Thank You for Your Service
2020 - 2021 TCBA CONTACTS, COMMITTEE & SECTION CHAIRS
www.tulsabar.com
PHONE: 918-584-5243 FAX: 918-592-0208 1446 South Boston, Tulsa, OK 74119-3612 Executive Director Tami Williams tamiw@tulsabar.com Ext. 1002
Front Desk Coordinator General Inquiries Mallory Sanstra
frontdesk@tulsabar.com Ext. 1000
Membership Director Accounting CLE, Sections & Committees accounting@tulsabar.com Lisa Laughrey Ext. 1001 Lawyer Referral & Community Resource Navigator Jeril Haug jerilh@tulsabar.com Ext. 1003
Tulsa Lawyer Editor - Michael Taubman michael@tulsafirm.com Associate Editor - Milly Dunlap Tulsa Lawyer Submissions - tulsabarnews@yahoo.com
TCBA OFFICERS
President................................................................ Kimberly Moore Past President......................................................... Jim Milton President-Elect............................................................ Kara Vincent Vice President.......................................................... Philip D. Hixon Secretary..................................................................... Natalie Sears Treasurer................................................................. Mike Esmond Budget/Internal Operations........................................ Lisa Creveling Foundation President ...........................................Christina Vaughn Director at Large (1) Large Firm................................. Philip Hixon Director at Large (2) Large Firm.......................... C. Austin Birney Director at Large (1) Medium Firm................................ Kara Pratt Director at Large (2) Medium Firm.................. Jennifer L. Struble Director at Large (1) Small Firm...........................Tamera Childers Director at Large (2) Small Firm...........................Linda Morrissey Director at Large (2) Public Sector.........................Hon. Ann Keele ABA Delegate............................................................. Molly Aspan OBA Delegate................................................................Rick White Library Trustee (1)......................................................... Julie Evans Library Trustee (2)............................................ Trisha Archer Presiding Judge ..................................... Judge William LaFortune U.S. District Court .................................. Hon. John Dowdell C.J., Tulsa Municipal Court............................. Hon. Gerald Hofmeister TU Law School.......................................................... Rachel Baker
FOUNDATION APPOINTMENTS
Law Day ......................................................................Lizzie Riter Community Outreach................................................ Ashley Webb Golf Chair.......................................Trisha Archer & Brian Keester Scholarship Chair.................................................... Faith Orlowski Submission, Grapevine & AdvertisingVisit www.tulsabar.com Subscriptions to Tulsa Lawyer are available for $40.00 a year to those who are not Tulsa County Bar Association members or others who do not currently receive the publication. Contact Lisa Laughrey at llaughrey@tulsabar.com
FOUNDATION
President...........................................................Christina M.Vaughn Treasurer..................................................................... Philip Hixon Trustee....................................................................... Chad McLain Trustee.......................................................................... Jim Gotwals Trustee.................................................... Hon. Martha Rupp Carter Trustee....................................................................... Ken Williams Trustee...........................................................................Lizzie Riter Trustee........................................................... Hon. Ann Keele Trustee..........................................................................Justin Munn TCBA President.....................................................Kimberly Moore TCBA Pres. Elect........................................................Kara Vincent
COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS
Access to Justice.............................................. ......Shena Burgess Access to Justice Co-Chair...............................Hon. Tanya Wilson Animal Law..................................................... ..........Katy Inhofe Bench & Bar.................................................... Kevinn Matthews Children & the Law......................................... ........Lizzie Riter Children & the Law Vice Chair..........Timothy Michaels-Johnson CLE ................................................................. .........James Asbill Diversity Development......................................................Ben Fu Diversity Co-chair...................................................DeborahReed Fee Arbitration................................................. ..........Gary Crews Law Related Education...................................Stephanie Jackson Law Related Education Co-Chair.................... ........Ron Jones , II Lawyer Referral............................................... Catherine Hoopert Membership Services....................................................Kara Pratt Mentoring......................................................... .....Faith Orlowski Mentoring Co-chair.......................................... ........Randy Lewin Military/Veterans ............................................ ...Mitchell Garrett Military/Veterabs Co-Chair.............................. Hon. David Guten Nominations & Awards.................................... ...........Jim Milton Pro Bono............................................................... Mac Finlayson Professionalism................................................ ...........Rick White Public Relations....................................................Steve Layman Social Media.........................................................Collaborative Special Events.................................................. .......Natalie Sears Tulsa Lawyer.................................................... Michael Taubman Young Lawyers Division................................. ....Ephraim Alajaji
SECTION CHAIRPERSONS
ADR/Mediation..........................................................Melissa Fell Bankruptcy....................................................... ........Paul Thomas Business/Corporate.......................................... .............................. Criminal Law................................................... ........Daniel Levy Employment Law............................................. ...Kassidy Quinten Energy & Mineral Law.................................... .......Ryan Pittman Family Law...................................................... ...Todd Alexander Health Law . .................................................... ..... Kristen Evans Health Law Vice Chair..................................... Whitney Dockrey Immigration Law Chair.................................... ....Whitney Webb Juvenile Law.................................................... ..........Lizzie Riter Juvenile Law Co-Chair.......................Timothy Michaels-Johnson Litigation Co-Chairs...............Robert Mitchener & Robert Winter Municipal Law................................................David Weatherford Paralegals/Legal Assistants.............................. .........Gloria Jones Paralegal /Legal Assistants Vice Chair............ Deborah Gresh Probate/Estate/Elder......................................... ...Catherine Welsh Solo/Small Firm............................................... ......Mark Zannotti Tax ......................................................... .....Ashlee Crouch Technology ...................................................Pansy Moore-Shrier Workers Comp................................................. ............................ * Section Chairs will be updated as positions are filled.
Tulsa Lawyer is a monthly publication of the TCBA. The TCBA does not necessarily share or endorse the opinions expressed in the materials published. The views are those of thoughtful contributors. Similarly, advertising does not imply endorsement by the TCBA of products or services or any statements concerning them.
A Message from the President
Kimberly K. Moore 2020-2021 TCBA President
Pg. 2
TULSA LAWYER
In this Issue
November 2020
2
No Time More Fitting...
3
Holiday Challenge
5
ABA Annual Meeting Summary Molly Aspan
TCBA Executive Director, 1989 - 2013
8
CAP Vets - You Can Help
Page 14
9
Veteran's Day Parade - Join us Nov. 9th
In Memory of Sandra Cousins
10 A Book Review by Ron Jones The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson 13 Check out VocalMeet 18 VP's Corner - Take Time Philip Hixon
Check out the great TCBA winter lineup of Continuing Legal Education
COMPLETE VIRTUAL LIVE SCHEDULE See Page 20
19
Giveaway Time!
19 TCBA Job Bank Information 23 Gingerbread House Event - Dec. 3rd 24 Committee & Section News 26 Supporting Voters 28 Ponderings by Lulu 29 Member Benefits - New Additions! 30 Grapevine 32 Classifieds / Oven Caramel Popcorn Recipe The Bar Center remains closed for large meetings. The staff is available to members via phone or email during business hours of Monday - Friday, 9am-5pm
918-584-5243
Tulsa Lawyer 1
A Message from the President Kimberly K. Moore There is No Time More Fitting to Give THANKS As we say good-bye to the ghouls and goblins, we begin to prepare for Thanksgiving. Many of us look forward to turkey, pumpkin pie, football, parades and the dreaded beginning of holiday shopping. Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on all the good in your life, but I encourage all of us to keep these positive sentiments in mind all year round as we endeavor to perform our duties as lawyers . Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never have enough. ~ Oprah Winfrey Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings. ~ William Arthur Ward Find time to stop and thank people who make a difference in our lives. ~ John F. Kennedy
As you prepare for the holidays, please keep in mind those less fortunate. I can’t think of a better way to give thanks than to support your community either by volunteering at a food pantry or in a kitchen that serves hot meals to the homeless, or maybe adopt a family through a charitable organization, such as our own TCBA programs.
