Vol. 3 No. 13 | March 29, 2023
Courts
- 2023 OK 26: SHELLEM v. GRUNEWELD
- 2023 OK 27: STATE ex rel. OKLAHOMA BAR ASSOCIATION v. CLARK
- 2023 OK 28: IN RE AMENDMENT OF OKLAHOMA SUPREME COURT, RULE 1.20 AND 1.22
- 2023 OK 29: STATE ex rel. OKLAHOMA BAR ASSOCIATION v. GLAPION
No published opinions this week.
- 2023 OK CIV APP 8: SNOW v. TRAVELCENTERS OF AMERICA
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.
More
"If it has not already happened, you may someday have a client who asks you for return of property seized by the federal government. The client might be an innocent owner who let someone borrow their property or an innocent lienholder who did not know the property was at risk of being seized. You could seek return of the property in the administrative forfeiture proceeding, but for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) agency forfeitures, you should almost always pursue a judicial forfeiture proceeding by filing a claim."
The Social Security Administration is warning of a new scam involving official-looking communications such as letters, emails, texts or phone calls. In a recent press release, the Office of the Inspector General warns, "Scammers are sending fake letters that closely resemble official Social Security Administration (SSA) and SSA Office of the Inspector General (OIG) letterhead or that of other government agencies, such as the Federal Trade Commission ... These scammers are trying to steal your money or your identity."
TIPS TO AVOID A SCAM
1) Hang up the call or ignore the message. Talk to someone you trust.
2) Secure your money and personal information. Do not transfer money or buy gift cards.
3) Be skeptical and cautious of unexpected calls and messages.
4) Do not click links or attachments.
The Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) consists of 15 unpaid volunteer members. Of the 15 members, only six members are lawyers. Lawyer commissioners are elected by their fellow Oklahoma Bar Association members, each representing one of six congressional districts across the state, as they were in 1967 when the commission was established. They each serve a 6-year term. Elections are held each odd-numbered year for members from two districts.
In 2023, there will be elections for members in Districts 1 and 2. District 1 is composed of Creek and Tulsa counties. District 2 is composed of 17 counties in the eastern and northeastern parts of the state, as those congressional districts existed in 1967.
Nominating petitions must be received at the bar center by 5 p.m. May 19, 2023.
When submitting a nominating petition, candidates should include a biography of 100 words or fewer and a photo (preferably both digital). Email Mark Schneidewent for additional details and a sample bio format.
"Attorneys encounter mental health professionals across varied legal settings. It can be challenging to understand and dispute the work of a professional without possessing their expertise. This article is intended to help legal professionals understand some common shortcomings in mental health professionals’ work product and avenues for cross-examination. It also aims to assist in assessing the quality of work product for your expert and potential issues that need to be addressed during direct examination."
"A change of plan may not be something as drastic as switching your law area. You may just need to change how you prepare for depositions or how you will prepare for an argument before a particular judge. Changing the plan of action can be positive. Young lawyers are rarely told to reflect on the changes in their careers to look for the positive. However, these changes are often your progress. The progress young lawyers make is often not appreciated, and they do not find themselves celebrating it. Although this alone may not be what causes the disdain to practice law or the burnout, it certainly does not help.
For young lawyers, especially those who are just starting, know that you can and should plan. However, you can lose your plan. You change jobs, an area of law or a focus. The loss of that plan, or even a failure, should not keep you from refocusing and continuing in your career. Rather, use it to reflect and make a new plan. You may find the new plan can be just as great or better."
Featured CLE
By Jim Calloway, OBA Management Assistance Program Director
I would imagine most lawyers by now have a Gmail account, although many do not use it for their professional email account. Catherine Reach, director, North Carolina Bar Association Center for Practice Management last week published "Gmail Tricks You Can Use." There are some handy tips included in this post.
My Gmail tip is one you may have heard from me before. If you are using standard free Gmail for client business (or if your personal Gmail account has a lot of financial or other important information), you should probably consider upgrading to a paid Google Workspace account. You can review the pricing on the workspace site. Even at the least expensive level ($6 per month), you receive greater email security with security controls you are provided. Another major feature is with these paid accounts, even the inexpensive basic version, you can send and receive mail using your professional address, e.g., your law firm domain name. So every email you send provides the address of your website.
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.