Vol. 3 No. 5 | Feb. 1, 2023
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.
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The February Oklahoma Bar Journal focuses on the topic of "Appellate Law." The print version will arrive in your mailboxes soon. Check out the online publication now, featuring the following articles related to the Appellate Law theme:
An Overview on Filing an Original Action With the Oklahoma Supreme Court
By Kyle Rogers
‘Of Public Right’: A Modern Look at the Age-Old Doctrine of Publici Juris and Its Discretionary Application in Appeals and Original Actions Involving the Public Interest
By Melanie Wilson Rughani
A Courtside Seat: 20 Tips for Your Civil Appeal
By Bevan G. Stockdell
Recent Changes to the Oklahoma Supreme Court Rules: What Practitioners Need to Know
By Jana L. Knott
"It is important for each of us to approach each challenge with the joy of knowing we are doing what we are trained to do. We should remember why we decided to become lawyers. Sure, life is stressful and sometimes unfair. Sometimes good doesn’t win over evil. But we should realize that good had a much better chance at success because we, as lawyers, took the time to prepare for the battle.
The battle does not have to be in the courtroom. It could be in the boardroom, the library, at your desk or any other place you practice law. The fact that you make the effort, even though you knew the facts or the law were against you, shows you care enough to try to make things right for your client.
Should you feel joy in practicing law even when things are tough? Should you love the practice of law when you feel overworked or underloved? Should you feel a warmth in your heart for suffering with your profession? Of course, you should. People who say they have never lost a trial, or always win, obviously did not take on the hopeless matter no one else was willing to spend their time on. But if you find true joy in the practice of law, such a battle is not one to run from."
"Because 2023 is the first year of a new term, no bills were carried over from 2022. As a result, there will likely be fewer bills up for consideration than there were last year; although certain topics may be revisited with a new title and number. A substantial number of bills have been introduced dealing with the funding, curriculum and administration of public schools, as well as several addressing water rights and other natural resources.
Several pieces of legislation seek to regulate pharmaceuticals, insurance and other health-related issues. There are bills that address the use and privacy of electronic data and still others that seek to extend the sunset dates for various licensing boards. There is more than one proposed increase of the minimum wage, and there are a variety of suggestions for dealing with daylight saving time."
Applications for Oklahoma Bar Foundation Court Grants, IOLTA Grants, Mortgage Foreclosure/Community Redevelopment Grants and Court Reporter Rural Service Employment and Educational Block Grants are available online. All OBF Grant funds must be used exclusively for charitable purposes in a manner consistent with the mission of the OBF.
Court Grant Application Deadline: March 6
The OBF maintains a fund specifically for the benefit of Oklahoma district and appellate courts known as the Court Grant Fund. The primary purpose of the Court Grant Fund is to help improve the administration of justice in Oklahoma courts through grants to fund courtroom technological equipment.
Membership Reminders
Dues are due!
The deadline to pay your OBA 2023 membership dues without a late fee is Wednesday, Feb 15. Paper statements were recently mailed to those who have not yet paid. Please make your dues payment today! Visit MyOKBar to remit dues online.
MCLE deadline approaching.
The deadline to earn your required credit for 2022 was Dec. 31. The deadline to report your earned credit or a qualified exemption for 2022 is Feb. 15. Unless you are reporting an exemption, the minimum annual requirement is 10 general credits and two ethics credits, for a total of 12 credits. All credit must be OK MCLE approved. Please let us know how we can help you. Visit www.okmcle.org for more information.
Featured CLE
By Jim Calloway, OBA Management Assistance Program Director
Our new Digital Edge podcast, "The Ten Most Popular Office 365 Tips For Lawyers," is really quite special in that I can almost guarantee you will learn at least one thing that you will immediately start to use. Our guest is Danielle DavisRoe, who is a senior consultant at Affinity Consulting Group. She has coauthored legal-specific manuals on Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams and has produced digital courses on Microsoft Word and Outlook.
One tip that saves you several minutes each day will quickly compensate for the 22 minutes spent listening to this podcast. For those who prefer reading as opposed to listening, a transcript of the podcast is available. This would be a good podcast to print out the transcript for reference.
The Oklahoma Bar Journal is a publication of the Oklahoma Bar Association. All rights reserved. Copyright© 2023 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.