THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL 54 | MAY 2025 Solo & Small Firm Conference OBA Solo & Small Firm Conference Is Back in 2025 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 find the schedule and registration information at www.okbar.org/solo. The conference begins Wednesday evening with a welcome reception sponsored by premium sponsor Oklahoma Attorneys Mutual Insurance Co. (OAMIC). The next morning, kickoff sessions opening the conference illustrate the diversity of programming offered. Sessions include “Recent Developments in Family Law” with Virginia Henson, “Preserving the Record for Appeal” with Justin Lollman and “Prompt Building for Your Favorite Artificial Intelligence Tool” with OBA Practice Management Advisor Julie Bays. Every hour features programs targeted to solo and small firm lawyers; however, many are valuable for every lawyer in private practice, no matter the firm size. Later, sessions range from “DUIs and Driver’s Licenses” and “Limited Scope Representation Services Delivery” to “The Ins and Outs of Attorney-Client Agreements.” Phil Fraim, president and CEO of OAMIC, will lead a session on cybersecurity – an issue of concern for all legal professionals. Thursday concludes with “60 Tips in 60 Minutes,” always a fast-paced and entertaining program, followed by “The State of AI in Legal: Where Are We, and What Does It Mean for the Billable Hour?” taught by Kenton Brice, director of the Law Library and associate professor of law at the OU College of Law. We are grateful Professor Brice has made time for us in his busy schedule to cover this important subject. As I have noted previously, if artificial intelligence means a lawyer can do a task in 15 minutes that used to take three hours, there are only a few options: 1) Ignore the tool and keep charging the clients for three hours, 2) Continue with hourly billing and bill 15 minutes going forward or 3) Modify your attorney- client billing practice To me, only one method seems to make sense for the future. This year, we have altered the educational schedule. The conference will still offer 12 hours of MCLE credit, including two hours of ethics, but two of those hours will be delivered on demand to conference attendees after the conference. This change was made to allow attendees more time to enjoy the beautiful OKANA Resort facilities and attractions and have more social time with peers. This arrangement has also allowed us to reach out to a nationally known speaker who might have been difficult to book otherwise, Damien Riehl. Mr. Riehl is vice president and solutions champion at vLex Fastcase and is one of the most informative people you will ever hear discuss the intersection of AI and the legal profession. Friday morning, one of our breakout sessions is a two-parter. Chad Kelliher will teach “Using iPad and TrialPad for Depositions and Trials” (parts 1 and 2). Mr. Kelliher has some very interesting ideas to share. I’ve long believed an iPad with TrialPad is the most effective way for a solo lawyer with no co-counsel or trial assistant to try a jury trial with many exhibits. Julie Bays and I reached out to the software developers LIT Software at ABA TECHSHOW, and it looks like some lucky Solo & Small Firm Conference attendees will get to learn about TrialPad and win a one-year subscription (a $600 value)!
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