BAR BUSINESS

General Assembly

Association business begins at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 12, during the General Assembly. The program includes OBA award presentations and In Memoriam as well as updates from judicial and OBA leaders.

House of Delegates

Association business including leadership elections and consideration of resolutions takes place during the House of Delegates meeting that immediately follows the General Assembly. The House of Delegates shall be composed of one delegate or alternate from each County of the State, who shall be an active or senior member of the Bar of such County, as certified by the Executive Director at the opening of the annual meeting; providing that each County where the active or senior resident members of the Bar exceed fifty shall be entitled to one additional delegate or alternate for each additional fifty active or senior members or major fraction thereof. In the absence of the elected delegate(s), the alternate(s) shall be certified to vote in the stead of the delegate. In no event shall any County elect more than thirty (30) members to the House of Delegates.

Click for County Delegate Information

House of Delegates NOTICE OF MEETINGS

RULES of OBA House of Delegates

2024 Title Examination Standards

ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION

2024 Resolution

The following resolution will be submitted to the House of Delegates at the 120th Oklahoma Bar Association Annual Meeting at 11 a.m. Friday, July 12, 2024, at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Norman Hotel & Conference Center in Norman.

RESOLUTION WAS ADOPTED

RESOLUTION: RULES CREATING AND CONTROLLING THE OBA – ANNUAL DUES

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Delegates of the Oklahoma Bar Association to recommend to the Supreme Court amendment of Article VIII, Section 1 of the Rules Creating and Controlling the Oklahoma Bar Association, as published in the Oklahoma Bar Journal and posted to the website www.okbar.org, relating to a change in the amount of dues to be paid by active members of the Oklahoma Bar Association. (Submitted by OBA Board of Governors.)

PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE RULES CREATING
AND CONTROLLING THE OKLAHOMA BAR ASSOCIATION

ARTICLE VIII

Section 1. ANNUAL DUES. The annual dues for each member of the Association shall be based upon the financial requirements of the Association including maintenance of an adequate reserve fund for contingencies and emergencies.

Until otherwise provided the annual dues for each active member shall be $275 $400 per year; except that dues for active members who have been admitted to practice in any State less than three (3) years, as of the first day of January of the dues paying year, shall be $137.50 $200 for each such year. All dues shall be due and payable, on or before January 2 of each year, to the Executive Director of the Association. Persons admitted to the Bar of this State after January 2 of any year shall not be liable for dues until January 2 of the following year. Nothing in these rules shall prevent the establishment of Sections with the approval of the Board of Governors, nor the charging of voluntary dues to members of any such Section.

2025 LEADERSHIP AND CANDIDATES

Board of Governors Vacancies

The deadline for submitting nominating petitions was 5 p.m. Friday, May 8, 2024.

The Board of Governors is comprised of 17 active members of the Oklahoma Bar Association. One representative is elected for each of the nine Supreme Court judicial districts, as such districts existed prior to January 1, 2020 [Order No. SCBD 4483 (2020 OK 17)], by lawyers in those respective districts plus three statewide at-large members and the Young Lawyers Division chairperson. Officers are the president, vice president, president-elect and secretary/treasurer.

For information on current board members and officers, visit the Board of Governors page.

2025 Board of Governors

Elections for contested positions will be held at the House of Delegates meeting July 12, during the 2024 OBA Annual Meeting. Terms of the present OBA officers and governors will terminate Dec. 31, 2024.

2024 President

Miles Pringle, Oklahoma City

Miles Pringle is the executive vice president and general counsel at The Bankers Bank in Oklahoma City. A native Oklahoman and third-generation attorney, Mr. Pringle is licensed to practice law in Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas. After graduating from Heritage Hall High School, he obtained his bachelor’s degrees from the University of Kansas in political science and history and his J.D. from the University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Law, where he was a member of the national moot court team. Prior to joining The Bankers Bank, he was a partner with the law firm of Pringle & Pringle.

2025 President

D. Kenyon Williams Jr., Sperry

D. Kenyon Williams Jr. is a shareholder at the Tulsa office of Hall Estill, having joined the firm in 1996. Prior to joining, Mr. Williams
served as in-house counsel for Helmerich & Payne after forming his own firm in 1977. He received his bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from TU and his J.D. from the TU College of Law. He is licensed in Oklahoma and Arkansas and represents businesses and communities in environmental, regulatory, administrative and litigation matters.

2025 Newly Elected Board of Governors

Pursuant to Rule 3, Section 3 of the OBA bylaws, the following nominees have been deemed elected due to no other person filing for the position.

Vice President

Nominee: Richard D. White Jr., Tulsa

Richard D. White Jr. is a shareholder at the Tulsa law firm of Barber & Bartz PC. During his 40 years of practice, he has represented businesses throughout the U.S. in commercial disputes. He has also maintained a substantial family law practice. He is licensed to practice in all Oklahoma courts, the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Eastern and Western districts of Oklahoma, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois and the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Supreme Court Judicial District 4

Nominee: Benjamin J. Barker, Enid

Benjamin J. Barker is a member of the Enid law firm of Mitchell DeClerck PLLC, where he has practiced since 2013. His cases and clients span the typical “county-seat lawyer” spectrum; however, he is engaged primarily in areas related to criminal defense and family law. He graduated from Enid High School in 2006, OSU in 2010 and received his J.D. from the OU College of Law in 2013. He is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, and he is a member of the Garfield County Bar Association, Cherokee Nation Bar Association, Oklahoma Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, Family Law Section and others.

Supreme Court Judicial District 5

Nominee: Lucas M. West, Norman

Lucas M. West is an associate attorney with Nichols Dixon PLLC in Norman. His practice encompasses a variety of legal areas, including family law, guardian ad litem work, civil litigation, estate planning and municipal law.

Mr. West grew up in Mustang and attended Texas Christian University, graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in political science and psychology in 2015. He was a member of the John V. Roach Honors College and the TCU Wesley Foundation. He returned to Oklahoma to attend the OU College of Law, where he worked in the civil division of the Legal Clinic and participated in the national mock trial team. He graduated in 2018.

OBA YLD Chair

Nominee: Taylor C. Venus, Enid

Taylor C. Venus is a native of Ponca City who graduated from OSU with bachelor’s degrees in economics and finance. While attending OSU, Mr. Venus had the honor to be Pistol Pete.

Thereafter, he obtained his J.D. and MBA at OU. While in law school, he served as the articles editor for the Oil and Gas, Natural Resources and Energy Journal and as an officer or representative in multiple student groups.

Contested Elections

The elections for president-elect and member at large will be held at the House of Delegates meeting on July 12 at the 2024 OBA Annual Meeting.

President-Elect

Nominee: Kara Vincent, Tulsa

Kara Vincent, a shareholder at Barber & Bartz PC, boasts 28 years of experience as both a CPA and attorney. She holds a BBA in finance from Northeastern State University, a BBA in
accounting from Langston University and a J.D. from the TU College of Law. She primarily practices in estate and trust matters, covering
design, administration, special needs planning and litigation.

Member at Large

Nominee: Rhiannon K. Thoreson, Broken Arrow

Rhiannon K. Thoreson is a civil litigator for the city of Broken Arrow who defends tort, property, employment and Section 1983 claims. She earned her undergraduate degree from TU and her master’s degree from OU. She worked for several years in the social services field before receiving her J.D. from the TU College of Law. While in law school, she served as executive editor for the Tulsa Law Review, and her article was selected for publication. She earned several awards and distinctions, including graduating with highest honors, Order of the Curule chair, a certificate in health law, the Robert C. Butler Award for Excellence in Legal Scholarship and Writing and numerous CALI awards.