Autonomous Vehicles and the Trolley Problem: An Ethical and Liability Conundrum
Pretend for a moment you are a trolley driver. You round a bend and see five men repairing the track you are driving on. Your only option to avoid the men is to apply the trolley’s brakes, but you quickly discover the brakes do not work. You suddenly see a break in the track to the right. You have the option to turn the trolley right and avoid the five men ahead of you. Luck, however, is not on your side. Another workman is working on that side of the track as well. Due to steep sides, none of the workmen can get off the track in time to avoid your trolley. You quickly glance to your left hoping for some reprieve. Instantly, you see a worn path that leads to a dead end and a sizable barrier, and most certainly, to your end.

The Right to Trial and Summary Judgment in Probate Proceedings
In the October 2013 issue of this journal, James C. Milton and Travis G. Cushman wrote that, “without much fanfare,” in Shamblin v. Beasley,1 the Oklahoma Supreme Court “identified a state constitutional right to trial in equitable actions.”2 This was an important pronouncement for attorneys handling matters in probate and other equitable proceedings.

Saving Oklahoma Seniors
Recently I spoke with Penny, age 65, who shared her story. “My only income now is $962 in Social Security. My father, who was always there for me, passed away. Two months later, my 30-year-long companion who had cancer died. Collectors were calling me when I was with him in the intensive care unit. My world had fallen all apart. I had a school loan for my daughter, and I owed the IRS. Then there were the other creditors I owed. I never dreamed in a million years I would be in this position. When the creditors called, they threatened and I thought I had to pay. There went my food money. I was scared and I didn’t know what to do.”

Oklahoma Attorneys Selected for Leadership Academy
The Oklahoma Bar Association announces the 23 participants of its sixth annual OBA Leadership Academy class selected from applications throughout the state.

Mona Salyer Lambird Spotlight Award Winners Announced
Since 1996 the Spotlight Awards have been given annually to five women who have distinguished themselves in the legal profession and who have lighted the way for other women. The award was later renamed to honor 1996 OBA President Mona Salyer Lambird, who died in 1999, the first woman to serve as OBA president and was one of the award’s first recipients