Charitable Good Works by Oklahoma Attorneys for Oklahoma Citizens

Attention 2008 OBA members! Did you know that if you are a licensed attorney and member of the Oklahoma Bar Association, you are also a member of the Oklahoma Bar Foundation? Are you aware of all of the good works the OBF, as the “charitable arm” of the Oklahoma legal profession, is doing to benefit your fellow Oklahomans on your behalf? And — with your help — we can do more in 2008 to meet the OBF’s mission of “advancing education, citizenship and justice for all?” It is time to kiss goodbye any past erroneous perception of lawyers as uncaring workaholics and usher in the appropriate image of Oklahoma lawyers in 2008 — as caring and giving philanthropists.

The generous nature of Oklahoma lawyers is impressive. The OBF was just the third state bar foundation ever established in the United States when it was incorporated in 1949. During the 60-plus years since, the OBF has continuously supported projects that provide critical legal services to Oklahomans in need, including children, the elderly, the poor and victims of domestic violence, by extending grants to entities such as Legal Aid, CASA, CAAVA, DIVIS and many others that provide legal aid, law-related education programs, advocacy programs and equal access to justice. The OBF also supports future Oklahoma lawyers who will almost certainly carry on with the generosity shown them. Thus, every year the OBF provides generous legal scholarship awards to deserving students attending our three Oklahoma law schools.

These awards add up to a very significant amount of money. In 2007, the OBF awarded grants and scholarships which brought approximately $7.5 million to the total OBF grant awards made since inception. This comes from revenues that grew from only $330,500 in 2000 to nearly $1.25 million in 2007. Where does the money come from that makes these awards possible? There are several sources, each again demonstrating the charitable nature of Oklahoma attorneys.

The Fellows Program This is where the generous spirit of each individual Oklahoma lawyer comes in. Remember, you are an OBF member because you are an OBA member. You have the opportunity, however, to purposely participate by giving as an OBF “Fellow.” Financial support to the OBF is not only tax deductible, but necessary to carry out the OBF’s legal-related charitable activities. You can choose from three levels of Fellows recognition, depending upon your desired level of support: “Fellows” contribute $1,000 by donating $100 per year over a 10-year period; “Sustaining Fellows” have completed initial contributions and then continue their annual $100 per year contribution; “Benefactor Fellows” — the highest OBF leadership level — contribute at least $300 per year after meeting their initial $1,000 contribution. For new OBA members, reduced Fellow enrollment programs are available.

IOLTA — Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts Effective July 1, 2004, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that Oklahoma lawyers and law firms are required to place in an interest-bearing pooled trust account client’s funds that are nominal in amount, or will be held for only a short time. The interest generated on the account then goes to the OBF for charitable use. Without this “mandatory IOLTA,” these funds, which could never generate positive net interest for any client, would go unused. With its important decision, our Supreme Court made possible the increased funding cited above, which the OBF uses to support critical law-related charitable programs throughout Oklahoma.

Specific Donations and Income on Investments The OBF invests and administers charitable endowment and scholarship funds generously created by and in honor of Oklahoma attorneys, including the Gerald B. Klein Fund, Joseph S. Lewis Fund and Marvin Emerson Fund, to name just a few. The OBA enrollment card also has a designation for attorneys or firms to make donations to the OBF.

CyPres Awards The OBF has recently been fortunate to receive some very significant cy pres awards, which are final surplus funds in class action cases and other court proceedings that, for various reasons, cannot be distributed to all intended recipients. These awards enable OBF to expand its charitable mission, increase its overall grant awards and dramatically improve its capacity for new initiatives.

2008 OBF Officers, Trustees and Administration

The OBF is governed by a board of trustees consisting of attorneys from across the state who volunteer their time and talents to assist the OBF, including determining the grants OBF will make and the amount of each grant. Five trustees serve each year as officers. In 2008, Renée DeMoss of Tulsa will serve as OBF president. Renée, a shareholder with the law firm of GableGotwals, graduated from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 1984, is immediate past-president of the Tulsa County Bar Association, chair of the OBA Litigation Section and serves on the Board of the Oklahoma Attorneys Mutual Insurance Co. The 2008 Executive Committee is made up of President DeMoss and President-Elect Richard A. Riggs, a shareholder with McAfee & Taft in Oklahoma City, who obtained his law degree, cum laude, from the University of Michigan in 1974; Vice President Phil Frazier of the Frazier & Phillips firm in Tulsa, a University of Oklahoma graduate and past president of the Tulsa County Bar Association; Secretary/ Treasurer John D. Munkascy Jr. of Lawton, a graduate of Ohio State University Law School and past president of the Comanche County Bar Association; and OBF Immediate Past President Mark Curnutte of Logan & Lowry, LLP in Vinita, who graduated from the OU College of Law in 1979 and is a Fellow of the American Bar Association.

The 2008 OBF Board of Trustees, in addition to the Executive Committee members, includes the following attorneys: Jack L. Brown, Tulsa; Cathy M. Christensen, Oklahoma City; J. William Conger, Oklahoma City; Judge Valerie Couch, Oklahoma City; Austin R. Deaton Jr., Ada; Kevin R. Donelson, Oklahoma City; Jack S. Dawson, Oklahoma City; Shon T. Erwin, Lawton; William E. Farrior, Tulsa; Steven R. Mackey, Tulsa; A. Edwin McComas, Elk City; Michael C. Mordy, Ardmore; Brooke Smith Murphy, Oklahoma City; Judge Millie E. Otey, Tulsa; Roger R. Scott, Tulsa; Susan B. Shields, Oklahoma City; Dennis A. Smith, Clinton; Linda S. Thomas, Bartlesville; John Morris Williams, Oklahoma City; and YLD Representative Brent D. Cable, McAlester.

Nancy Norsworthy is the OBF Director of Administration and IOLTA Programs. Nancy is responsible for the daily activities of the foundation and has devoted over 20 years of service to the foundation. Nancy and staff members Tommie LeMaster and Marie Galloway are available whenever assistance is needed on foundation issues, at (405) 416-7070 or foundation@okbar.org.

Our 2008 OBF Charitable Mission

Please help make 2008 a special year for the OBF. If you are not an OBF Fellow, please sign up to become one today. When you join the OBF Fellows program, you don’t just belong to the foundation — it belongs to you. Fellows membership is an opportunity to become more involved in helping make a difference in the lives of other Oklahomans while enhancing the image of our legal profession. By becoming a Fellow, you can help spread the word about the work of your foundation, as well as look out for qualified programs that you may want to refer for grant applications. Your generous contribution as an OBF Fellow will make your own 2008 memorable, knowing that you are contributing to the charitable mission of our legal profession.

“In charity there is no excess.” — Sir Francis Bacon, “Of Goodness and Goodness of Nature” (1625)