New Lawyers & Renewing Lawyers
By Jim Calloway, Director, OBA Management Assistance Program

The New Lawyer Experience is a free program that the Oklahoma Bar Association provides each spring and fall several days after each new group of lawyers is sworn in. This fall the program will be held Oct. 1, 2008 in Oklahoma City and Oct. 8, 2008 in Tulsa. As it turns out, the audience is not limited to recent admittees. Often over half of the attendees are lawyers who have been practicing a while. Some are lawyers who have been practicing for a couple years and others have been for decades.

Many law school graduates still have little training about how to operate a business. This program attempts to address that need. To assist in that goal, we have also created our Starting a Law Practice Web Directory, which is online at www.okbar.org/members/map/practice.htm.

But many things have changed since some of us first hung out a shingle. Law office technology is one obvious area of great change. This not only includes those of us who have had to learn to use digital research tools instead of relying totally on books. It also includes practice management software, scanning, e-filing, digital file management and using the Internet to market your law practice.

But other changes in the practice of law are just as significant if not so obvious. One of these is client expectations for delivery of services and attorney-client communication. Even communication between lawyers has changed. Long gone are the days when one would receive a piece of correspondence, dictate a response and drop it in the mail, knowing that it would be at least a couple of days before a reply could be expected.

Information technology advances have changed how we all think about communication. How many of us have had the interesting experience of receiving a phone call asking why we haven’t read and replied to an e-mail sent an hour or so before? As we examine the way we all communicate, it has become clear that establishing the rules for client communications and making sure that the client’s expectations match those of the lawyers is a critical element in a successful attorney-client relationship.

So, since we first started this program in April 2006, we have found that attending is a benefit not only for new lawyers, but also for “renewing” lawyers. We recommend this program for experienced lawyers who are seeking to improve their practices or are leaving employment to open their own practices.

While there are many public misconceptions about the legal profession, it is clear that Oklahoma lawyers are committed to serving their clients and solving problems. Hopefully, this free program gives everyone an opportunity to think about how they serve their clients and how they can improve their business operations.

Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Steven W. Taylor will cover some of his observations on professionalism in the practice of law and OBA Ethics Counsel Gina Hendryx will discuss trust accounting and legal ethics.

This program has taken shape with the strong support and sponsorship of Oklahoma Attorneys Mutual Insurance Company. Not only will they provide lunch for all of the attendees, but OAMIC President Phil Fraim has been a strong supporter of this concept. We also appreciate the Tulsa County Bar Association providing their facilities for the Tulsa edition of this program.

While the program is free, we do ask that you preregister. You may e-mail marks@okbar.org or call Mark at (405) 416-7026. The outline for the program accompanies this article and you can find more details including the time of each presentation online at tinyurl.com/5nt5t6.

Whether you are a brand-new lawyer or a renewing lawyer, we hope to see you at The New Lawyer Experience.

Originally published in the Oklahoma Bar Journal Sept. 13, 2008 - Vol. 79; No.23.