Vol. 1 | No. 48 | December 1, 2021
Oklahoma Supreme Court
No published opinions this week.
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.
Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals
No published opinions this week.
Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals
No published opinions this week.
Dispositions Other than by Published Opinions
CLICK HERE to read Dispositions Other than by Published Opinions.
Help Others With Dues
The Kick It Forward Program paid seven members’ dues for 2021 totaling $1,787.50. The program was born out of a desire to help fellow lawyers with financial difficulties. With the many economic challenges lawyers face today, it can be a struggle to build up and maintain a legal practice. That’s why the Young Lawyers Division launched Kick It Forward in 2015, with a mission to assist lawyers of all ages in need by paying their OBA dues while they get on their feet. The program is funded by donations made through an election on your dues statement. By completing the Kick It Forward line, lawyers agree to pay $20, or the amount of their choice, to the program in addition to annual dues.
Pay Your OBA Dues Online
It's that time of year. If you haven't paid your membership dues yet, remember you can pay online at myokbar. While you are there, update your membership preferences and check out your excellent member benefits! In addition, as Jim Calloway suggests in his December Oklahoma Bar Journal article "A Few of My Favorite Things," you can also upload your picture there.
"One of my favorite things is seeing pictures of OBA members in the OBA directory, which is accessible to OBA members only. It is such a great benefit for Oklahoma lawyers who have similar names, so lawyers looking up a phone number or email can tell by the picture that they have the right person. In addition, if you are going to be meeting up with another lawyer in court for the first time, seeing a picture may be helpful. Law firms spend a lot of money on branding and marketing. You probably already have a professional picture on your computer right now. Log in to MyOKBar and upload your picture to your profile. It is free and should only take a moment. If you are the managing partner of your firm, maybe you should send out something encouraging all the lawyers in your firm to do the same," said Calloway.
The last day of 2021 is the last day to earn any remaining CLE credit for 2021 without having to pay a late fee. The deadline to report your 2021 credit is Feb. 15, 2022. Not sure how much credit you still need? You can view your MCLE transcript online. Still need credit? Check out great offerings from OBA CLE.
REMINDER. Your ETHICS MCLE requirement is now two hours. Choose from available online ETHICS courses here.
If you have questions about your credit, email mcle@okbar.org.
The Judicial Nominating Commission seeks applicants to fill a vacancy for the position of Judge for the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals, District 4, Office 2. This vacancy is created by the resignation of the Honorable Trevor Pemberton on Oct. 18, 2021.
To be appointed to the office of Judge of the Court of Civil Appeals, one must be a legal resident of the respective district at the time (s)he takes the oath of office and assumes the duties of office. Additionally, prior to appointment, such appointee shall have had a minimum of four years’ experience in Oklahoma as a licensed practicing attorney, a judge of a court of record, or both.
Application forms can be obtained online or by contacting Tammy Reaves at (405) 556-9300. Applications must be submitted to the Chairman of the JNC no later than 5 p.m., Friday, Dec. 10, 2021. Applications may be hand-carried, mailed or delivered by third party commercial carrier. Whether mailed or delivered, they must be postmarked on or before Dec. 10, 2021, to be deemed timely.
Applications should be mailed/delivered to:
James Bland, Chairman
Oklahoma Judicial Nominating Commission
c/o Tammy Reaves
Administrative Office of the Courts
2100 N. Lincoln Blvd., Suite 3
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
NOTICE OF HEARING ON THE PETITION FOR REINSTATEMENT
SIDNEY WADE JONES, SCBD # 7126
TO MEMBERSHIP IN THE OKLAHOMA BAR ASSOCIATION
Notice is hereby given pursuant to Rule 11.3(b), Rules Governing Disciplinary Proceedings, 5 O.S., ch. 1, app. 1-A, that a hearing will be held to determine if Sidney Wade Jones should be reinstated to active membership in the Oklahoma Bar Association.