TCBA Membership Our membership numbers are holding steady at around 1,848. While this is consistent with last year’s numbers, we’re still missing some of you among our ranks. It’s not too late to renew those memberships! The TCBA is offering a Refer-A-Friend incentive for anyone who joins at the referral of a current member. Many changes will be taking place this year and new member perks are being added monthly. If you have not sent in your renewal to the TCBA or if you were still debating it, NOW is the time to join so you don’t miss out! TCBA Activities Holiday Challenge 2020 is underway! Children & the Law Committee is working with Family & Children Services again to assist those families less fortunate and in need of a little help during the holidays. You can adopt 1 family, 2 families or as many as you like to help provide them with gifts for their children at Christmas. Folks are already signing up, and I encourage you to act now so you don’t miss out. Last year Family & Children Services ran out of families for us, how great a testament to the generosity of our members’ is that!
Also, the TCBA would love to recognize those doing pro bono work and volunteer work within our community. Our December issue of Tulsa Lawyer intends to include profiles of local pro bono service groups, and we need your help to make sure those working on the front lines get the attention they deserve for their efforts. If you know of an individual or a firm that deserves a little special recognition, please email me.
in any way we can. If you have any questions or comments or believe there is anything we could be doing better, please do not hesitate to contact me at: kimberly.moore@laok.org, and thank you for taking part in TCBA. Kimberly K. Moore TCBA President, 2020-2021
Lastly, as mentioned last month, please Sincerely, remember to check the TCBA website often, as our Kimberly K. Moore TCBA staff continues to provide updates regarding TCBA President, 2020-2021 COVID-19 information, Tulsa County Courthouse Administrative Orders, and Oklahoma Supreme Court Administrative Orders. We are here to serve
2020 TCBA HOLIDAY CHALLENGE The holidays are almost here!!! That means, please act now if you’d like to adopt a family for the 2020 TCBA Holiday Challenge!! It’s a great way to give back to the community and do some good with that holiday spirit. Many families in the Tulsa area are hungry, cold, and in dire need of gifts for their children. The good news is, we can do something to change that!
1. Select the family size that you or your team want to adopt and Family & Children’s Services will match your team with a family in need; 2. Submit your team’s information (names and contact information) and size of family you wish to adopt via email to lizzie.riter@okdhs.org; 3. Once matched, you will be given a list of requested items from your adopted family. The items The process is simple and just like before. You can requested for your adopted family will need to either choose to donate money, or you can choose to be be gift wrapped and dropped off to either TCBA matched with a specific family in need. Here’s how it or Family & Children’s Services in Tulsa by works: December 11, 2020; Cash: Send your tax deductible donations payable to 4. Family & Children’s Services will distribute the gifts TCBF and note “Holiday Challenge” on your payment. to your “adopted” family! Cash donations will be accepted through December 4, 2020. If you would like to adopt a family, please contact me, Lizzie Riter, by November 6th so we can start the -ormatching process with Family & Children’s Services.
Act by Friday, Nov. 6th!
Adopt a Family:
If you’d like to get involved in more than one way, please feel free to reach out to me at lizzie.riter@okdhs. org or by phone at (405) 982-3043 so I can give you information on how to get involved. All 2020 sponsors will be recognized in the Tulsa Lawyer Magazine as being totally awesome people with generous hearts (so let me know if you would prefer your donation remain anonymous). Let’s show our Tulsa area children in need that they are not forgotten. Please join us and let’s make the 2020 Holiday Challenge a huge success!
Summary of American Bar Association
2020 Annual Meeting
I was honored to serve as the Tulsa County Bar Association Delegate at the first ever Virtual Annual ABA Meeting this August. The Annual Meeting included a wide variety of live CLEs, and ABA members can access more than 600 online CLE webinars and on-demand programs at no additional cost, with more programs added each month. The House of Delegates met virtually for one and a half days. In addition to adopting new policies, ABA President Judy Perry Martinez of Louisiana passed the gavel to President-Elect Patricia Lee Refo of Arizona, who became President at the conclusion of the Annual Meeting. Many remarks were made by ABA leadership about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on legal needs and members, and the ABA’s work on racial equity and anti-racism. Full remarks can be viewed on the ABA website. The 594 members of the House of Delegates considered 59 resolutions at the 2020 Virtual Annual Meeting, more than at any other meeting. Below are summaries of some of the resolutions and reports that were approved by the House of Delegates: •
•
Resolution 10D urging federal, state, territorial and tribal governments, bar associations, and/or Commercial Lenders to develop and implement programs to assist law students, recent graduates, and young lawyers experiencing financial hardship due to postponed bar exams and/or deferred employment or unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic; Resolution 10G urging that the highest court or bar admissions authority in each jurisdiction cancel the in-person bar examinations currently scheduled for September 9-10, 2020, and September 30-October 1, 2020, and not administer any other in-person bar examination until and unless public health authorities determine that the examination can be administered in a manner that ensures the
health and safety of bar applicants, proctors, and other staff; •
Report 100A urging all employers in the legal profession to implement, maintain, and encourage the use of paid family leave policies for the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child;
•
Report 101 adopting the American Bar Association Election Administration Guidelines and Commentary, recommending that all election officials ensure the integrity of the election process through the adoption, use, and enforcement of the Guidelines, and urges that federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal governments provide state, local, territorial, and tribal election authorities with adequate funding the implement the Guidelines and Commentary;
•
Resolution 102B urging all nations, including the United States, to become a party to and implement the 2019 Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments in Civil or Commercial Matters;
•
Resolution 107 amending the Professional Responsibility Model Rule 1.8(e) by adding a narrow exception to the Rule that will increase access to justice for the most vulnerable clients;
•
Resolution 111A adopting the Best Practices for Third-Party Litigation Funding;
•
Resolution 115 recognizing that effective reforms of legal systems that affect the fundamental rights of children and youth cannot be accomplished without active participation by individuals who experienced those systems as children and youth; encouraging attorneys, judges, advocates, legislators, bar associations, and law schools to promote effective, ongoing, and authentic engagement in legal system Tulsa Lawyer 5
reform and advocacy efforts by individuals who have experienced those systems as children and youth and to remove barriers to that engagement; urges law schools, bar associations, law firms, and other professional organizations to create pathways for individuals with lived experience in legal systems that affect children and youth to pursue and succeed in legal and advocacy careers, both within youth-serving systems and more broadly in the legal profession; calling on organizations focused on improving legal systems that affect children and youth to incorporate individuals who experienced those systems as children into leadership positions; •
•
Resolution 116G urging that, in all states, territories, and tribes, the highest courts or legislative bodies charged with the administration of justice, admission to the bar, or regulation of the legal profession, require that lawyers, judges, commissioners, referees, probation officers, and court personal whose job requires interacting with the public receive periodic training regarding implicit biases and urging that, in all states, territories, and tribes, the highest courts or legislative bodies, or agencies and boards that license and regulate the medical professions or social service professions, require that medical professionals and social service professionals who work with the public receive periodic training regarding implicit biases; Resolution 117 urging federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal governments to (1) use a considered and measured approach in adopting and utilizing virtual or remote court proceedings established as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) form appropriate committees to establish or review the use of virtual or remote court proceedings and make recommendations for procedures, revisions of procedures and best practices; (3) ensure that virtual or remote court proceedings guarantee equal access and meet standards of fundamental fairness and due process; (4) provide advance notice of proceedings and ensure full and meaning full public access to virtual proceedings, while also protecting the privacy of those proceedings legally exempted from public access; (5)
reintroduce in-person court options as soon as safely feasible as determined by public health officials; and (6) study the impacts of virtual or remote court proceedings and take steps to halt, alter, or revise virtual or remote court procedures if such study suggests prejudicial effect or disparate impact on case outcomes; and •
Resolution 301B urging the American Bar Association to, consistent with its demonstrated values, propose Juneteenth be recognize as a national, paid legal holiday.
