The Oklahoma Bar Journal October 2025

JOHN E. SHIPP AWARD FOR ETHICS

NEIL E. BOGAN PROFESSIONALISM AWARD

new judges set to take the bench, which has enabled dozens of new judges to receive the training they would otherwise not have had. Ms. Henderson exemplifies ethical leadership and attitude. Her work continues to inspire confidence in those around her and serves as a model for the

Taylor Henderson, Oklahoma City Taylor Henderson has been a devoted public servant since gradu ating from law

Gary C. Clark, Stillwater Gary C. Clark exempli fies the highest standards of professional ism, integrity and courtesy that the Neil E.

entire legal profession. EARL SNEED AWARD

Mbilike Mwafulirwa, Tulsa Mbilike Mwafulirwa has made outstanding contributions to continuing legal educa

Bogan Professionalism Award was created to honor. His distin guished career spans decades of service, including 30 years in private practice, then four years as general counsel for the OSU Foundation and later as senior vice president and general coun sel at OSU, where he served for 13 years. In these roles, Mr. Clark’s calm, measured approach and unwavering integ rity guided colleagues through complex challenges and earned him lasting respect across the OSU community and beyond. His impact extends through out the legal profession. He served as president of the OBA in 2002 and the Tulsa County Bar Association from 1993 to 1994, and he has been recognized as an outstanding senior lawyer by the Tulsa County Bar Association. A dedicated mentor, Mr. Clark continues to share his wisdom and encouragement with younger attorneys, modeling profession alism in both word and action. He has exemplified integrity and civility throughout his career. His humility, fairness and commitment to service make him a deserving recipient of this award.

school in 2011. Since 2018, she has served as the director of the Oklahoma Council on Judicial Complaints, a state agency charged with investigating alle gations of judicial misconduct. During her tenure, she has earned the trust and respect of judges across the state due to her ded ication to fairness for all parties involved in council proceedings and her ability to balance a steadfast adherence to the rules while maintaining respect for the position of a judicial officer. Although the vast majority of judges serve with honor and are above reproach, the reality of her heavy duty at times requires ask ing the hardest questions of our state’s highest leaders and, in the worst of times, seeking public dis cipline of a judge or even removal from office. Though it is done with no joy, she fulfills her duty with the understanding that long-term public confidence in our judiciary requires facing the hardest days head-on; however, it can still be accomplished with kindness and compassion to everyone involved. While at the Council on Judicial Complaints, she has worked relentlessly to enhance judicial education related to not only ethics but all facets and subject matters important for a judicial officer to capably and ethically perform their duties. Notably, she was instrumental in establishing a week-long judicial college for

tion. His consistent excellence in researching, organizing and teaching CLE that is relevant and thought-provoking has distin guished him as both an innovator and a leader in the field of CLE. Mr. Mwafulirwa is an attorney at Coffey, Senger, Hancock & Harmon, and he previously worked at Brewster & De Angelis. As co-chair of the Tulsa County Bar Association Litigation Section for the past three years, he has expanded the scope and impact of its CLE programming. His courses regularly draw record attendance, often requiring larger venues to accommodate audiences of more than 100 participants. By bringing in distinguished judges and experts, he has created both practical and memorable pro gramming. He has also fostered collaboration among TCBA sec tions, co-hosting events with other sections to address timely, com plex topics. Beyond his work with the TCBA, he teaches at the TU College of Law, leading courses on artificial intelligence and its impact on the legal profession.

46 | OCTOBER 2025

THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL