Volume 2 No. 6 | February 16, 2022

Courts

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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What is esprit de bar? OBA President Jim Hicks explains it as a feeling of pride, fellowship and common loyalty in his column in the February Oklahoma Bar Journal, he encourages attorneys to work together to identify areas of improvement and work toward solutions.

The vast majority of volunteers want to make the legal profession and bar better for lawyers, our clients, the public and Oklahoma.

Over the years, many attorneys who have been and remain committed to working together to strengthen our legal profession have experienced esprit de bar. I look forward to working with all of you toward the continued advancement of our profession, he wrote.

Read the column. >>>

COMMITTEE SPOTLIGHT: Law Day

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Even though it's called the OBA Law Day Committee – committee members work diligently all year to highlight various Law Day activities. The annual student contest is just one of them. After a robust contest season, the committee is in the process of judging an impressive array of submissions.

Committee members would like to thank Oklahoma educators, students and their families for participating in the 2022 Law Day Contest. The OBA received 1,331 entries from 47 towns in 26 counties across Oklahoma. The submissions focused on the theme “Toward a More Perfect Union: The Constitution in Times of Change.” OBA Law Day Chair Ed Wunch explained, “The theme for this year’s contest was selected to remind us that the Constitution can only fulfill its promise through the involvement of all society in our democracy.”

The contest, now in its 46th year, is intended to stimulate discussion and understanding of the law among young Oklahomans. First- through 12th-grade students demonstrated their knowledge of the history and concepts of the theme through essays and multimedia art. Pre-K and kindergarten students were given a choice of coloring activity pages related to the theme to show off their budding creative and writing abilities.

As a reminder, Law Day observances originated in Oklahoma by its founder Hicks Epton, an OBA president who practiced in Wewoka.

In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower established Law Day nationally by presidential proclamation. On this occasion, he said, "It is fitting that the American people should remember with pride and vigilantly guard the great heritage of liberty, justice and quality under law. It is our moral and civil obligation as free men and as Americans to preserve and strengthen that great heritage."

With the theme of Labor & Employment in the February Oklahoma Bar Journal, author Chase McBride provides an overview of construction trusts and breach of construction trust claims.

Breach of construction trust claims often arise when a general contractor takes profit from the construction funds before all subcontractors have been paid.

McBride writes the breach of construction trust can only be used for claims that may result, or have resulted, in a lien being placed on the property. The claim will not cover other potential damages incurred due to an action of a defendant.

Read the article. >>>

By Jim Calloway, director, Management Assistance Program 

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After two years of dealing with the pandemic, we all have experienced a lot of stress. Christy Cassisa, founder and executive director of the Institute for Mindful Works, shares her thoughts in this article, "10 Strategies for Bringing More Love into Your Law Practice," from Attorney at Work.

“Too many law offices have emotional cultures of fear, anger, passive aggression or intense competitiveness,” she says. “Wouldn’t it be great if we could build a culture of companionate love instead? In such a culture, colleagues would treat each other with caring, compassion and affection — and learn to accept their mutual humanity as a strength.”

“The odds of making this meaningful change at the organizational level may seem insurmountable. But you can take steps to change your own behavior, or be the change you wish to see.”