Countdown to Annual Meeting
Multi-Track CLE
Earn a year’s worth of CLE credit in a day and a half at the Annual Meeting. Plus, you have five tracks of programming to choose from – Criminal Law, Family Law, Recent Developments, Real Property and Nuts and Bolts, which is practical topics for new lawyers or experienced lawyers transitioning into private practice. Stay in one track – or jump around choosing your favorites from all five tracks.
Nine hours of CLE are offered on Wednesday from 9 a.m. – noon and 2 – 5 p.m. and three hours can be earned by attending the Thursday plenary morning session. Ethics credits are scattered throughout the tracks. Participants will receive materials for all track sessions on one CD (saving you from lugging around a back-breaking binder) that can be popped into your laptop. Some materials will be available to pre-registrants before the meeting to download and use for note taking. See the CLE grid online for more details.
President's Prayer Breakfast
President Jon Parsley invites you to join him for breakfast, a long-standing Annual Meeting tradition. The speaker will be William G. Paul, better known as Bill or Willie to his friends, who will discuss the book about his life called, Willie of the Valley. It is an inspirational story of a man who grew up on a dairy farm in Pauls Valley and with great effort, hard work and determination rose to the leadership of the American Bar Association with more than 400,000 members.
Bill served as OBA president in 1976, was general counsel for Phillips Petroleum Co. and has served in many capacities in his current firm of Crowe and Dunlevy. All who attend will be given an autographed copy of the book. The breakfast is from 7:30 – 9 a.m. Cost: $20. Sign up on the Annual Meeting registration form.
Art Contest
The 11th Annual OBA Art Contest gives bar members the chance to show off their creative side. Original, lawyer-created works of art in a wide variety of media will be judged and displayed during the President’s Reception and again on Thursday morning until the end of the luncheon. Artists have the chance to win ribbons and first-place trophies in every category, as determined by the contest judges. A large trophy and important bragging rights as OBA Artist of the Year await the grand prize winner, whose artwork is displayed at the Oklahoma Bar Center for one year.
Judge Michael Stano of Stillwater is the current Artist of the Year. Shawnae Robey is coordinating this event with assistance from Vice Chair Jennifer Kirkpatrick.
Contest entry fee is included as part of meeting registration fee. Don’t miss the separate contest registration form. If you have questions, e-mail artattorney@okbar.org.
Casino Night
An Annual Meeting favorite that keeps on packing the house every year, Casino Night is back – courtesy of the Young Lawyers Division that sponsors the event. Enjoy winning it big at blackjack, roulette, craps and Texas Hold ‘em (so popular that more tables will be added this year). The good thing is if you lose a bundle, it’s only play money.
Musical entertainment will add to the festivities, so you can pretend you are in the city where what happens there, stays there. A drawing for awesome prizes will be held at the end of the evening. Casino night will be from 9 p.m. – midnight and is free with Annual Meeting registration.
Comedy Club
The OBA Comedy Club is a new event this year and nationally known comedian Henry Cho is the spotlight performer.
Be prepared for 75 minutes of laughter as he entertains the crowd with his stand-up comedy seen on Comedy Central, The Tonight Show and MTV’s ½ Hour Comedy Hour. He’s even been the star of his own one-hour comedy special titled, “What’s That Clickin’ Noise?”
The show starts at 7:30 p.m., and it’s a free event with Annual Meeting registration.
President's Reception
2009: The Space Odyssey
Inspired by this year’s luncheon keynote speaker, space is the theme for what is traditionally the best party of the OBA Annual Meeting – the President’s Reception. OBA President Jon Parsley invites you to join him Wednesday evening beginning at 7 p.m. If you've never attended before, the appetizers are hearty, and it's a great opportunity to network. Lots of legal VIPs will be there.
Because this is such a popular event, it has been expanded to three hours this year. Something else new is that former Apollo 13 Flight Director Gene Kranz will make a public appearance at the reception, so you might want to bring your camera. Each attendee receives two drink tickets. Free with Annual Meeting registration.
OBA/CLE Plenary Session
This year celebrates the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth and that focus on honest Abe is reflected in the topic for the plenary session – “Lessons on Professionalism: The Life and Practice of Abraham Lincoln.” Mr. Lincoln practiced law for nearly 25 years, and he tried more than 5,000 cases.
Former Louisiana State Bar President E. Phelps Gay will review the eventful life of our 16th president, especially as it relates to the practice of law. Participants will also view a professionally produced DVD about Lincoln’s life and then listen to an ethics discussion involving a number of esteemed panelists.
Begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 11:40 a.m. Approved for three hours of MCLE ethics credit, this session is part of the two-day CLE package — or is priced separately.
Free Mental Health CLE Seminar
The OBA is committed to the well being of its members and for the third year is offering 1 ½ hours of free CLE (including ½ hour of ethics) on Thursday afternoon from 3 – 4:15 p.m. The seminar, officially entitled “Courage to Change: Lawyers Helping Lawyers” will focus on depression.
First, the cold, hard facts about depression and the practice of law will be addressed, followed by information on recognizing and treating depression. A panel of four speakers will discuss how to embrace the courage to change, in an effort to prevent depression that can lead to suicide.
The program is sponsored by OBA/CLE and the OBA Lawyers Helping Lawyers Assistance Program. Annual Meeting registration is not required to attend. Register by filling out the Annual Meeting registration form online or in print.
Annual Luncheon
In 1970 space mission Apollo 13 was to be the third manned flight to land on the moon, but electrical problems two days after liftoff forced the lunar landing to be aborted. The loss of both oxygen tanks and electrical power in the main spacecraft made the return of the three astronauts in the lunar module a risk-filled challenge watched around the world.
Luncheon keynote speaker Gene Kranz was the leader of NASA’s flight directors who guided the crippled spacecraft safely back to Earth. “Failure is Not an Option,” the motto that carried him through the Apollo 13 crisis, will be the theme of his presentation. Mr. Kranz will share stories of his NASA mission teams in which many of the flight directors were young engineers and scientists with little work experience -- but their abundant energy and will to succeed made history. This was the story that inspired the movie.
OBA awards will also be presented, and the new Artist of the Year will be revealed. Time: 12 – 1:45 p.m. Cost: $30 with Annual Meeting registration, which is required to purchase a ticket. A book signing will immediately follow the luncheon, and copies of his book will be available for purchase.
General Assembly
Leaders of the Oklahoma Supreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeals will share their current challenges and triumphs. OBA President Jon Parsley will review milestones accomplished by the OBA during the year and give insight on what lies ahead for the association. Come see your colleagues, and maybe your bar association, honored with OBA awards. Begins at 9 a.m. Open to all bar members, not just delegates.
House of Delegates
Taking place immediately following the General Assembly, the voice of the membership elects officers and Board of Governors members for 2010. Plus, they make decisions on the OBA’s legislative plan and other important issues for next year. The deadline to submit resolutions to OBA Executive Director John Morris Williams for consideration by the House of Delegates is 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009. President-Elect Allen Smallwood of Tulsa presides during this session.