The House of Delegates also adopted policies on other topics, such as criminal justice, intellectual property, landlord/tenant, immigration, adult guardianships, law enforcement use of lethal force, fair lending laws, elections, and policies for approval of law schools and distance education programs. If anyone would like further information on any of these resolutions or reports, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.
Molly Aspan,
Tulsa County Bar Association Delegate to the ABA House of Delegates
Resource Page
- Just click the link at the top of our web page, www.tulsabar.com - A quick resource with links to press releases and notices for Tulsa County Courts, OSCN, Northern District of Oklahoma, OBA, Dept. of Health, State & District Administrative Orders and more.
TCBA WANTS YOU • VOLUNTEER FOR "CAP" COURT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM FORCIBLE ENTRY & DETAINER ("EVICTION") DOCKET, • EVERY DAY - EXCEPT WEDNESDAY AT 2 PM • JUVENILE JUSTICE CENTER 500 W. ARCHER- FREE PARKING.
CONTACT: BETH NELLIS, CAP COORDINATOR bethnellis@cox.net or 918-760-3945
CAP Vets: You Can Help! The month of November always makes us thankful and this year, it certainly holds even more meaning than usual. The word "Thanksgiving" itself is the perfect combination: "thanks" for our blessings and we should be "giving" to others. In addition to thoughts of our families this month, we are specifically reminded of our nation's veterans who have sacrificed so much. While reviewing Court Assistance Program ("CAP") Intakes, it became evident that on the Forcible Entry & Detainer ("Eviction") Docket, veterans have been vastly underserved, compromising only about 5% of the hundreds of renters that the CAP pro bono attorneys have represented through the years. Initially it seemed that the Veterans Administration ("VA") must have assisted the veterans but upon closer examination, the VA focused on home loans, medical coverage and educational opportunity.
BUT, there is definitely a way to intervene! By providing more CAP volunteers, more renters, especially veterans, can be assisted. CAP's Mission continues to be to provide pro bono attorneys for as many FED Dockets as possible. Currently, the majority of the eviction cases are set on the 2, 3 and 4 pm dockets every day EXCEPT Wednesdays. Traditionally, CAP requested volunteers to appear only one afternoon per month but several attorneys make numerous appearances. PLEASE consider volunteering or if you are personally unable to do so, suggest the Court Assistance Program to friends and colleagues. FREE training is available at the TCBA and you will receive one hour of CLE for viewing the presentation.
If you need additional information, contact me There is no accurate way to determine what at: bethnellis@cox.net or 918-760-3945 (call or text). happened to the multitudes of veterans who have been subject to eviction; statistics indicate that many became homeless, were hospitalized or tragically, committed You can help us, help Veterans! suicide.
12 Tulsa Lawyer 8 Tulsa Lawyer
Please join us as we march to honor Veterans! Wed., November 11th • 7:00 am - Free breakfast at the VFW. 1109 East 6th Street Tulsa, OK • 10:45 am - All TCBA volunteers & participants should me at designated location no later than 10:45am. TCBA will have a banner to march with. Everyone is welcome to join us and don’t forget to wear warm clothes and bring a raincoat!
Sign up online at www.tulsabar.com. You will receive details and meeting location by registering beforehand.
• 11:00 am - Parade Kick Off with prayer/salute and war birds. • The American Legion is hosting a lunch after the parade at Centennial Park. Cost is $7.
A Book Review by Ron Jones
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson eloquently explores the Great Migration, an exodus of six million Black Southerners to the Northern & Western United States from roughly 1915 to 1970. It’s the most significant intra-migration in American history. Black people left the lands of their enslaved forefathers in search of lives greater, freer, and more like what America promised them at Reconstruction. The fusion of Black urban & rural shaped American music, politics, & cuisine like no other domestic phenomenon. If the writings of Toni Morrison or James Baldwin captivate you, the athletic feats of Jesse Owens or Serena Williams inspire you, Oprah or Michelle Obama’s podcasts inform & entertain you, a hat tip to the Great Migration is in order. But the Warmth of Other Suns does not explore the Great Migration through the lens of celebrities. Wilkerson dives deep into the lives of three of the millions of nameless faces in search of something more. Ida Mae Gladney, George Starling, and Robert Pershing Foster were born in different states and left Dixie in different decades. They differ in job, educational attainment, and income. Yet the harrowing hand of Jim Crow controlled every aspect of their early lives. The will
to escape suffocating tyranny binds them the six million others wrapped up by the Great Migration, and frankly, humans in general. In the face of unyielding oppression, our innate strength, innovation, and courage lead us to search for better lives. Ida Mae Gladney was born in 1913 in Chickasaw County, MS, across the state from the fertile Delta but still ruled by king cotton. And king cotton maintained a cruel caste system: white planters at the top, Black sharecroppers at the bottom. Ida Mae maintained a gap-toothed smile through the indignities inflicted by the caste, walking to a 1-room school for Black children of all ages, a father who died with no medical care because white doctors refused to treat Black patients, and feet hardened by the Mississippi clay because they couldn’t afford shoes. Ida Mae married in her teens and settled in for life as a sharecropper’s wife on Mr. Edd’s plantation. Sharecropping was slavery by another name. Black laborers worked the fields in exchange for seed, fertilizer, and life’s bare essentials while plantation owners sold the cotton and supposedly split the profits “equally” with the sharecroppers. Mr. Edd was fairer than most plantation owners in that he occasionally gave sharecroppers some earnings at the end of the year. A brutal industry with no oversight and violence for inquiring about a plantation owner’s accounting, some experts estimate >80% of plantation owners cheated sharecroppers. Ida Mae and her extended family also tended to animals & gardens. George, Ida Mae’s husband, decided the family was going to leave in 1937 after his cousin was accused of stealing turkeys that belonged to Mr. Edd, who formed a posse and stalked George’s cousin and beat him within an inch of his life. George and a few other men had to cut off his cousin’s clothes because the blood had stuck them to his body. The turkeys appeared a few days later after a hiatus in the woods. Mr. Edd nor anyone in the posse was ever charged for the brutal assault. George settled up with Mr. Edd and the family took the train north to Milwaukee where George had a sister. Many of the migrants followed relatives to their
10 Tulsa Lawyer
destinations. Unable to find satisfying work in Milwaukee due to the Great Depression, the family moved to Chicago’s Black Belt on the Southside. Throughout the years Ida Mae’s gap-toothed smile carried her family through many of the same trials & triumphs that other migrants faced. She became a poll worker helping others vote before any Black person could exercise that right in her home state without being killed. Her family purchased a home once the segregated walls of the Black Belt crumbled and white flight began. Within a year of Ida Mae’s family moving in, the white neighbors fled their block. In Ida Mae’s later years, her once middle-class neighborhood had given way to many urban social ills. Underfunded schools, mass incarceration, and the pillaging of wealth from Black homeowners like Ida Mae through unscrupulous housing practices made her southside neighborhood a ghetto rife with crime. 1 Undeterred, Ida Mae joined the block club to improve her neighborhood. Once a skinny state senator with a funny name spoke to the block club. The woman born into a world that killed Black people for attempting to vote did not know that she was listening to the man who would become the 1st Black President of the United States. Ida Mae’s superhuman ability to maintain a gap-toothed smile through all the hardships led to a fulfilling life. George Starling was born in Northern Florida in 1918. He grew up in Eustis near Orlando. Prior to being the happiest place on earth, central Florida was known for the best citrus fruit in the world. That juicy fruit, like king cotton, created a racial caste: white grove owners at the top and Black pickers at the bottom. George excelled in school & sports and had no intention of living a life dangerously high in a citrus tree. He graduated valedictorian of his high school class and matriculated to Florida A&M, the only Florida college Black students could attend. George couldn’t afford tuition after his sophomore year. His father didn’t see the value in a son sitting in a classroom in Tallahassee while he could be making money picking fruit. Jim Crow allowed no local schools for George to attend. He found himself doing what he vowed to avoid at all costs, picking fruit. “Schoolboy”, as he was called by the pickers whenever he worked during summers and reviewed their wages to ensure they were being paid fairly by the foremen (they often weren’t), had wasted two years in school to find himself right back with them.