Any person desiring to be heard in opposition to or in support of the petition may appear before the
Professional Responsibility Tribunal at the Oklahoma Bar Center at 1901 North Lincoln Boulevard, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, at 9:30 a.m. on TUESDAY, DEC. 7, 2021. Any person wishing to appear should contact Gina Hendryx, General Counsel, Oklahoma Bar Association, P.O. Box 53036, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73152, telephone (405) 416-7007.
PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY TRIBUNAL
NOTICE OF HEARING ON THE PETITION FOR REINSTATEMENT
RYAN ANDREW KUZMIC, SCBD # 7040
TO MEMBERSHIP IN THE OKLAHOMA BAR ASSOCIATION
Notice is hereby given pursuant to Rule 11.3(b), Rules Governing Disciplinary Proceedings, 5 O.S., ch. 1, app. 1-A, that a hearing will be held to determine if Ryan Andrew Kuzmic should be reinstated to active membership in the Oklahoma Bar Association.
Any person desiring to be heard in opposition to or in support of the petition may appear before the Professional Responsibility Tribunal at the Oklahoma Bar Center at 1901 North Lincoln Boulevard, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, at 9:30 a.m. on TUESDAY, JAN. 18, 2022. Any person wishing to appear should contact Gina Hendryx, General Counsel, Oklahoma Bar Association, P.O. Box 53036, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73152, telephone (405) 416-7007.
PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY TRIBUNAL
NOTICE OF HEARING ON THE PETITION FOR REINSTATEMENT
KELLY JO WALKER, SCBD # 7167
TO MEMBERSHIP IN THE OKLAHOMA BAR ASSOCIATION
Notice is hereby given pursuant to Rule 11.3(b), Rules Governing Disciplinary Proceedings, 5 O.S., ch. 1, app. 1-A, that a hearing will be held to determine if Kelly Jo Walker should be reinstated to active membership in the Oklahoma Bar Association.
Any person desiring to be heard in opposition to or in support of the petition may appear before the Professional Responsibility Tribunal at the Oklahoma Bar Center at 1901 North Lincoln Boulevard, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, at 9:30 a.m. on TUESDAY, JAN. 25, 2022. Any person wishing to appear should contact Gina Hendryx, General Counsel, Oklahoma Bar Association, P.O. Box 53036, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73152, telephone (405) 416-7007.
PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY TRIBUNAL
NOTICE OF HEARING ON THE PETITION FOR REINSTATEMENT
BYRON EARL HARVISON, SCBD # 7166
TO MEMBERSHIP IN THE OKLAHOMA BAR ASSOCIATION
Notice is hereby given pursuant to Rule 11.3(b), Rules Governing Disciplinary Proceedings, 5 O.S., ch. 1, app. 1-A, that a hearing will be held to determine if Byron Earl Harvison should be reinstated to active membership in the Oklahoma Bar Association.
Any person desiring to be heard in opposition to or in support of the petition may appear before the Professional Responsibility Tribunal at the Oklahoma Bar Center at 1901 North Lincoln Boulevard, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, at 9:30 a.m. on THURSDAY, JAN. 27, 2022. Any person wishing to appear should contact Gina Hendryx, General Counsel, Oklahoma Bar Association, P.O. Box 53036, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73152, telephone (405) 416-7007.
PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY TRIBUNAL
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By Jim Calloway, Director
Management Assistance Program
Having another person pay for your clients is good for the lawyer who gets paid. But third party fee payments can turn into sticky situations sometimes. A parent may pay for a child’s attorney fees in a domestic dissolution case. But the parent, having paid for the lawyer, may assume that they are entitled to more access to information and input on decisions than the parent should have. In my view, the best way to attempt to deal with that is to have the funding party sign an agreement in advance, covering such matters as client confidentiality and how fee refunds would be handled. Several years ago, I wrote an article for the Oklahoma Bar Journal Client: ‘Can My Parents Pay for My Attorney Fees?’, Lawyer: ‘Yes, but…’. I included in that article a form to use while constructing your own Agreement For A Third Party To Pay Attorney Fees. I prefer doing these as a separate agreement but some others include the language in their standard fee agreement. You will want to modify the form to your needs, but having an agreement like this, used routinely, would certainly solve some potential disagreements.
