Vol. 4 No. 47 | Nov. 20, 2024
Courts
No published opinions this week.
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
Chief Justice M. John Kane IV has announced that the Oklahoma Supreme Court elected Dustin P. Rowe of Tishomingo to serve as chief justice for a two-year term beginning Jan. 1, 2025. Dana Kuehn was elected to serve as vice chief justice for the same biennium.
Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed Justice Rowe to the high court in 2019, where he has served as vice chief justice since January 2023. Prior to his appointment to the Supreme Court, Justice Rowe practiced law in Tishomingo and served as district judge for the Chickasaw Nation District Court.
Justice Kuehn was appointed to the Oklahoma Supreme Court in July 2021 by Gov. Stitt. Prior to her appointment, Justice Kuehn of Tulsa had worked for the Tulsa County District Attorney's Office from 1996-2006, served as a judge in Tulsa County from 2006-2017 and was appointed to the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals in 2017, where she served until her appointment to the Supreme Court in July 2021.
The Oklahoma Constitution provides that the justices of the Supreme Court shall "choose from among their members a chief justice and a vice chief justice."
Oklahoma Bar Center Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday
The Oklahoma Bar Center will be closed Thursday, Nov. 28, remain closed through Friday, Nov. 29, in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.
"Theoretically, testamentary freedom serves as the hallmark of American law as it pertains to wills and estates. When I say 'theoretically,' I mean as a matter of praxis (as in its denoting an accepted practice or custom) rather than a matter of law. As to the latter, there should be no real dispute as to the reality of testamentary freedom as a matter of black letter law. In fact, the United States Supreme Court has decried regulatory destruction of 'one of the most essential sticks in the bundle of rights that are commonly characterized as property – the right to exclude others.' Similarly, the regulation here amounts to the abrogation of the right to pass on a certain type of property – the small undivided interest – to one's heirs. In one form or another, the right to pass on property – to one's family in particular – has been part of the Anglo-American legal system since feudal times."
"As attorneys, many of us regard pro bono work as the legal profession’s preferred mechanism to give back and satisfy our obligation to render 'public interest legal services.' While this is a much-needed and important method for lawyers to support our communities, there are a myriad of ways for us to be part of the fabric of philanthropy and use our specific talents for the public interest."
"Lawyers take pride in their loyalty to their clients, representing them to the best of their abilities. But there are steps you can take to protect your clients even if you are not personally available to assist them.
For this estate planning-themed edition of the Oklahoma Bar Journal, we have chosen to discuss 'estate planning' for a lawyer’s law practice. Lawyers who do estate planning for clients know that there are often procrastination and delays caused by clients who know they need to have a plan but still hate thinking about their own demise. It is an easy thing to put off. But while clients who fail to execute wills and other estate planning documents may miss out on benefits, and their heirs may incur additional expenses, at least laws govern intestate succession in probate."
"The Oklahoma Bar Foundation has announced its grant allocations for 2025, awarding funding to more than 50 nonprofit programs across the state. These organizations are on the front lines, providing essential legal services to vulnerable populations, including abused children, victims of domestic violence, refugees and immigrants. The programs also provide pretrial and court-ordered diversion programs for mothers and at-risk youth. Through the OBF’s partnership with these grantees, we are bringing justice to some of the most intimate spaces: the homes and lives of Oklahoma families."
OBA officers, Board of Governors members and staff are available to speak at luncheons and banquets on a variety of topics, including legislative issues, ethics, law office management and law practice tips. Call 405-416-7000 or 800-522-8065 to schedule.
Featured CLE
By OBA MAP Director Jim Calloway
Even if you don’t use artificial intelligence tools yet, invest a minute visiting Copilot Lab to see their examples of prompts for lawyers. AI linked to your information, such as Copilot or your legal practice management system tools, allows for these types of useful prompts.
If you are already a Copilot subscriber, these examples may prompt some great ideas (pun intended). Learning how to create good prompts is important for using AI tools efficiently. The link above illustrates suggested legal-related prompts, but there are drop-down menus for other types of businesses and types of tasks. You may want to bookmark this one for the next time your prompts are not getting the responses you hoped.
The Oklahoma Bar Journal is a publication of the Oklahoma Bar Association. All rights reserved. Copyright© 2024 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.