Make 2026 Your Year To Get Involved

By Amber Peckio

It is my pleasure to extend warm greetings to each member of our bar association as we begin 2026. A new year offers a fresh beginning – an opportunity to reflect on the profession we share, our responsibilities as lawyers and the community we build together. It is also a fitting time to look ahead with optimism and purpose, especially as we anticipate the many opportunities for leadership and service that await us in the coming year.

I am personally very excited to serve as OBA president this year. Bar associations have long served as the backbone of the legal profession. They are the spaces where lawyers come together not as adversaries in litigation but as colleagues united by a common calling. Our association provides a forum for professional development, continuing legal education and thoughtful dialogue about the evolving landscape of the law. The OBA takes pride in creating opportunities for mentorship, collaboration and the exchange of ideas that strengthen our competence and enrich our professional lives.

The OBA does more than support individual lawyers. We are working to strengthen the legal profession at large. Through our committees and sections, educational opportunities and public outreach, we are helping to shape the conversation surrounding the rule of law, access to justice, fairness and the integrity of the legal system. When our association is active, informed and engaged, the entire community benefits. In these ways, the bar association serves to both guard professional standards and promote justice in a way that is consistent with our strategic plan.[1]

Central to this mission is the service of dedicated members who step forward to lead. Getting involved with your bar association is an act of stewardship. It is an opportunity to guide the direction of our association, to influence the programs and initiatives that shape our profession and to help ensure that the legal community remains active and engaged. Whether through committee work, section leadership, mentoring or governance roles, your involvement is what transforms our association into a dynamic force to ensure the advancement of justice in our local communities and beyond.

As we prepare for 2026, I encourage each of you to consider taking on a leadership role. Leadership is not limited to those with decades of experience, nor is it reserved for those who already hold formal positions. Everyone, from newly admitted attorneys to seasoned practitioners, has something meaningful to contribute. The variety of our membership across practice areas, from big-firm lawyers to solo practitioners, is one of our greatest strengths, and our leadership should reflect the breadth of perspectives, backgrounds and experiences that define our community.

Becoming involved in leadership allows you to shape the future of the profession, deepen your connections and develop skills that enhance both your practice and your career. It provides a platform to champion issues you care about. Importantly, leadership in the bar association is an opportunity to give back to the profession that has given us so much.

As we embark on this new year, I hope you will join us in renewing your commitment to meaningful engagement. Attend events, participate in committees, reach out to colleagues, and look for opportunities to step into leadership. Together, we can build a stronger association, a more connected legal community and a more dynamic profession.

As we begin this new year, I wish you all health and happiness as well as personal and professional growth that will result in a positive outlook for 2026 and beyond.

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ENDNOTES

[1] www.okbar.org/governance.

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Originally published in the Oklahoma Bar Journal – OBJ 97 Vol 1 (January 2026).

Statements or opinions expressed in the Oklahoma Bar Journal are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Oklahoma Bar Association, its officers, Board of Governors, Board of Editors or staff.