Vol. 5 No. 8 | Feb. 19, 2025
Courts
No published opinions this week.
- 2025 OK CR 4: THOMPSON v. STATE
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
"The citizen-soldier, those civilians who also serve part time in the Reserve and National Guard, is a foundational part of our nation going back to 1636 when the first militia was formed at the Massachusetts Bay Colony. After Sept. 11, 2001, the United States workforce went through an adjustment as thousands of employees who were members of the military Reserve and National Guard components were called to active duty. What many may not realize is that 40% of the United States fighting force is comprised of the Reserve and/or National Guard."
"Abraham Maslow introduced the world to his 'hierarchy of needs.' It is a pyramid that illustrates basic human needs, with the most important needs forming the base of the pyramid. Dr. Maslow identified shelter as a physiological need. Physiological needs are essential to human survival. When basic survival needs are unmet, most other human needs are unfulfilled.
As of September 2023, the population of the United States consisted of 2.86 million service members. In 2020, roughly 18 million veterans lived in the U.S. As of 2022, 244,334 veterans lived in Oklahoma. As of December 2023, 18,737 active-duty service members and 20,300 National Guard and Reserve members call Oklahoma home. Excluded from those numbers are thousands of spouses and children who share in the sacrifices of the service members."
"ABA TECHSHOW 2025 will be held April 2-5 at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago. This is a new venue that will allow for an expanded expo hall with even more exhibitors. This year, OBA members can receive a discount on registration by using the code EP2507 when registering.
Given the rapid rise of artificial intelligence tools in the last few years and how these tools are now being incorporated into the software we use daily, this year is a great year to attend TECHSHOW."
Managing client trust accounts is a critical responsibility for Oklahoma attorneys that requires strict adherence to regulatory requirements. Many small firms still rely on manual processes for trust accounting, which can lead to compliance risks and inefficiencies.
OBA members now have access to a new member benefit, Smokeball Bill. This trust accounting and billing software is now available at no cost to Oklahoma lawyers.
Smokeball Bill helps law firms of all sizes:
- Simplify trust accounting
- Ensure compliance
- Streamline invoicing to speed up the billing process
Featured CLE
By OBA Management Assistance Program Director Jim Calloway
Gmail is under attack from hackers. Gmail users should move forward cautiously when clicking on any links received in their Gmail inboxes, particularly those that were unexpected, according to a recent FBI warning. AI-powered phishing attacks have grown at a staggering rate.
It is estimated that there are over 2.5 billion active Gmail accounts, making it one of the most widely used email services in the world. While all email services are under attack, Gmail has become a particular target because hijacking Gmail opens the doors to many other Google services that could contain critical information. (e.g., Google Drive, Google Docs and Google Files). In addition, if you ever forgot a password on a website and clicked on the convenient “log in with Google” option, access to that site could be compromised as well.
Lawyers who use Gmail for any client communication should be concerned. Many of your consumer clients have likely provided you with a Gmail address for correspondence, and if that account is compromised, hackers could email you, impersonating your client. Maybe you should share a YouTube video with those clients on how to set up multifactor authentication on their Google accounts. One reason our profession receives so many Gmail addresses from clients is we appreciate that clients' work email accounts can compromise attorney-client confidentiality because their employers can access those emails.
This is not to say you should stop using Gmail if you use it. But you owe it to yourself to be hypervigilant, as the risk from these threats goes up. Follow the FBI’s advice and do not click on links in a received Gmail until you have made certain it is legitimate.
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The Oklahoma Bar Journal is a publication of the Oklahoma Bar Association. All rights reserved. Copyright© 2025 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.