From the President | Annual Meeting Matters

By Amber Peckio

As lawyers, we spend much of our professional lives focused on the immediate: the client waiting for an answer, the brief due tomorrow, the hearing on next week’s docket. Those demands are important, but they can make it easy to lose sight of the larger profession of which we are a part.

That is why our Annual Meeting matters!

This November, the OBA will gather for its 122nd Annual Meeting at the Skirvin Hotel in Oklahoma City. As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, our theme, “Generations of Justice: 250 Years Strong,” invites us to reflect about our profession has been and where we are headed. And we would love for you to join us!

An annual meeting is more than a few days away from the office. It is an opportunity to reconnect with the purpose behind the practice of law. For generations, Oklahoma lawyers have contributed to the strength of our justice system, not only through our work in courtrooms and law offices, but through service to our communities, our bar association and one another. The Annual Meeting gives us an opportunity to recognize those contributions and to learn from the lawyers who came before us. It also gives us a chance to invest in ourselves.

The practice of law is constantly changing. New technologies, evolving areas of practice, changing client expectations and developments in the law require us to keep learning. The Annual Meeting provides a concentrated opportunity to earn CLE, hear from knowledgeable speakers and stay current on issues impacting our profession. Just as importantly, it allows us to learn from colleagues who may approach the same challenges from entirely different perspectives.

But perhaps the most valuable part of an annual meeting cannot be measured in CLE hours: it is the opportunity to build relationships. Some of our most meaningful professional connections begin in a hallway, over a cup of coffee, or during a conversation between sessions. Those relationships can lead to mentorship, collaboration, referrals, and friendships. They also strengthen the professional community we all rely upon. A strong bar is built one relationship at a time.

The Annual Meeting is also an opportunity to participate in the business of our profession. Section and committee meetings, governance decisions and leadership elections give members a voice in shaping the organization that serves Oklahoma lawyers and the public. You do not have to hold a leadership position to make a difference. Showing up, asking questions and sharing your perspective are some ways we can all engage in our professional association.

As we celebrate 250 years of American history, we should remember that every generation of lawyers inherits a profession shaped by those who came before. We also inherit a responsibility to leave it stronger for those who will follow. The OBA Annual Meeting gives us a moment to pause, reconnect, and consider that responsibility.

I hope you will join us in November – not only to attend an important bar event, but to be part of the continuing story of our profession. We are, after all, not merely preserving a legacy. We are building the one that the next generation will inherit.

 

 

 

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Originally published in the Oklahoma Bar Journal – OBJ 97 No. 7 (September 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.