OBA Annual Meeting: Past, Present and Future

By Kimberly Hays

My dad took me to my first OBA Annual Meeting in 1993. I was a brand-new lawyer. I attended CLE, a luncheon and spent time with dad as he stopped to talk with fellow lawyers. I watched him have serious conversations with some colleagues and then engage in a group discussion recounting stories from recent trials or law school survival stories. Dad explained why it was important to attend the Annual Meeting each year. In addition to the CLE and OBA business, the networking and social connections made during the OBA Annual Meeting are invaluable resources to both newly admitted attorneys and long-time Annual Meeting attendees.

Dad passed away in April 1994. In November 1994, I went to the OBA Annual Meeting, where I attended the General Assembly that included the reading of the in memoriam (the names of lawyers who had passed during the last year) and heard his name read aloud. Since 1993, I have missed only six OBA Annual Meetings. 

The 2018 OBA Annual Meeting will be held Nov. 7-9 at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Tulsa. The OBA Annual Meeting is a mix of past traditions – socializing with colleagues, law school lunches, hospitality suites, General Assembly and House of Delegates – with present day “upgrades” such as section and committee meetings, recognizing award recipients, Delegates Breakfast and CLE detailing cyber issues and medical marijuana in Oklahoma. The 2018 Annual Meeting will focus on the ever-changing future of our profession and our association. 

The Wednesday afternoon CLE will examine legal issues created by the passage of State Question 788, legalizing medical marijuana. 

I attended the ABA Midyear Meeting in February, and I had the opportunity to hear Mark Lanterman’s presentation about digital evidence, the digital underground, as well as his realistic advice for cyber protection. During his presentation, I noticed something about the audience – attendees were engaged, listening and not working on phones or laptops. After hearing his presentation, I knew Oklahoma attorneys needed the opportunity to be educated by Mr. Lanterman about the very real dangers to our practices and our clients’ information with which we are entrusted.

The Thursday morning plenary CLE will examine digital evidence and cyber security, including Mr. Lanterman’s presentation. During our Thursday Annual Luncheon, he will educate us on current developments in the digital underground and share recent high-
profile cybercrime events, such as website breaches that have impacted courts and law firms.

Wednesday evening enjoy the President’s Reception. Thursday evening the OBA, Oklahoma Bar Foundation and OBA sections are hosting a celebration with a 1980s throw-back flair. You can come dressed as you are or throw on your best parachute pants, Ocean Pacific shirt and big hair. While you are digging out that ‘80s fashion, grab your favorite pictures of yourself during that decade and email them to lauras@okbar.org. Those pictures will be shown Thursday night as we socialize, eat and drink while listening to songs from the ‘80s.

The Delegates Breakfast, taking place Friday morning before our General Assembly, will feature speaker Ted Streuli and his humorous program “Fake News,” how words change meaning without changing truthfulness. The election of OBA officers and anticipated resolutions to come before the House of Delegates will be two items on the agenda Friday morning. We need all county delegates or alternates to attend and participate in these important votes that will shape the future of the OBA and the profession.

More details about these exciting and informative events can be found in this issue and on the website at www.okbar.org/annualmeeting. Please mark your calendars, send in your registration forms or register online. I look forward to seeing you in Tulsa to honor our past, celebrate the present and build the future of the OBA!

Originally published in the Oklahoma Bar Journal -- OBJ 89 pg. 4 (September 2018)