1 Making the Second Ghetto, Race & Housing in Chicago 1940-1960 by Arnold Hirsch
World War II began and George received a deferment due to a heart condition. The ensuing draft of many pickers led to a labor shortage. George saw opportunity. He created a make-shift union. Telling fellow pickers not to begin until they could negotiate a fair price. Pickers had higher wages, grove owners had a problem, and Jim Crow gave them a heinous solution, lynching.2 The grove owners in Lake County had a cartoonishly evil sheriff who also appears as the primary antagonist in a brilliant book detailing Thurgood Marshall’s case in Lake County.3 Sheriff William McCall would not merely look away but gladly join in a ghastly lynching of George. Luckily a friend overheard the grove owners decide to lynch George and the other union organizers early enough for a warning. George hitched a ride to the train station and was headed north to New York City within hours of the warning. He vowed to never live in Eustis again and decades later when fellow pensioners were returning to the warmth of the Florida sun George decided to stay in NYC. George got a job on the same rail line that took him from Florida to New York City in 1945. He was a porter, as respectable a job as many Black men could hope for in that era. George spent decades ushering migrants & their descendants to and from the land he’d left fearing for his life. George was able to capture some semblance of the American Dream in Harlem. He & his wife purchased a brownstone in Harlem where they raised a family. A bookish man, George never had the opportunity to return to college and fulfill his dreams of becoming a professor. A gnawing reality until his death. George Pershing Foster, “Bob”, hailed from Monroe, LA. He was born in 1918 to a teacher & principal at the local colored high school - a rare learned family amongst the Black mill workers of Jim Crow northern Louisiana. But their education did not translate into financial success. Black public school employees were paid a fraction of their white counterparts and colored schools received hand-me-downs from the local white schools throughout the Jim Crow South, yet Robert followed his siblings into prestigious Black universities.
2
On Lynchings by Ida B. Wells-Barnett
3 Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America by Gilbert King Tulsa Lawyer 11
He attended Morehouse, Black America’s feeder system into the middle class. There Robert saw “Blacks living the way they ought to live.” He attended medical school at Meharry, America’s foremost Black medical college. Robert settled on obstetrics and after a brief stint in the military, had to decide where to begin a practice. Robert’s older brother Madison, also a doctor, practiced in Monroe. The local hospital didn’t allow colored doctors, so Madison was practicing out of his medical bag, tending to Monroe’s Black residents who were just as likely to pay with ½ a pig as money. Robert dreamed bigger than Monroe, bigger than the humiliation of not actually being fitted for a suit prior to purchase, he dreamed of California. It became a reality in 1953 whenever his stylish Buick Roadmaster headed west for warmer suns. While California, nicknamed “James Crow” for more sophisticated racism by Black migrants, was not perfect to Bob, he succeeded. One would not have to search far in Black Los Angeles to find a “Robert” named after the affable obstetrician who delivered him. And one can still go listen to “Hide Nor Hair” speak of “Dr. Foster”, an ode to Bob by his most famous patient, a fellow migrant, Ray Charles. In spite of financial success, the caste perfected by Jim Crow followed Robert to California. Early on by his insistence on visiting then segregated Las Vegas for a weekend trip emblematic of any Los Angeles man of Bob’s lot. At the end of his career, Bob was haunted by unfair, racist treatment at a VA hospital. While Bob attained socioeconomic success unfathomable to any Black person born in Jim Crow Louisiana, he spent his life seemingly dissatisfied. Bob constantly searched for belonging and acceptance. He never forgot the embarrassing urine-filled hallways on the way to the balcony for colored moviegoers at the theater in Monroe or the roller skates he desperately wanted as a child, always quick to say “we could afford the roller skates but we couldn’t afford sidewalks.”
You Move Me Tulsa
is a veteran-owned local 5-star moving company offering TCBA members 10% off the hourly rate. Call 918-286-8840 or visit www.youmoveme.com. Offer valid 9/1/20-8/31/21.
Each character left a different state in the Jim Crow South for a different part of America. Their lives spanned decades in which their homelands evolved from a caste system controlling every aspect of life down to separate Bibles to swear oath upon to schools more integrated than their grandchildren would attend in the urban North & West. None of them felt they were joining a mass movement that would reshape America, they simply wanted something better. Their courage, shared by 6 million other Black people, and millions of Irish, English, Italian, Mexican, Chinese, and dozens of other groups of immigrants to leave the only land that many of them had ever known for a better place is distinctly American. It isn’t lost on me that America finds itself at a crossroads. Unable to shake the remnants of the caste that forced Black migrants from Jim Crow to James Crow, and it’s unclear how we tackle such a daunting challenge. I don’t have the answer. But I have confidence that if we can progress from a country where a Black woman didn’t even know the location of her polling place because visiting could mean death into a country where that same Black woman speaks with the man who would become the 1st Black President of the United States, then we can figure this out as well.
Ronald “Ron” Jones, II is a proud Hugo, OK native currently practicing criminal defense law in Tulsa.
Kara Pratt is now accepting parenting coordinator and guardian ad litem appointments. Please call her at 918-599-7755 or 918-899-0900.
Tu l s a County Bar Association Welcome to
VocalMeet
TCBA's New On-Demand CLE Platform! The TCBA is pleased to announce a new and innovative way to fulfill your Oklahoma CLE requirements from the comfort of your own home or on-the-go. Our CLE's are now online through VocalMeet and available for purchase to members at a discount with code tcbamem1.
Check it out at
www.tcba.vocalmeet.com *Please note virtual CLE's will remain free for members when watched live. Current Available CLE’s On-Demand All are one general credit hour, unless indicated by 1 ethics credit hour included) • • • • • • • • •
Habits of Healthy & Happy Attorneys by John Lieber. Ethics in Quarantine by Richard Stevens How Not To Be Dumb On Social Media by Sheila J. Naifeh COVID-19 and Force Majeure Clauses in Contracts by Jim Hicks A New Take on Trial Skills by Matt & Darrah Day Employment Law Hot Topics by Randall Snapp The Role of a Step-Parent by Todd Alexander, Linda Van Valkenburg and Jaime Vogt Working From Home: Tech Tools, Tips and Real Life Challenges by Jim Calloway Overview and Mechanics of the Small Business Restructuring Act ("SBRA")
Did you miss an October CLE that you really wanted to attend? Check out
VocalMeet A great resource for CLE on your schedule!
Tulsa Lawyer 13
Reflections in Memory of Sandra Cousins
TCBA Executive Director 1989 - 2013 Judge Deirdre Dexter
Sandra Cousins served as the Executive Director of the Tulsa County Bar from 1989 until 2013. During that time, she brought our local county bar association to national prominence through her involvement with the American Bar Association’s annual and mid-year meetings and her involvement with the National Association of Bare Executives. Over the years Sandra served as Chair for several programs at the ABA annual and mid-year meetings as well as chairing Continuing Education staff retreat programs for the Bar Leadership Institute Program. She also served as the Secretary of the National Conference of Bar Foundations, as well as being a member of the Sponsorship Committee to secure underwriting for NABE at the mid-year and annual meetings, and has co-chaired the Protect the Children Committee for the ABA. All these things and more describe Sandra the Executive Director that the outside world saw. But she was that and so much more for everyone who has ever served as President of the organization. Her commitment to TCBA was unparalleled - a more personal side of her work as Executive Director involved her dedication to finding attorneys who would volunteer for the 3-year commitment involved with serving as President of the TCBA (President-Elect, President, and Past President). She contacted many of us, suggesting that we run for President-Elect. And, to steal a line from Gary Clark - I am certain I was her favorite - just like every President to serve believed he or she was Sandra’s favorite. Because that is just how Sandra was - she was loyal to the President and would do whatever it took to make the current President look good - for the betterment of TCBA. Sandra was tireless in her work and devotion to the TCBA. She would work long hours to make us lawyers look good - such as the time involved in preparing for the TCBA centennial (3 years in the making) and would stay late if needed to talk to an attorney if he or she just needed
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a sounding board or confidant - one who never reveal the content of a confidential conversation and do whatever she could to help. This latter trait earned Sandra another title - that of Mother Superior - lovingly bestowed by those who treasured her ability to lend an ear and perhaps a wise suggestion all the while maintaining the confidence entrusted to her. But beyond her devotion to TCBA and its lawyers and her work as the TCBA Executive Director, Sandra was my friend and I will miss her. Our first grandchild, my Addie, was born shortly after I became President in 2009. Sandra conspired with my oldest son to get a picture of Addie and have it made into a blanket. I cherish that blanket to this day. Sandra was also there for me when I buried my father, hugging me as I cried. We celebrated the good times and commiserated with one another when we encountered the not so good times. I know I’m not the only lawyer Sandra has befriended over the years - and each of us has stories we could tell - of Sandra’s devotion, her kindness, her grit and determination. And each of us will miss her in our own way. But miss her we shall - now and always.
Bill Grimm, John Gaberino, Sandra Cousins & Robert Sartin 2002 TCBA Centennial Gala at Southern Hills Country Club
Judge Martha Rupp Carter Sandra Cousins was an active leader who was never bashful and always willing to step up and move everyone to resolution. She was a leader in most, if not all, the activities she chose to do. She was a mentor to many women lawyers from the time they first dipped their toes into TCBA waters and she encouraged them as they immersed themselves more fully into service to the Tulsa County Bar Association. She helped many men in working toward and entering leadership roles too. One of Sandra’s significant talents is that she actively scouted our ranks for those with commitment to furthering the rule of law and the legal profession in Tulsa. Sandra’s involvement and activism at the national level provided her with knowledge and experiences she shared to strengthen and further us. Sandra’s drive and force on behalf of the TCBA and TCBF were key to the success we enjoy as other local bar associations weakened over the years. Sandra wanted her lawyers to do well individually and she supported and mentored so many of us to this end.
Sandra wanted our Association to flourish, leading her to involvement nationally as a bar executive to bring ideas home to us for our use and betterment. I never set out to be the TCBA President. I believe a reason I was is because Sandra Cousins envisioned that I could and suggested that I consider doing it. I also believe that over those years she served as our Director, she helped many of us step up and serve in different ways. Sandra was skilled in knowing what talent or service was available from each of us, and knew when to call upon us to share. I will always remain grateful for her encouragement and friendship to me. The things I will miss most with her passing are Sandra’s strength of will and personality, her kindnesses to me and many of you, her seemingly unlimited energy, her work ethic, her humor, her stories, her zest for life, and the amazing force she was. She loved and was beloved by her family, her friends, and all her Tulsa lawyers.
Renee DeMoss Sandra Cousins was an amazing woman. Her contributions and commitment to the Tulsa Co. Bar Association and Foundation have been eloquently described by others, but they can never be over-emphasized. By the time Sandra became TCBA Executive Director, she was already a leader in Tulsa community activities and had developed a who’s who contact list that she was able to consistently draw upon for the benefit of the TCBA. She always knew exactly who to contact for a TCBA project or event, and prided herself on a job well done for the best price possible. She led the TCBA through many challenging projects that benefitted Tulsa Co. lawyers and modernized our bar, such as upgrading our Bar facilities, showcasing the Centennial, working to computerize us, and always leading us to the top tier of Bar Associations across the nation. Sandra’s ability to get things done through charm, persuasion and sheer force of will was amazing to me. She always said her job was to ensure every TCBA President had a successful year, and she performed that job flawlessly. She helped bring in the best and brightest speakers for our events, like U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and President Gerald R. Ford, and was the perfect hostess and Tulsa ambassador with them all. She was an innovator in bar programming, and put our
small, municipal Bar Association on a par with much larger state bar organizations. Sandra was a rock star with the National Conference of Executive Directors and Bar Presidents and was the go-to person for advice among her colleagues. The esteem in which she was held led them to vote her the 2005 National Association of Bar Executives Bolton Award winner for Professional Excellence - an honor she richly deserved. Sandra generously shared her fame on this national stage with every TCBA President she had. She made sure we met everyone she knew at national meetings and was, without doubt, the reason several of us went on to hold positions on national Bar Boards. On a personal level, Sandra was a generous and loyal friend to so many. Through her activities she made countless friends in Tulsa and across the country, such as the Honolulu resident who would only travel off the island for vacation if Sandra would go to Hawaii to house and dog sit for her. Sandra’s holiday activities – especially her Christmas parties – were legendary. She has a Santa collection without rival, and she and Ray loved starting the decorating every November, with every room adorned, complete with a Christmas tree in each. Sandra never forgot her friends’ family members or pets, and she never forgot a birthday. At the center of Sandra’s big heart was her family,
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whom she loved beyond measure. Ray was often at her side for late night TCBA work and events, and Sean, Victoria, Travis, and Kevin were the center of many wonderful stories she told. Her two grandsons, however, were perhaps her greatest joy. I believe the trips she and Ray had taking them to Disney World and having them spend summer weeks in Tulsa were among her favorite times. It is impossible to describe someone who meant so much to so many and is now gone. I will simply say that Sandra was a generous, multi-talented person who lived life to the fullest, and gave her very best to the Tulsa County Bar Association and its members. I loved her and I will always miss her.
Judge Millie Otey & Faith Orlowski What an extraordinary person was Sandra Cousins. My first encounter with this auburn-haired dynamo was my first term on the Board of the TCBA. And what Board it was! It was mostly men and the meetings were held at the old Louisiane restaurant at 18th and Boston. Sandra had every meeting organized with great efficiency and wholeheartedly supported Board’s desire to have not only fiscal security of the TCBA, but also a permanent location. Through all of this, Sandra worked with Ronnie Main, Bill Grimm and a host of other bar leader that culminated in the purchase of what is now the TCBA building at 15th and Boston. Although it was a huge and unprecedented move, with a not-sopopular membership dues increase, Sandra held forth with each following President and his Board until Bill Grimm burned the mortgage when the last payment was made. True to their word, the Board reduced the dues back to the pre-purchase amount. Sandra breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Now let’s get to work”. And she did.
Sandra sharing a laugh with her predecessor, Lois McIlroy, TCBA Exec. Director 1966-1990.
Sandra and her husband Ray, celebrating after being presented the Bolten Award for Professional Excellence at the National Association of Bar Executives in 2005
With each successive President, progress was made toward making the TCBA “second to none”. Part of being the Executive Director of the TCBA was participating at a national level with other bar EDs. Those meetings brought to light all of the programs that Tulsa lawyers had put into place in the Tulsa community; at one point in time, Sandra boasted that she had help place a lawyer on the Board of most non-profit organizations in Tulsa County. She believed in lawyers and the good works that lawyers perform, not just for the legal community, but for Tulsa in general. She never stopped looking for “lawyer opportunities”. She was well recognized, nationally, as one of the top bar Executive Directors. Sandra not only had boundless energy for accomplishing goals, but she has a unique and subtle steering mechanism that surfaced only when one of the Presidents was about to go “off course”. She had “the look” or she had a little rapping of the fingers on the desk, and that all it took to get back on course. I believe that part of keeping things on course was Sandra’s open door policy. It did not matter what time of day or evening, if a person came to her door, she stopped whatever she was doing and made whomever it was feel welcome. She never tired of attorneys coming to her door. It is a great loss to the TCBA and the Tulsa community to loose Sandra. She was an extraordinary person who can never be replaced; rather looked to as model of excellence.
