The Oklahoma Bar Journal January 2024

F or Y our I nformation

NEW OBA BOARD OF GOVERNORS OFFICERS AND MEMBERS TO BE SWORN IN JAN. 19 Oklahoma Supreme Court Chief Justice M. John Kane IV will swear in Miles Pringle of Oklahoma City as OBA president on Jan. 19 at the state Capitol Supreme Court Ceremonial Courtroom. New officers to be admin istered their oaths of office will be Vice President Amber Peckio of Tulsa, President-Elect D. Kenyon Williams Jr. of Sperry and Past President Brian T. Hermanson of Ponca City. New board members to be sworn in are Philip D. Hixon of Tulsa, Chad A. Locke of Muskogee, William Ladd Oldfield of Ponca City, Jeffery D. Trevillion Jr. of Oklahoma City and OBA Young Lawyers Division Chair Laura Ruth Talbert of Oklahoma City. COURT OF CIVIL APPEALS ELECTS 2024 LEADERSHIP Judge Deborah B. Barnes has been elected to serve as chief judge, and Judge Robert Bell has been elected to serve as vice chief judge of the Court of Civil Appeals of the state of Oklahoma for 2024. The following have been selected to serve as presiding judge for their respective divisions: Barbara Swinton has been elected to serve as presiding judge for Division One of the Court of Civil Appeals, Oklahoma City Division. Jane P. Wiseman has been elected to serve as presiding judge of Division Two of the Court of Civil Appeals, Tulsa Division. E. Bay Mitchell III has been elected to serve as presiding judge of Division Three of the Court of Civil Appeals, Oklahoma City Division. James R. Huber has been elected to serve as presiding judge for Division Four of the Court of Civil Appeals, Tulsa Division. These posi tions are each one-year terms that began Jan. 1. LEGISLATIVE KICKOFF SAVE THE DATE The Oklahoma Legislature reconvenes in February, and hundreds of bills will be prefiled – many of them potentially affecting your practice or the administration of justice. Join the OBA Legislative Monitoring Committee at 9:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 2, at the Oklahoma Bar Center as they identify top bills of interest to the OBA and your practice area. Plus, earn two hours of MCLE credit. Donuts and coffee will be provided. RSVP to Mark Scheidewent at marks@okbar.org to attend. FEB. 15 MCLE DEADLINE The deadline to earn your required credit for 2023 was Dec. 31. The dead line to report your earned credit or a qualified exemption for 2023 is Feb. 15. Unless you are reporting an exemption, the minimum annual requirement is 10 general credits and two ethics cred its, for a total of 12 credits. All credit must be OK MCLE approved. Please let us know how we can help you. Visit www.okmcle.org for more information.

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES Don’t forget the Oklahoma Bar Center will be closed Monday, Jan. 15, for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Monday, Feb. 19, for Presidents Day.

CONNECT WITH THE OBA THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA Are you connected to the OBA LinkedIn page? It’s a great way to get updates and information about upcoming events and the Oklahoma legal community. Follow our page at https://bit.ly/3IpCrec, and be sure to find the OBA on Facebook and Instagram. THE BACK PAGE: YOUR TIME TO SHINE We want to feature your work on “The Back Page”! Submit articles related to the practice of law, or send us something humorous, transform ing or intriguing. Poetry, photog raphy and artwork are options too. Email submissions of about 500 words or high-resolution images to OBA Communications Director Lori Rasmussen, lorir@okbar.org.

82 | JANUARY 2024

THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL