The Oklahoma Bar Journal November 2022

T he B ack P age

By Ed Wunch The Rewards of Volunteering

I T ALL BEGANWITH AN EMAIL. In 2018, one of my mentors asked me to speak on a panel about expungements for the upcoming Law Day program. The same men tor stood beside me the first time I walked into chambers to present a routine matter, promptly to be told by the judge just how wrong I was (since then and continuing into his retirement, the judge and I have become good friends). I was hon ored to be asked to speak on the topic, and it was just an afternoon. The afternoon we filmed the panel, I had the pleasure of meet ing my co-panelists. Justin Wolf served in counsel’s office at OSBI and handled every expungement in the state. Bob Wyatt not only had prolific expungement expe rience but also had plenty of war stories from his years of crimi nal defense practice. We stayed

for about an hour after filming, discussing our practices and lives while learning from one another. This was my introduction to vol unteering with the OBA. I gave up just an afternoon of my time and gained knowledge and introduc tions to colleagues I may not have met otherwise. I wanted more. Roy Tucker, co-chair of the Law Day Committee at that time, invited me to join the committee. For me, the Law Day Committee is a good fit. I enjoy putting together the pub lic education portion of our program as well as meeting other lawyers who volunteer their time for Ask a Lawyer. Working with my col leagues on the Law Day Committee has been an absolute privilege. Since I was selected to chair the committee in 2020, I’ve enjoyed working with our Board of Governors, bar president and the tremendous staff

signing up for a committee. If you are unfamiliar with the work of a committee, reach out to the current chair. 1 I speak for many of my fellow chairs when I say that we value any time you can give back to the OBA. Perhaps that is just time in meetings where you can share ideas and offer feedback on how to improve the work of the commit tee. You may see a committee proj ect you are passionate about, and you can lead that project. There is no shortage of opportunities. I can say with certainty, if you find a project or committee you are passionate about, you will receive far more than you give. You will build connections with colleagues that extend beyond the committee’s work, and you will enjoy the reward of seeing your hard work pay off. Join me in vol unteering with the OBA. Learn more about OBA’s committees and contact OBA committee chairs by visiting www.okbar.org/committees. You can join a committee by filling out the short form at https://bit.ly/3SjMzcE. Ed Wunch is a staff attorney with Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma Inc. and serves as the OBA’s 2022 Law Day Committee chair. He is a 2013 graduate of the University of California, Irvine School of Law.

we have at the OBA. I especially want to thank John Morris Williams for his guidance over the years, as well as the great teams in the Communications, IT and CLE departments who have all helped with Law Day. Other OBA com mittees are doing equally amaz ing work. As we approach the end of the year, I encour age you to consider

From left: Dick Pryor facilitates a panel discussion with OBA members Justin Wolf, Ed Wunch (Law Day chair) and Bob Wyatt for the Law Day program. This year’s Law Day Committee is the recipient of the OBA Golden Gavel Award.

ENDNOTE 1. Committee chairperson information can be found at www.okbar.org/committees.

88 | NOVEMBER 2022

THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL