Vol. 3 No. 37 | Sept. 13, 2023
Courts
- 2023 OK 86: U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOC. v. HILL
- 2023 OK 87: STATE ex rel. OKLAHOMA BAR ASSOCIATION v. WIEHL
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
"The future of commerce is no longer coming; it has arrived. Every single industry is driven by the internet and data, even industries like pipeline and railroad operations. In common parlance, 'Data is the new oil.' As a result, attorneys and companies no longer have a choice in adopting and adapting to new technologies. They either do, or they go extinct. Technology, however, is something many people, including industry leaders and attorneys, loathe. Has anyone ever purchased a printer and been able to get it to work without troubleshooting it first? I doubt it."
"What?! It is already September! How can that be? As shocking as it is when time quickly flies by, we know that if we are not careful, we may not accomplish all our intended goals during the year.
How many of your colleagues have been missing from your life over the last few years of the pandemic? When was the last time you saw the buddies you made in the trenches they call law school? When was the last time you had a class reunion or a time when you sat down with a bunch of good attorney friends and had a visit?
Well, here is your chance. We are rapidly approaching the Oklahoma Bar Association Annual Meeting. This year’s meeting will be a time when we can all get together, share stories of our lives and break bread with those many lost friends from across the state."
"The OBA Diversity Committee will host their annual Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher Diversity Awards Ceremony and Dinner during this year’s OBA Annual Meeting, held Nov. 1-3 at the historic Skirvin Hilton Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City.
During this popular event, the committee will recognize attorneys, members of the judiciary and organizations that are dedicated to the promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and the protection of civil and human rights. The dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 2.
This year, the guest speaker for the dinner will be Professor Carla D. Pratt, who currently serves at the OU College of Law as the inaugural Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher Chair in Civil Rights, Race and Justice in Law."
Tickets for the event are available for purchase when you register for the OBA Annual Meeting or by emailing Chris Brumit. There is also still time to sponsor the event.
The Oklahoma Bar Association Women in Law Section is planning its annual conference to celebrate and support women in the legal profession. This one-day event will kick off at 9 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 22, at the Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker, Oklahoma City.
The event will also feature the Mona Salyer Lambird Spotlight Awards Luncheon, where leading women lawyers and judges from across the state are annually recognized. This is the 27th year of award presentations. Attendees may register for the full conference or for the luncheon only. Space is limited; visit www.okbar.org/wil for more information.
Since 1996, Spotlight Awards have been given to five women who have distinguished themselves in the legal profession and have lit the way for other women. In 1998, the award was named to honor the late Mona Salyer Lambird, the first woman OBA president and one of the award’s first recipients. The award is sponsored by the OBA Women in Law Section. Each year, all previous winners nominate and select the current year’s recipients. A plaque bearing the names of all recipients hangs in the Oklahoma Bar Center in Oklahoma City.
This year’s honorees are LeAnne Burnett, Oklahoma City; Susan Carns Curtiss, Oklahoma City; Tricia Everest, Oklahoma City; Betsy Grabel Jackson, Tulsa; and Sharolyn Whiting-Ralston, Tulsa.
In 2023, the Oklahoma Legislature passed SB19 enacting the Family Representation and Advocacy Act effective Nov. 1, 2023. The legislation creates the Family Representation and Advocacy Program (FRAP) within the Oklahoma Supreme Court Administrative Office of the Courts.
The purpose of the program is to ensure uniformly available high-quality legal representation of children, indigent parents, legal guardians and Indian custodians in deprived child actions brought by the state pursuant to the provisions of Section 1-1-101 et seq. of Title 10A of the Oklahoma Statutes.
This request for proposal announces the details of service requirements and terms for submitting proposals to be considered for award of the contract for provision of statewide services. Responses are due to the Administrative Office of the Courts by Oct. 10.
"Access to legal services can be life-changing, but sadly, most of the legal issues faced by low-income Oklahomans go unresolved due to insufficient resources to get legal help. Such unmet legal needs are often the reason Oklahoma families remain in a perpetual cycle of poverty, abuse and hardship. This is why the OBF recently launched its Community Partners for Justice Campaign – to raise more funds to better meet the legal needs of those living in our state.
According to the 2022 Justice Gap Study by the Legal Services Corp., 20% of Oklahoma household incomes are less than 125% of the federal poverty level. This puts us at fourth in the U.S. for the proportion of low-income residents. This same report shows alarming national estimates that more than half of low-income households have one or more legal issues. Nonprofits work hard every day to meet the demand, but unfortunately, the number of people trying to get help with legal issues overwhelms the resources available."
Featured CLE
By OBA MAP Director Jim Calloway
Attorney-client privilege is a valued tradition and an important protection for lawyers’ clients. Sophisticated clients understand that enhances the value of our services over “non-privileged advisors.” Every lawyer must have systems in place that protect attorney-client privilege. We at the OBA MAP believe you should not only explain to each person working in your office the importance of attorney-client privilege, but you should be able to prove you did so if the situation demands. So today’s tip is to download our OBA Sample Confidentiality Agreement, edit it as you see fit and have your staff all execute a copy. Then add the agreement to your onboarding process for new hires.
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.