TCBA CLE Hot Topics! Get Signed Up Now! • Nov. 5th: The Changing World of Evictions in 2020 by Eric Hallett, Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma 12pm – 1 HR • Nov. 6th: Women in Law by Hon. Sharon Holmes Hon. Martha Rupp Carter 2pm – 1 HR • Nov. 16th: Family Law by Hon. Ann Keele 12pm – 1 HR • Nov. 17th: State Criminal Jurisdiction: How McGirt v. Oklahoma Should Affect Your State Criminal Practice by Kasey Baldwin, Tulsa County Public Defender 12pm – 1 HR • Dec. 3rd: Broader Implications of the McGirt Opinion by Deborah Reed, Reed Legal, PLLC 12pm – 1 HR • Dec. 14th: Starting Again: Career Changing for the Mid-Career Lawyer by Jim Calloway, Oklahoma Bar Association 12pm – 1 HR
Register at www.tulsabar.com - All seminars to be held virtually.
VP'S CORNER
Philip Hixon TCBA Vice President Long-time executive director of the Association, Sandra Cousins, passed away on September 9, 2020. Although it has been years since I visited with Sandra in person, we were Facebook connections. In a post from September 5, 2020, Sandra reflected, “Sometimes we wait too long to recall wonderful things that have happened. We need to stop and take time to acknowledge the important people and places in our lives.” She’s right. These articles are generally forward-looking. Literally. They’re written at least three weeks prior to publication—a challenging monthly exercise in prognostication. This one departs from the norm, taking time to fondly remember some people and places in the Association’s history. In September 2003, I became the chair of the Association’s then Young Lawyers Committee. During that year, Sandra was something of a mentor to me (or, perhaps, more accurately a shadow administration). I had some general plans for my year at the helm, but nothing overly specific. I wanted to involve the committee in community service projects. Out of the gate, I encouraged committee members to mentor elementary students through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma’s school-based program. There were only two mentors: me and Stacie then-Hayes, now-Hixon. Apart from crossing paths with the prettiest girl in Tulsa, future girlfriend and wife, the project was mostly a failure. To liven things up and salvage my year, Sandra suggested—or rather directed—that the committee host a Mardi Gras party for the Association membership, with proceeds from the event going to charitable causes. Sandra loved Mardi Gras. I suspect she had the event planned before “suggesting” it to me. She had the venue: Bourbon Street Café on Cherry Street, where Smoke is located now. She had party favors in 18 Tulsa Lawyer
TAKE TIME mind: ceramic masquerade magnets/ornaments. (Over 16-years later, Stacie and I still have ours displayed on the side of our refrigerator.) Sandra knew just where to obtain them: a supplier in New Orleans, of course. Somewhere along the way, Sandra allowed me and my planning committee, Jennifer Annis and Keri Williams, to select the menu and the band. Thanks mostly to Sandra and my planning committee, the event was a smash, or at least that is the way I remember it. The venue was full. The band and the food were good. Stacie, who I had been dating for a couple weeks by then, looked radiant in her electric blue top. When the band took breaks, we had drawings or announcements of some kind. During once such break, Sandra handed me the microphone and said something along the line, “This is your time to shine!” I’ve never been too shiny, but I was touched by her confidence and support. All said and done, the Mardi Gras party netted approximately $3,000 for charity. Thank you, Sandra. The Association honored me as Outstanding Young Lawyer for 2003-2004 and with a President’s Award. Thank you, Sandra. I served another two terms on the Association’s board in different roles during Sandra’s tenure. During both terms, she provided me with additional opportunities to “shine,” although I still wasn’t shiny. Thank you, Sandra. She always made me look better than I would have on my own. I owe Sandra a debt of gratitude for the prospects she provided, and things she taught, me as a young lawyer. Thank you, Sandra, and God’s speed.
Full day CLE's make it easy to get your CLE requirements done! Dec. 4th: Annual Family Law Day – 6 HRs Credit Dec. 8th: Criminal Law Hodgepodge Day – 6.5 HRs Credit See pg. 20 Dec. 9th: Juvenile Law Day – 5 HRs Credit (1 Ethics) Dec. 10th: Annual Estate Planning – 8 HRs Credit (1 Ethics)
TCBA GIVEAWAYS! NOVEMBER GIVEAWAY
Nov. 13 is National Kindness Day. Send us the names of those you think should be recognized for their kind acts & a description of why. We will publish them as we can and do a random drawing in November for one person to receive a gift card.
Email lisal@tulsabar.com
TCBA JOB BANK Whether you're searching for the perfect candidate or you're looking for your dream job, the TCBA Job Bank allows you to connect with the best of Tulsa's Legal Community! • Job posts are FREE for members • $50 per post for nonmembers Send Grapevine announcements to tulsabarnews@yahoo.com Firm announcements, office moves, family milestones!
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• • • • • •
All courses are virtual this year. Virtual space is limited to 100 attendees per course, unless otherwise noted. Schedule is tentative and seminars are subject to change. Materials will be emailed to attendees. The cut off to register for a class is 5pm on the day before the course. Please note that you will need to register for the course through the www.tulsabar.com website, AND register for the course on VocalMeet once you receive the email with the link to the course. • You will receive the link by email the morning of the seminar. • CLE's are free for members to watch live (on the day and time the presenter is presenting them). • Or $35 per 1 hour course to watch the recording at a later date. Non-member rates to watch these CLE's live or recorded are: 1.0 HR - $50 5.0 HR - $150 2.0 HR - $75 6.0 HR - $175 3.0 HR - $100 7.0 HR - $200 4.0 HR - $125 8.0 HR - $225
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Need an excuse for cookies?
The TCBA is hosting another cookie event with OKCOOKIEMOMSTER. Make it a date or a family event...you will love it!
Join us to make Gingerbread Houses! • Thursday - December 3rd • 6:30pm - Virtually • Cookie Kits - $10 Members • Register at www.tulsabar.com
* Limited to 40 participants so sign up now!
(Kits include everything you need, including 3 bags of frosting in the colors of your choice) Tulsa Lawyer 23
Tulsa County Bar Association CLE COMMITTEE
My name is James Asbill, and it is my great privilege to have the opportunity to serve as this year’s CLE Committee Chair. I know that the past year has been full of changes and challenges to the legal profession without any comparison in recent memory. The way we do business has been fundamentally changed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and it is likely that we will never return fully to the way things were done before. With that in mind, it is my goal to make sure that our CLE programming adapts as well, and that we are bringing this community content that is informative, instructive, and relevant. We have an exciting slate of topics scheduled for this fall, and I am grateful to each and every individual who has volunteered their time and expertise for these presentations. If there is a topic you are interested in having a presentation on, or would be interested in presenting, please make it known to us! I want to ensure that we are providing content that is both informative and useful to our members. jasbill@tulsalawyer.com
BANKRUPTCY SECTION
LITIGATION SECTION
For membership year 2019-2020, the Litigation Section Chairs Robert Mitchener, III and Robert J. Winter, both of Pray Walker, P.C., held monthly meetings providing free CLE focusing on litigation practice skills. The section received presentations from Shane Henry on Trial Techniques, Reggie Whitten on “‘Brandon’s Story & Lawyers Fighting on the Frontlines of Addiction”, and Charlie Black with ProLegal Tech on using demonstrative aids in trial and video depositions attorneys. For the upcoming membership year, Mr. Mitchener and Mr. Winter are working to schedule virtual presentations on litigation practice skills, the anatomy of a $500 million dollar lawsuit, getting your arbitration mojo back, and conducting virtual depositions, mediation, and hearings during COVID-19. This year’s Litigation Section meetings will be held virtually on the third Thursday of every month during the noon lunch hour. Please join us!
rmitchener@praywalker.com rwalker@praywalker.com
The TCBA Bankruptcy Section gathers bimonthly to hear poetry, enjoy a lunch meal (when Covid-19 restrictions allow), and discuss substantive bankruptcy issues and cases (in that order). Members are encouraged to engage both sides of their brains as we explore words and ideas that enrich our lives and practices. Our meeting schedule for the rest of the fiscal year is: 11/19, 1/21, 3/18, 5/20, and 7/15 – from noon until 1:00 p.m. on the TCBA’s virtual meeting platform. Please join us, suggest to topic for discussion, and/or be a presenter yourself. We are better if you are involved. Also, please look for (and read) the Bankruptcy Section’s Poem of the Week – included in TCBA’s weekly e-mail blast. Thank you. Bankruptcy Section Chair Paul Thomas (918) 581-6687 Paul.thomas2@usdoj.gov 24 Tulsa Lawyer
Committee & Section News
CRIMINAL LAW SECTION My name is Danny Levy and I am a prosecutor with the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office. I am excited to chair this year’s Criminal Law Section. 2020 has brought sweeping changes to the practice of criminal law in Tulsa County. The McGirt decision fundamentally altered the foundation of criminal law practice. COVID-19, and its associated consequences continue to present practitioners with an ever changing (and sometimes virtual) courthouse experience. My goal is to use the Criminal Law Section to tackle these challenges as we adapt to our ever changing new normal. I look forward to seeing you soon— hopefully in person! Please feel free to email me at dlevy@tulsacounty. org with any questions or suggestions.
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TCBA Supporting Voters & Helping our Community On October 15th & 21st, the TCBA teamed up with the League of Women Voter’s to encourage citizens to register to vote. And GableGotwals for two drive-by notary clinics to provide citizens a safe way to get their absentee ballots notarized for free! There has been a record number of voters requesting absentee ballots this year, and the TCBA is getting involved to help our community vote safely.
*Lulu did not meet the requirements to register.
Veterans Day On Veterans Day we honor all Who answered to a service call. Soldiers young and soldiers old Fought for freedom, brave and bold. Some have lived, while others died, And all of them deserve our pride. We’re proud of all the soldiers who Kept thinking of red, white, and blue. 26 Tulsa Lawyer
by Cheryl Dyson
They fought for us and all our rights. They fought through many days and nights. And though we may not know each name,
We thank all veterans just the same.
Tulsa Lawyer 27
Ponderings by Lulu The official TCBA Bar Center Morale Officer A reminder from LuLu that Friday, November 6th is Love Your Lawyer Day!
The day was created in 2001 by attorney Nader Anise, ALPIA (American Lawyers Public Image Association) and started a campaign of “No Lawyer Bashing or Jokes for a day.”
Send us photos of your fur babies, office companions, feathered friends and such and be a part of the Tulsa County Bark Association. Binx enjoys taking a tropical break when things get tough. He makes sure his human, TCBA Exec. Dir., Tami Williams, has lots of work to do while he naps. He also prefers to not be disturbed by his fur sister, Salem (not pictured.)
Showing some love to Katy Inhofe, any fur baby's best friend and lawyer!
Needing Your Ethics CLE Hours?
Check out these offerings to get that taken care of... Ethics credits available: • Nov. 5th : Fair Housing and Ethical Considerations During the COVID-19 Pandemic by Teressa Webster Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma at 2pm – 1 Ethics Hour • Nov. 18th: Serving on Non-Profit Boards & Ethical Considerations for Lawyers by Hugh M. Robert, Sherwood, McCormick & Robert at 12pm – 1 Ethics Hour • Dec. 16th: Legal Issues Facing Veterans With PTSD by Travis Barnett, US Army, Mitchell Garrett, US Marine Corps & Hon. David Guten, US Air Force at 12pm – 1 Ethics Hour • Dec. 18th: How to Keep Judges Happy by Hon. Sharon Holmes at 12mp – 2 Ethics Hours 28 Tulsa Lawyer
Member Benefits New & Exciting!
• TCBA JOB BANK- Whether you're searching for the perfect candidate or you're looking for your dream job, the TCBA Job Bank allows you to connect with the best of Tulsa's Legal Community! Job posts FREE for members or $50 per post for non-members
• 20% off Massages & Private Yoga Sessions with Caroline Meeks, Licensed Massage Therapist and Certified Trauma Informed Yoga Teacher.
• Trainers Discount! Our personal trainer neighbor is offering a pay by the month option with no contracts! Members get 20% off sessions in their first 4 weeks. 1 trainer per 1-2 clients max.
• Master Clean Carpet and Tile Cleaning of Tulsa, LLC 20% off all services including commercial and residential carpet cleaning, steam cleaning, tile & grout cleaning, upholstery cleaning, and more. • AmericanChecked is offering 15% off volume discount pricing from a full-service, nationally accredited background screening company based in Tulsa. FCRAcertified screening experts can help members build the perfect package for their firms. • The Philbrook Museum of Art is providing a 20% discount for all 1st time Philbrook members from TCBA.
• Tulsa Ballet is offering TCBA members unlimited number of tickets 50% off! (Based on availability. Section availability varies for each performance).
• The Tulsa Symphony Orchestra is offering a 10% discount on subscription packages and select performances. • You Move Me Tulsa is a veteran-owned local 5-star moving company offering TCBA members 10% off the hourly rate. • Free Live Streaming Yoga! Two sessions every week with instructor Caroline Meeks.
Membership Year 2020-2021
Just Announced!
• BA Party Supply -20% off balloon arrangements • AR Workshop- 20% of in person sessions.
• Sam’s Club- $45 off $100 membership level, 10/2310/31 additional $10 off.
Current Favorites • Free Live Continuing Legal Education (CLE)! Now live streaming for members at no cost!
• Exclusive discount on the purchase of the Courthouse Access Security Badge.
• Ability to purchase the O.R. Card for O.R. privileges.
• Free subscription to Tulsa Lawyer Magazine! A $40 savings! Digital copies included. (Applies to paid memberships only). • Opportunity to increase your client base through TCBA’s Lawyer Referral Program.
• Timely notices regarding administrative orders from the Tulsa County District Court, and other similar updates as they are made available, concerning closings and special rules during the pandemic. • Ability to develop strategic relationships through professional networking opportunities.
• Opportunities to volunteer in the specific law area of your choice through sections, committees, and community projects with other attorneys. • Discounted tickets to local sporting events including the Thunder, Oilers, Drillers, Roughnecks and Golden Hurricane.
If you have an idea or connection for a member benefit contact Membership Director, Lisa Laughrey at lisal@tulsabar.com or 918-584-5243 Ext.1001
Tulsa Lawyer 29
Grapevine News
The iconic Tulsa neighborhood Kendall Whittier has received a legal upgrade. Well known immigration law attorney Lorena Rivas and University of Tulsa College of Law classmates and experienced Tulsa attorneys Mary McMillen and Sara Schmook have joined forces to open a full-service boutique law firm in the diverse neighborhood. Aptly named The Lawyers of Kendall Whittier, the firm focuses its legal efforts on immigration law, criminal law and family law issues. “It’s been a whirlwind, but it’s been very exciting,” Lorena Rivas said. “Kendall Whittier is a neighborhood that I’ve had my eye on for some time. It is a neighborhood with both tremendous history and diversity.”
