Vol. 4 No. 52 | Dec. 26, 2024
Courts
No published opinions this week.
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 New Year's Holiday
The Oklahoma Bar Center will close at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 31, through Wednesday, Jan. 1, in observance of the New Year's Day holiday.
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!
The Oklahoma Bar Association Clients’ Security Fund will pay more than $276,000 to 69 people who lost money or other property from the dishonest conduct of their attorney. The association is reimbursing money to the clients of 15 deceased, suspended or former lawyers whose dishonest actions led to the losses.
OBA President Miles Pringle of Oklahoma City said, “The Clients’ Security Fund was established to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the legal profession. The fund returns lost money to those who have become the victims of former lawyers who violated that trust through dishonest acts. Members of our association collectively assume responsibility for those losses in order to restore faith in our profession’s integrity.”
"One of the many responsibilities of a municipal attorney is advising local boards and commissions. While boards and commissions can vary widely in terms of their authority and impact, some – especially in the land-use realm – can make very consequential and highly visible decisions. It becomes very important, then, that the members of these boards and commissions understand their ethical responsibilities and that municipal attorneys are able to identify and address ethical issues as they come up."
"Lawyers are, among their numerous other roles, stewards of information who collect, process and store large amounts of confidential data on a daily basis, regardless of their area of practice. Personal injury attorneys, for example, may collect and hold a significant amount of their clients’ medical information. Employment lawyers may receive information related to their clients’ employees, like Social Security numbers. Given the sensitivity of this data, maintaining client confidentiality is a cornerstone of legal ethics and a fundamental duty of every attorney.
While lawyers should generally be aware of the ethical duties associated with the confidentiality of client information, those duties take on additional nuance when client data is stored, used and shared electronically. This article will serve as a refresher on the ethical duties applicable to digital client data and discuss how attorneys can meet their ethical obligations through the use of technology, the development of appropriate policies and procedures, and disaster planning."
"'An honest man can't make a living practicing law,' my grandmother said when I told her I had decided to go to law school. Her eyes had that glint they got when she spoke her truth and expected you to take it in and make it your own. 'Your grandfather used to always say that being an attorney is the most dignified way in the world to starve to death.'
Her reaction surprised me. She had been married to a lawyer most of her adult life, and I would be the third generation in my family to practice law in Oklahoma. My grandparents never seemed to lack and lived with comforts many people didn't share. Grandpa had been a county judge through the Great Depression and World War II and went into private practice after the troops came home. During the latter part of his career, he was a government lawyer representing restricted Choctaws and Chickasaws in probate and related cases.
When he was in private practice, my grandfather had a second-floor office in a downtown building in the town where he lived. The oldest law firm in the county was at the opposite end of the hall. My father said that when people came up the stairs, those with good-paying work would turn right. The others would turn left and go to my grandfather's office."
Featured CLE
![300x300 Year End Review Copy[46]](https://okcourtsandmore.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/300x300-Year-End-Review-copy46.jpg "300x300 Year End Review Copy[46]")
By OBA MAP Director Jim Calloway
The skills needed to successfully practice law continue to evolve, particularly as applied to legal technology tools. Some traditional skills and habits are constant, however, and are still critically important today. "Essential Lawyer Skills Needed for Success" by Theda C. Snyder on Attorney at Work is an outstanding and detailed discussion of these skills.
I would encourage readers to not only read this but also share this with the new lawyers in your life. Since this is a busy time of year, feel free to copy the link and send it to those you want to encourage to read this. A partner may wish to review this and suggest it to associates. Some may know of a new lawyer in their community who could benefit. Perfecting lawyer skills is a career-long undertaking. This is an excellent read.
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.