The Oklahoma Bar Journal December 2022

A ccess to J ustice

Access to Justice: A Year in Review

By Brian Candelaria

A S WE NEAR THE END OF the year, it is an opportunity to briefly look at the recent past activities of the Access to Justice Committee and its sister orga nizations, the Access to Justice Commission and the Access to Justice Foundation. It is also a chance to note some of what lies ahead in the future. ACCESS TO JUSTICE SUMMIT On Oct. 21, the third statewide Oklahoma Access to Justice Summit was held virtually. It was hosted by the Oklahoma Access to Justice Foundation in partnership with the Oklahoma Access to Justice Commission and the Oklahoma Bar Association. Its theme was “A Celebration of Innovation.” During the free, full-day event, more than 45 speakers spoke on a wide range of access to justice topics and inspired more than 200 attendees to explore new ways to ensure meaningful access to the civil justice system for all. The summit featured eight breakout panels and several key note speakers on a wide range of topics. Topics included how law yers and judges can ensure proce dural fairness for pro se litigants, how attorneys in practices of all sizes can incorporate pro bono into their lives, the current state (and future potential) of online dispute

resolution, innovations and oppor tunities in rural legal access, the importance of interdisciplinary and holistic legal practices for vulnera ble populations, how standardized forms and templates can increase court access for unrepresented litigants, lessons for Oklahoma from three recent studies on the justice gap, how attorneys can build profitable legal practices that are also affordable to those who need services, how to use online dispute resolution platforms equitably, how lawyers can work hand-in-hand with social workers and peer coaches to help parents at risk of losing their children and the critical role lawyers play in our state Legislature. These panels and speakers highlighted the expertise and experience of attorneys and judges across Oklahoma, as well as guest speakers from Minnesota, Colorado, Texas, Illinois and Washington, D.C. The event also provided an opportunity to celebrate the win ners of the 2022 Summer Pro Bono Challenge over the lunch hour, with several Tulsa-area winners: Solo: Pansy Moore-Shrier Small Firm: Eller & Detrich Mid-Sized Firm: Doerner, Saunders, Daniel & Anderson Large Firm: Conner &Winters

Also recognized were the first winners of the new Outstanding Student Pro Bono Award, an annual recognition of a law student who has gone above and beyond in their commitment to public service and their community:

Shawnee Arrington, 3L, TU College of Law Addison Butler, 3L, OU College of Law Hailee Frazier, 3L, OCU School of Law

All three student winners will be celebrated on their respective campuses later in the year as well. The Oklahoma Access to Justice Foundation offered the summit to highlight both the critical unmet need for legal services for low- and moderate-income families across Oklahoma but also the many solu tions that are available to us and how they’re being implemented both here and across the country. The summit also provided an opportunity, through the use of its first opening speaker and the last speaker of the day, to discuss the importance of diversifying the field of law by suggesting inno vative alternatives to traditional bar exams and why diversity is so important to access to justice. The summit also noted that we still have a long way to go to ensure

38 | DECEMBER 2022

THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL