The Oklahoma Bar Journal May 2023

The land where the Oklahoma Bar Center stands today. Photograph used for a story in The Daily Oklahoman newspaper. “Above is the farm of W. F. Harn, lying southwest of the state Capitol and State Historical Society building. The 100-acre farm is the site of an oil field being started in defiance of city zoning regulations.” Courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society.

Mr. Klein, however, did not limit his vision of what this separate entity could accomplish. He also wanted the foundation to engage in research and publica tion in fields of law important to Oklahoma and help provide access to justice for Oklahomans who could not afford attorneys. Ultimately, leadership decided that a tax-exempt, nonprofit corporation should be formed to perform the work that lay ahead. On May 9, 1949, the Oklahoma Bar Foundation Inc. was for mally incorporated. The OBF was granted tax-exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service under section 501(c)(3) of the tax code. The Articles of Incorporation made all members of the OBA also members of the OBF and declared the purpose of the cor poration to be for “educational, charitable and scientific purposes to advance the science of jurispru dence and promote the adminis tration of justice.”

building in downtown Oklahoma City. It had no staff at all before the Supreme Court took control in 1939 and arranged for a small staff paid from bar association dues. This all changed when Gerald B. Klein of Tulsa was elected OBA president at the Annual Meeting in December 1945. Mr. Klein was not fazed by any of the problems; he had a plan. He also had the vision and passion to look ahead, lend a helping hand to other law yers and keep the legal profession strong and trustworthy for the people of Oklahoma. finding a home for the associa tion. His idea was to establish a separate organization that could fund and hold title to land for the OBA and construct a building on the land that would serve as a permanent home for Oklahoma lawyers. This entity would be the Oklahoma Bar Foundation. A PLACE TO CALL HOME Mr. Klein’s first priority was

also submit one providing that anyone who has had a venereal disease three times will be allowed to practice medicine.” On Oct. 10, 1939, the Oklahoma Supreme Court finally took con trol. In the case of In re Integration of the Oklahoma State Bar, 185 Okla. 505, 506, 97 P.2d 113 (Okla. 1939) , the court declared it, not the Legislature, had the inherent power to regulate Oklahoma law yers. The court reasoned, “The very fact that the Supreme Court was created by the Constitution gives it the right to regulate the matter of who shall be admit ted to practice law before the Supreme Court and inferior courts, and also gives it the right to regulate and control the prac tice of law within its jurisdiction.” Now firmly under Supreme Court control, the fledgling OBA faced many challenges. A big problem was that the OBA had no place to call home. It was forced to rent space in an old, cramped office

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.

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THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL