Vol. 5 No. 38 | Sept. 17, 2025
Courts
- 2025 OK 52: STATE OF OKLAHOMA ex rel. OBA v. BROWN
- 2025 OK 53: STATE OF OKLAHOMA ex rel OBA v. KEITH
- 2025 OK 54: FUGATE v. STITT
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
Recent statutory changes pertaining to eviction actions require an affidavit to be filed with the court clerk of the applicable county, along with a properly served summons, both written in simple, easy-to-understand language (12 O.S. §1148.15–16). The OBA, working in tandem with the Oklahoma Access to Justice Foundation, formed a working group to develop these plain language forms, which were recently finalized and approved. These forms are now available for public download on the OSCN website.
OBA members can learn more about these efforts by viewing “Put it Plainly: How the Use of Plain Language Can Increase Equity and Procedural Fairness in Small Claims Eviction Proceedings” by Katie Dilks and Shandi Stoner.
Don't miss our featured articles from the September bar journal! This month's journal provides several articles on the topic of tort law, including:
A Century of Tort Law Related to Emotional Distress Claims in Oklahoma
By Kindra N. Dotson
"Oklahoma jurisprudence has taken quite a journey through time in the emotional distress arena. It is a ride that sometimes leaves litigators a bit shaken and that has often led to inconsistent rulings on very similar facts."
Property Owners Beware! ‘Not My Dog’ Defense Loses Its Bite
By Keith F. Givens
"For decades in Oklahoma, property owners facing lawsuits for injuries caused by tenants’ dogs often relied on a “not my dog” defense. If the dog was not legally theirs, they asserted that they bore no liability. However, recent decisions and evolving municipal ordinances have narrowed that defense."
"How many potential clients is your firm losing simply because no one answered the phone? Throughout the legal industry, law firms are losing a notable proportion of client inquiries, leading to revenue loss. This challenge extends from solo practitioners to mid-sized firms, where the inability to respond to or return calls promptly represents more than a customer service issue. It constitutes a systemic intake concern with tangible financial and ethical implications. As competition intensifies and clients increasingly demand prompt communication, firms that do not address these shortcomings risk falling behind."
"If you’ve been looking for an opportunity to sharpen your leadership skills and create connections, now is the time! Applications opened Sept. 15 for the ninth class of the OBA Leadership Academy. Since 2008, this program has equipped participants with the skills and connections to be leaders not only within the bar but also in their local communities and beyond.
BUILDING TOMORROW'S BAR LEADERS
Originating from the OBA's Leadership Conference in 2007, the OBA Leadership Academy focuses on equipping participants with the skills and network connections to become leaders within the bar as well as their local communities. The comprehensive program provides participants with invaluable insights into OBA governance, special considerations for attorneys in public service, networking strategies and effective communication techniques."
"Courtroom technology is one of the many ways the Oklahoma Bar Foundation is dedicated to bringing justice home. Court grants modernize proceedings, reduce case delays and expand access to justice for vulnerable populations.
This year, the OBF awarded five targeted technology grants to Garvin County, Jackson County, Oklahoma County, Pontotoc County and Tulsa County courts in the total amount of $172,360. These equipment upgrades are the infrastructure investments that enable courts to function more efficiently, fairly and equitably in the face of modern challenges."
If you haven't taken advantage of your free access to Smokeball Bill, now is your chance! Join Smokeball at noon on Oct. 15 for a free webinar teaching members how to use this new software to optimize billing and trust accounting in their practices.
Smokeball Bill, one of the OBA's newest member benefits, is valued at $588/year. Key Features include:
- Trust Accounting: Ensure compliance with three-way reconciliation and reporting
- Billing: Invoice with flexibility, including time-based, flat-fee and contingency invoices with customizable professional templates
- Payments: Get paid faster with online payment options for clients
- Time and Expense Tracking: Accurately record all matter-based time entries, fees and expenses
- Accounts Receivable Management: Monitor accounts receivable and know what's owed, overdue and paid
Event registration is now open for the 2025 OBA Annual Meeting, to be held Nov. 6-7 at the Sheraton Oklahoma City Downtown Hotel. This year’s meeting will focus on official bar business, including leadership elections, reports and key decisions that shape the association. The General Assembly and House of Delegates will begin at 9 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 7. Be sure to submit delegate forms as soon as possible.
OBA Awards will be presented during this year's Annual Awards Luncheon on Thursday, Nov. 6, and all delegates and guests are welcome to attend Friday morning's Delegates Breakfast beginning at 7:30 a.m. Registration is required to attend the Thursday luncheon and Friday breakfast.
Featured CLE
By OBA Management Assistance Program Director Julie Bays
I recently attended an online seminar by Barron Henley that focused on common Microsoft Word formatting frustrations lawyers face daily. It was a great reminder that many of the preset defaults in Word seem almost designed to aggravate us when drafting pleadings, contracts or any lengthy legal document. If you haven’t seen or heard Mr. Henley speak, I highly recommend it. He is widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading experts on Microsoft Word for lawyers. Not only does he make the technical details accessible, but he does so with clarity and humor that keep you engaged. For lawyers striving to maintain professional competence with the tools we use every day, his insights are invaluable.
One of his key messages is that Word need not be a daily battle. Features like styles, “keep with next,” quick parts and even the often-overlooked navigation pane can dramatically reduce errors, improve formatting consistency and save time. These are the small but powerful adjustments that help lawyers create cleaner documents and avoid the frustration that often leads to missed deadlines or wasted billable hours.
If you want to see Mr. Henley in action, there are excellent free resources available online. I watched the free Clio webinar "Mastering Microsoft Word: Time-Saving Tips for Legal Professionals" (available on demand, but you have to give Clio your email address). He also shares practical advice through articles on the Affinity Consulting blog, such as "Paragraph Glue: A Word Feature Every Legal User Should Know." Exploring these resources is a worthwhile investment in your professional toolkit.
If you’ve ever found yourself quietly grumbling at Word (and let’s be honest, most of us have), do yourself a favor and check out Mr. Henley’s tips. You’ll work faster, your documents will look more professional, and you’ll spend less time wrestling with Word’s quirky defaults.
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.