven subject line sins that keep our emails from being read.
- No Subject Line: The one thing worse than a bad subject line is no subject line. You can come across as careless or maybe even concealing your true message. But an important thing for you to understand is that having a blank subject line greatly increases the possibility your email gets grabbed by a spam filter or ignored.
- The Ordering or Demanding Subject Line: “Please call me ASAP” is a bit scary, especially if sent to a subordinate. But it is not as bad as “We need to talk,” which, coming from a supervisor, sounds like you are about to be terminated. And if you are sending demanding emails with subject lines like “!!!!!!!” or “??????,” you had better be someone’s supervisor because none of the rest of us will react well.
- URGENT: Sometimes we feel like we must put "Urgent" in a subject line, but if you do, lose the all caps. Far better is a specific time reference. “The Brief Due 5/1” or “The May 19 deadline.”
- DON’T SCREAM AT ME WITH ALL CAPS: Just don’t.
- Re: Re: Re: Fwd: Re: Fwd: Fwd: Once the subject line has so many Re:s and Fwd:s that you cannot even read the original subject line, it is time to either prune your subject line or maybe just start with a new email.
- This is So-and-So: Since your email “From” line already told them that, it is arguably not needed.
- Quick Question: We lawyers all know this one. When someone says this, the question may be short, but the answer may not be. Sometimes, this is a euphemism for free advice.
The Oklahoma Bar Journal is a publication of the Oklahoma Bar Association. All rights reserved. Copyright© 2024 Oklahoma Bar Association. Statements or opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Oklahoma Bar Association, its officers, Board of Governors, Board of Editors or staff. Although advertising copy is reviewed, no endorsement of any product or service offered by any advertisement is intended or implied by publication. Advertisers are solely responsible for the content of their ads, and the OBA reserves the right to edit or reject any advertising copy for any reason. Legal articles carried in The Oklahoma Bar Journal are selected by the Board of Editors. Information about submissions can be found at www.okbar.org.