Vol. 5 No. 2 | Jan. 8, 2025
Courts
No published opinions this week.
No published opinions this week.
- 2024 OK CIV APP 28: WHITE v. CRESTWOOD AT THE RIVER
- 2024 OK CIV APP 29: EXENCIAL WEALTH ADVISORS v. MORGAN STANLEY SMITH BARNEY
- 2024 OK CIV APP 30: THORNBURG v. STATE
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
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Learn more about the lawyers serving on the OBA Board of Governors in 2025. New officers and board members took office on Jan. 1. A formal swearing-in ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 17, in the Supreme Court Courtroom at the state Capitol.
"There are times when an attorney must withdraw as the attorney of record in a civil case prior to its conclusion. This can occur at the client’s request or because the attorney has decided it is necessary. However, this decision doesn’t just allow an attorney to return the file to the client and step away from the case. The process to withdraw, including the necessary pleadings, is laid out by statute and is mandatory."
"The traits that can make you a good lawyer – high regard for authority and perfectionist tendencies – are the same ones that may inflict you with these neurotic nocturnal horrors. And unfortunately, it can occasionally play out in real life when we discover or learn from the opposing counsel or a judge a rule directly related to what we are just about to perform or seek in court.
One such group of rules that is fodder for either procedural mastery or ignominy is the Rules for District Courts of Oklahoma, a mandatory, wide-ranging set of rules issued by the Oklahoma Supreme Court and applicable to practice by all lawyers before the district courts in all 77 counties. These rules were originally adopted effective Jan. 1, 1982, and are found in the Appendix to Chapter 2 of Title 12 'Civil Procedure' of the Oklahoma Statutes or on the OSCN website under the 'Legal Research' tab.
The rules cover an array of procedural matters and details not otherwise covered (or fully covered) in the statutes, and they have the full force and effect of law. Knowledge of these rules is essential as they cover many of the most common and important procedures we practice."
"Well, here we are again – another new year. We always start with the best of intentions: make resolutions, set new goals, become the best possible version of ourselves. I know; I try every year, and by now, you’ve seen a few articles from me on that front.
But here is at least one worthy resolution I promise you will actually enjoy sticking to: Resolve to come to at least one of our regular OBA CLE Movie Nights at the Oklahoma Supreme Court in 2025. Our members who attend these events can always expect an informative and entertaining experience where you will gain valuable insight into the legal landscape through the cinematic lens."
"What would you tell current law students and young associates about the importance of professional and civic responsibility? As for professionalism, I will pass along good advice I received from my training sergeant when I started in law enforcement. On my first day on the job, he said, “You only have one reputation – guard it carefully.” As for civic responsibility, I think most people want to make a difference. Making a difference requires taking action and not just talking about it. One of the best ways to do that is by being a part of something larger than yourself in your community."
The OBA offers no-cost legal research to all members as a member benefit, and the vLex Fastcase legal research platform has been recently upgraded. Users will find improved features and speed of results. On-demand training on this new, simple interface is available to all members at no cost to help you get the most out of this member benefit.
Remember: All OBA members have free access to vLex Fastcase’s nationwide legal research service, which includes cases, statutes, regulations, court rules and constitutions for all 50 states plus federal.
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
We have seen a resurgence in professional engagement on LinkedIn over the last few years. As other social media hosting sites have evolved into platforms less appropriate for professional engagement, many law firms have revitalized their LinkedIn pages with regular posts about legal subject matters related to their practice areas. Many of these posts have received very positive engagement.
So while marketing on some social media sites may still be valuable for certain types of consumer client engagement, LinkedIn is superior at this point for outreach to other law firms and for publishing professional content such as long legal memos or other items for a sophisticated legal audience.
But branding on LinkedIn is different due to the traditions of the platform and its audience. "Branding to Combat Pricing Pressure: Why Lowering Fees Isn’t the Answer for Law Firms," by author Carol Kaemmerer, provides a good outline of analyzing law firms' best strategies for advancing their (and individual lawyers') presence on LinkedIn. While this branding piece is well done, I’ll quibble a bit with her conclusion that great branding will help you avoid pressure from clients to reduce fees. It won’t. I still believe AI and other automated document assembly tools will lead law firms to offer fee agreements that blend flat fees with other billing methods where automation produces significant lawyer time savings.
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.