The Oklahoma Bar Journal November 2024

The Value of OBA Membership F rom T he P resident By Miles Pringle

E VERY SO OFTEN, IT IS NECESSARY TO STEP back and look at the bigger picture. As I pen my second-to-last “From the President” article, it feels appropriate to consider the significant role the OBA plays in the legal system and the benefits it conveys to its members. We can be forgiven that, in our daily grind of practicing law, we forget the broader view of how important the OBA is to our profession. The OBA is vital to supporting the administration of justice and improving attorneys’ practices. From time immemorial, attorneys have organized themselves into associations. For example, in the late Roman Empire, lawyers admitted to practice before the same court would form schola (or college of advocates), which exercised “[s]trict professional discipline was provided for every ‘member of the bar,’ and the disci plinary supervision was exercised by the court to which he was admitted.” 1 In medieval England, Inns of Court were formed and empowered by the king to regulate the education and practice of law. 2 In the United States, “all the

For members, once they have met the stan dards for admission, they benefit by practicing in a noble and possibly lucrative profession. It is a privilege and public trust to practice the law. No doubt, the fees charged for legal services would be greatly diminished if the barrier of entry was removed. Thus, the primary benefit that all members have is the right to practice the law. This regulatory approach is a common model in the U.S. Like medical boards provide for medical professionals, banking regulators for banks and securities regulators for issuers, our society relies on bar associations to pro vide transparency and minimum standards of ethical conduct for lawyers. 4 Unfortunately, there are those who will take advantage of others. We need industry-specific enforcement bodies to hold rulebreakers accountable. The OBA, however, is more than a regulator exercising its police powers. All states have a legal professional licensure regime. Most states, but not all, have a mandatory bar association whereby the regulating entity is also respon sible for other endeavors, such as providing a forum for the discussion of subjects pertaining to the practice of law and encouraging practices that will advance and improve the honor and dignity of the legal profession. I would argue that this model better serves the mission to promote the administration of justice as the enforcement authority is also responsible for improving the quality of the profession – not just punishing infractions. It is a holistic approach to regulating that encompasses accountability, rehabilitation and improvement. A prime illustration of this is the OBA’s fantastic Ethics Counsel Richard Stevens. Mr. Stevens confidentially helps practitioners with tough practical issues. The role of ethics counsel is a recognition that it is not enough to

colonies had their own profes sional bar by 1750.” 3 Our OBA was formed prior to statehood in 1904 by a merger of the Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory bar associations. Initially subject to the Oklahoma Legislature, its current structure as a part of the judicial branch occurred in 1939. The OBA enforces the Rules of Professional Conduct and is respon sible for investigating and preventing the unauthorized practice of law. These duties benefit all Oklahomans by having qualified and ethical representation in their legal matters. The courts are benefitted by having competent and truthful advocates speak for the parties before them (or the attorney will be held accountable).

Miles Pringle is executive vice president and general counsel at The Bankers Bank in Oklahoma City. 405-848-8877 mpringle@tbb.bank

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THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL