By Jim Calloway In the summer of 1997, when I first reported for work at the OBA to develop a program to assist practicing lawyers, I certainly didn’t anticipate I would be retiring from the OBA 28 years later. But here we are. I’ll be retiring at the end of May. Retirement brings mixed emotions…

By Jim Calloway The OBA Solo & Small Firm Conference is back! It will be held July 16-18 at the OKANA Resort in Oklahoma City. This year combines cutting-edge CLE taught by a faculty of experts with the exciting new OKANA Resort, which features an indoor and outdoor waterpark and many recreational activities. You can…

By Julie A. Bays Most lawyers use Microsoft 365 (MS 365); however, between Microsoft’s propensity to rename its products frequently and the rapid pace of upgrades and improvements, many lawyers are unclear about which MS 365 subscription is best for their practice and the best way to take advantage of dozens of features they may…

By Jim Calloway Last month in this space, we discussed document automation for law offices. Given the improvement in document assembly tools and their anticipated future path of improvement, more lawyers should be creating “first drafts” through a more automated process, even if it is something as simple as creating Word templates for documents they…

By Jim Calloway and Julie Bays ABA TECHSHOW 2025 will be held April 2-5 at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago. This is a new venue that will allow for an expanded expo hall with even more exhibitors. This year, OBA members can receive a discount on registration by using the code EP2507 when…

By Jim Calloway More technology-based changes are ahead in legal service delivery, and I believe we are reaching the point where many Oklahoma lawyers will be exploring automated document preparation. Automated document assembly is not new to the Oklahoma legal community. In the 1990s, Oklahoma City lawyer Doug Loudenback created a collection of WordPerfect macros…

By Jim Calloway The Oklahoma Rules of Professional Conduct offer guidance and rules for lawyers confronting ethical challenges. Technological advances often progress more quickly than legislative or regulatory responses to these developments. So where technology is involved, some of our ethical obligations tend to change and evolve before any new rules can be written. For…

By Jim Calloway  Lawyers take pride in their loyalty to their clients, representing them to the best of their abilities. But there are steps you can take to protect your clients even if you are not personally available to assist them. For this estate planning-themed edition of the Oklahoma Bar Journal, we have chosen to…

By Jim Calloway  Listening skills are essential for lawyers, as they need to accurately understand their clients, colleagues, judges, jurors and opposing counsel. Outstanding listening skills can help lawyers avoid misunderstandings and build rapport with clients. However, listening skills are not innate and can be improved with practice and feedback.  WAYS TO IMPROVE LISTENING SKILLS…

By Jim Calloway and Julie Bays  This summer’s program, “Artificial Intelligence: Shaping the Future of Law Practice,” was held in conjunction with the OBA Annual Meeting. It had good attendance and featured several experts who provided excellent educational content. First impressions are important. The first impression many lawyers had of generative AI tools was learning…