Lorena has already established quite the following from her new office digs located at 2417 East Admiral Boulevard. Less than one month into her residency, Lorena was named to the Kendall Whittier Main Street Board of Directors. “Definitely an unexpected honor,” Lorena said. “I am so proud and honored to be a part of this community,” Rivas said. “You can’t help but feel the positive energy that floats around here. It really is contagious and tremendous.” Joining Lorena’s team at Rivas & Associates are up-and-coming immigration attorneys and fellow TU law grads Elissa Stiles and Elijah Johnson. “I feel super privileged to work with Lorena and her industrious, good-natured team,” Elijah Johnson said. “Young attorneys need guides in order to develop into powerful advocates. Lorena is a role-model advocate. She delivers the zeal necessary for representing clients in Dallas, the 5th Circuit, or anywhere in the country. But she is also kind and down to earth. She has an impressive memory for her clients’ names and stories, and this is because she truly cares about our clients. She is rooting for them.” Call 918-505-4870 or visit RivasAssociates. com or KendallWhittierLaw.com to set up a personal consultation Lorena Rivas, Mary McMillen or Sara Schmook today.
Hall Estill has been named a “Highly Recommended Law Firm” for Dispute Resolution and a “Recommended Law Firm” for Labor & Employment by Benchmark Litigation 2021, a leading national law publication. Additionally, nine attorneys have been named “Local Litigation Stars in Oklahoma,” one has been named a “Future Litigation Star,” and three have been named “Labor and Employment Stars”. Attorneys Mark Banner, Mark K. Blongewicz, J. Kevin Hayes, William W. “Bill” O’Connor, Timothy S. Posey, John T. Richer, Mike E. Smith, Steven W. Soulé and D.K. “Ken” Williams, Jr. were those selected as “Local Litigation Stars”. Attorney Bryan J. Nowlin was named a “Future Litigation Star” and attorneys Molly A. Aspan, Steven A. Broussard and Elaine R. Turner were named “Labor and Employment Stars”.
“We are honored to be recognized as one of the region’s top law firms again this year,” said Mike Cooke, managing partner for Hall Estill. “Our success is a testament to our hardworking attorneys who have been recognized in all three Benchmark Litigation categories. Hall Estill is incredibly fortunate to have them on our team.” Benchmark Litigation is the only publication on the market to focus exclusively on litigation in the U.S. The guide’s results are the culmination of a six-month research period that allows its researchers to conduct extensive interviews with litigators and their clients to identify the leading litigators. These interviews examine the casework handled by the firms and ask sources to offer their professional opinions on litigators practicing within their state or national practice areas.
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Doerner, Saunders, Daniel & Anderson, LLP (DSDA) is pleased to announce the addition of three new associates, including Whitney N. Humphrey, Elizabeth V. Salomone and Anna M. Sanger. Whitney focuses on a broad range of corporate and business transactional matters, as well as business litigation. She works with clients in the areas of business entity formation and structuring, business financing, contract negotiations and disputes, securities, real estate matters, and general commercial and corporate business litigation. Whitney received her Juris Doctorate with highest honors from the University of Tulsa College of Law. Elizabeth is a graduate of Oklahoma City University School of Law. She practices in the areas of general and corporate litigation, representing clients in nearly every matter. She represents both individual and corporate clients, spanning an array of industries, including oil and gas, construction, real estate, healthcare and insurance. Prior to joining DSDA, Anna graduated with highest honors from the University of Tulsa College of Law. She practices in the area of civil litigation, while assisting individual and corporate clients in a range of areas including bankruptcy, environmental and commercial litigation.
America®: Ones to Watch award that honors lawyers who have been in private practice for less than 10 years, and who have exhibited outstanding professional excellence. Her other achievements include being named as an Achiever Under 40 in 2018 by The Journal Record, serving as the editor-in-chief of the American Indian Law Review, and completing a federal judicial clerkship for Chief Judge James H. Payne with the Eastern District of Oklahoma. “Mary’s list of accolades is just one of many reasons the firm named her to partnership. We’ve witnessed over the past decade how dedicated she is to improving the Tulsa and Oklahoma communities through her practice, the firm committees she serves on, and the community organizations she belongs to. We are so proud of her,” said Scott Hathaway, president of Conner & Winters. Huckabee joined Conner & Winters in 2010 as a summer associate and then began her practice with the firm in 2012 after passing the bar exam. She currently serves on the firm’s small marketing, business development and recruitment committees, and is involved with the firm’s Connecting Women initiative. Additionally, she maintains an active membership with of the American Bar Association, Oklahoma Bar Association, and Tulsa County Bar Association. In her spare time, Huckabee serves on the OU Law Young Alumni Board and as a board member of the Tulsa Debate League. She also enjoys fixing up her 1924 Craftsman Bungalow and working in the garden. Huckabee earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 2012 and her Bachelor of Arts in 2008 from Columbia University where she studied environmental science.
Conner & Winters LLP, announced Mary P. Huckabee as the firm’s newest partner. Huckabee is a highly skilled transactional lawyer who handles zoning and land use, real estate, and banking and business acquisition deals in industries including construction, oil and gas, healthcare, and nonprofits. “I am so proud of the land use and zoning practice I have developed at Conner & Winters. Every day, I help my clients navigate around the many hurdles in real estate development. Whether it’s a new business bringing jobs to downtown Tulsa, a nonprofit building affordable housing for seniors, or a restaurant welcoming customers to their patio, my greatest reward is to see their success reflected in the landscape of our community.” Recently, Huckabee received the Best Lawyers in
The Tulsa law firm of Atkinson, Haskins, Nellis, Brittingham, Gladd & Fiasco announces that Eric A. Di Giacomo has joined the firm as an associate. Eric Di Giacomo graduated with highest honors from the University of Tulsa College of Law in 2020, after earning a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Tulsa in 2016. While in law school, Mr. Di Giacomo served as Articles Editor of the Tulsa Law Review and Treasurer of the Latino Law Students Association. Mr. Di Giacomo is a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association and currently practices civil litigation with an emphasis in research.
Classified Ads Jon Starr
Mediator and Arbitrator Contact DRC for scheduling 918-382-0300
Happy Thanksgiving!
Enjoy this great Fall snack, originally printed in our TCBA Cookbook, Barrister's Bistro.
OVEN CARAMEL POPCORN Sharon Barnes, GableGotwals
2 c. brown sugar 2 sticks butter ½ c. corn syrup 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. soda 1. tsp. Durkee butter flavoring 6 qt. popped corn (8.5 oz popcorn) 2 c. nutmeats (peanuts, walnuts, cashews, etc.)
Bring brown sugar, butter syrup and salt to a boil and cook until strings or soft ball stage. Remove from heat and add baking soda and butter flavoring. Stir well and pour over popped corn and nut meats. Spread on cookie sheet. Place in a 200° oven for 1 hour, stirring at 15-minute intervals. Remove from oven and let cool. Store in airtight container
@tulsabar 32 Tulsa Lawyer
AV rated Tulsa law firm with broad practice seeks two (2) associate attorney with 1-5 years of litigation experience. Ideal candidate will have experience with all stages of litigation up through preparing a case for trial, exhibit excellent brief writing and oral argument skills, and be extremely organized. We offer a competitive salary and benefits package along with a good working environment. Please submit resume, two writing samples, and references to: JHesley@amlawok.com
We love to feature photos of our members. Send us pics of your TCBA activities so we can share with members. Send to tulsabarnews@yahoo.com with a brief description and the names of those pictured. Make sure those pictured want their few minutes of fame in Tulsa Lawyer!
The Bar Center will be Closed Nov. 26th & 27th.
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Tulsa County Bar Association 1446 S. Boston Ave. Tulsa, OK 74119
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