Vol. 3 No. 36 | Sept. 6, 2023
Courts
No published opinions this week.
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.
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This year's Annual Meeting will be held at the historic Skirvin Hilton Hotel in beautiful downtown Oklahoma City. Registration is now open!
Register online or download the registration form. For questions, assistance or to register by phone, call Ben Stokes at 405-416-7026 or 800-522-8065.
Fees do not include hotel accommodations, which must be booked separately. To reserve a room, call 1-800-HILTONS and mention the Oklahoma Bar Association 2023 Conference (or group code OKBAR3) or book online. The deadline to reserve a room under the room block is Oct. 10.
The September edition of the Oklahoma Bar Journal is online now! This issue focuses on the theme of Corporate Law and features other important information related to real property and appellate law, along with AI tools and tips. Plus, look for details about the upcoming Annual Meeting and the 2023 Women in Law Conference. Take a look!
FEATURES
A Cyber Primer: 6 Practical Lookouts for Advising Companies in the 21st Century
By Collin R. Walke
Preserving the Integrity of Professional Limited Liability Company Law Firms: Annual Best Practices for Corporate Governance in Oklahoma
By Natalie K. Leone
General Corporate Due Diligence in Mergers and Acquisitions Transactions
By Tiantian Chen
Sexual Harassment and Respect in the Legal Workplace
By Katherine Mazaheri and Daniel Zonas
"The legal profession is known for its demands, complexities and high-stakes environments. Attorneys navigate a labyrinth of legal demands, representing clients' interests while shouldering immense responsibilities that are connected to those cases. This profession, however rewarding, is marked by long hours, strenuous workloads and frequent periods away from family and loved ones.
These and other challenges have far-reaching consequences on attorneys' mental health. The Dave Nee Foundation in New York, dedicated to studying lawyer depression, reveals a grim reality. In 2021, lawyers are ranked fifth in terms of occupational suicide rates, and they are the most frequently depressed occupational group in the United States. Shockingly, lawyers are 3.6 times more likely to suffer from depression than non-lawyers. The mental toll is evident as approximately 26% of lawyers seeking counseling admit to struggling with anxiety and depression.
In light of these statistics, it's crucial to recognize the significance of initiatives like National Suicide Prevention Month. The legal community in Oklahoma needs more than ever to prioritize mental health awareness, support and advocacy. At ODMHSAS, the focus is spreading hope and educating others that 24/7, 365 they can call or text the 988 Mental Health Lifeline."
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.
"The OBA Ethics Award is named for the late John Shipp of Idabel. It may be an overused expression, but John was truly 'a lawyer’s lawyer.' His integrity was unquestioned. He was a role model for professionalism. His reverence for the Rule of Law was undisputed."
The 2023 OBA Annual Awards, including this year's winner of the John E. Shipp Award for Ethics, will be announced this month. Stay tuned for more details.
Featured CLE
By OBA MAP Director Jim Calloway
Technology innovations and artificial intelligence tools have generated much discussion this year. There have been many truly amazing uses for AI demonstrated, and many of the tools we currently use are now adding AI components. This is a perfect time to attend ABA TECHSHOW 2024, scheduled for Feb. 14-17 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. The OBA event promoter code is EP2403. This allows Oklahoma lawyers to register at the discounted ABA membership rate if they do so before Jan. 11. OBA Practice Management Advisor Julie Bays and I will be on the faculty. Whether your questions involve traditional legal tech implementations or the new cutting-edge tools, you won’t have an opportunity to attend a meeting with more legal tech experts and more technology solution providers than at ABA TECHSHOW.
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.