Vol. 6 No. 11 | March 18, 2026
Courts
Supreme Court of Oklahoma
No published opinions this week.
Court of Criminal Appeals
- 2026 OK CR 13: STEEL v. STATE
Court of Civil Appeals
- 2026 OK CIV APP 7: CHANTZ CANDLER, et al. v. JOHN JAMES
- 2026 OK CIV APP 8: BRIAN HAMLIN v. EDWARD HENRY YOB, et al.
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
Join Us for the OBA Midyear Conference June 17-19
For the first time, the OBA will be hosting the OBA Midyear Conference – a casual summer conference for every attorney. This event, held June 17-19 at the OKANA Resort in Oklahoma City, will provide sessions on real property, updates on business court, appeals, client experience, AI for your practice, digital accessibility and so much more! Attendees can get all 12 hours of MCLE credit for the year during this conference, including 2 hours of ethics.
"For many years, we held the OBA Solo & Small Firm Conference during the summer, and it was one of the most anticipated OBA events of the year," Said OBA President Amber Peckio. "However, as our membership grows and evolves, we adjust our focus. The new OBA Midyear Conference will include meaningful sessions for every lawyer, while also still highlighting issues that are distinctive to Oklahoma’s solo and small firm lawyers. It will also still be family friendly and held in a relaxed and casual atmosphere that we know our members love."
Registration is now open. We can't wait to see you in June!
Law Practice Tips | Cross-Examining Your AI
"Artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly become an integral part of the legal profession. Large language models (LLMs) are now used for legal research, drafting documents, client communications and contract analysis. Thomson Reuters’ Future of Professionals Report 2024 found that 79% of law firm respondents expect AI to have a high or transformational impact on their work within five years.
While AI offers substantial efficiency gains, many lawyers remain unaware of a fundamental risk: AI systems are not only capable of inventing legal citations and authority out of thin air, but they are also programmed to focus on satisfying the user, even if that means giving answers that are inaccurate or misleading."
From the March Bar Journal: HIPAA Compliance for Oklahoma Attorneys
"The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, more commonly known as HIPAA, sets the national standard for safeguarding a patient’s protected health information. It was initially introduced as the Health Insurance Reform Act, with the goal of reducing the risks of an uninsured workforce by regulating the health insurance industry. A primary focus of the original act was to facilitate the movement of health insurance coverage among providers without a loss of benefits or disruptions to continuity of care."
From the March Bar Journal: Processing Health Records With AI Under HIPAA
"Artificial intelligence tools, including large language models, are quickly transforming how health care organizations process and analyze vast amounts of clinical data. Health care information has been exchanged by health care entities in digital format for over 30 years, and most electronic health records are highly structured, making them easily processable by computers. AI holds the promise to make current data operations even faster and more efficient. From predictive modeling to workflow automation, AI offers insights and turnaround times that were previously impossible for human teams alone. Many health care entities use AI as part of their data analytics operations to conduct payment and coding audits, automate prior authorization processes and directly interface with patients. Some entities are actively exploring the use of generative AI for predictive modeling, which holds the promise of new diagnostic insights that may increase provider efficiency and ultimately lower health care costs."
Register Now for the Third Annual Oklahoma Chief Justice Colloquium on Civility and Ethics
The Oklahoma Supreme Court invites you to attend the third annual Oklahoma Chief Justice Colloquium on Civility and Ethics. This year's guest speakers are Sen. James Lankford, who has represented Oklahoma in the United States Senate since 2015, and former Oklahoma Attorney General Michael C. Turpen. There is no cost to attend! This program has been approved for 2 hours of MCLE ethics credit. Attend in person or online.
Law Day Is May 1 | Submit Your Local County Bar Information
The national and statewide celebration of Law Day is Friday, May 1. The OBA Law Day Committee encourages every county bar to join our efforts and plan its own Law Day events – whether it’s coordinating student visits to the courthouse or giving free legal advice for at least one hour. The goodwill generated for the profession by offering this community service makes the effort worthwhile, regardless of the number of activities or calls received.
Please email your county’s Law Day chairperson by Wednesday, April 1, to communications@okbar.org. If you intend to answer calls as part of Ask A Lawyer, please provide your Ask A Lawyer information, including the phone number, using this form.
Featured CLE
Google Workspace for Lawyers:
A 2026 Update
By OBA Management Assistance Program Director Julie Bays
I will confess something right up front: Most of my technology tips tend to focus on Microsoft 365. That is simply the platform I use every day, so it is the environment I know best.
But not every law firm operates in Microsoft’s world. Many firms use Google Workspace as their core technology platform, and over the past few years, the system has evolved far beyond the free Gmail accounts many lawyers first encountered.
I was pleased to see my colleague, Catherine Sanders Reach, take a deeper dive into the topic on the North Carolina Bar Association’s practice management blog. Her article, "Google Workspace for Business in 2026," provides a helpful overview of how the platform works for law firms and what has changed recently.
Google Workspace includes familiar tools such as Gmail, Google Docs, Google Drive and Google Meet, all designed to work together in a cloud-based environment. One of the biggest recent developments is the addition of Google’s AI assistant, Gemini, directly into many of these tools, allowing users to draft documents, summarize information and assist with everyday tasks inside the workspace.
For lawyers considering the platform, Ms. Reach discusses several practical issues firms should evaluate, including pricing tiers, storage limits, collaboration features and the differences between free consumer Google accounts and the paid business versions designed for professional use.
If your firm already uses Google Workspace, or if you are thinking about moving away from traditional desktop software to a cloud-based environment, her article provides a clear and practical overview of what the platform offers today.
Even if you ultimately decide to stay in the Microsoft ecosystem, it is always helpful to understand the tools your colleagues and clients may be using.
The Oklahoma Bar Journal is a publication of the Oklahoma Bar Association. All rights reserved. Copyright© 2026 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.