(OKLAHOMA CITY - Jan. 21) – Oklahoma Supreme Court Chief Justice James E. Edmondson will swear in nine attorneys to the Oklahoma Bar Association Board of Governors at 10 a.m. Friday in the Supreme Court Courtroom at the state Capitol.

Guymon attorney Jon Parsley will take oath as OBA president. Parsley is a sole practitioner in Guymon. He was admitted to the Oklahoma Bar Association in 1994. His practice is general with an emphasis in litigation. He is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. His role as association president is a voluntary position in which he will serve while continuing his law practice.

He will be the second Guymon attorney to serve as association president, following David K. Petty who led the OBA in 1987.

One of Parsley’s early priorities is finding the right person to fill the OBA’s vacant general counsel position. He has also planned an OBA continuing legal education cruise for July. The OBA will host a technology fair in September, and Parsley plans to restructure the association’s annual meeting, held in November.

Tulsa attorney Allen Smallwood will take the oath of office to become OBA president‑elect, and he will become president on Jan. 1, 2010. Smallwood is a solo criminal defense practitioner in Tulsa. He received a B.S. from Oklahoma State University in 1972 and his J.D. from the University of Tulsa College of Law in 1974. Prior to obtaining his degrees, Smallwood served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1966-1968.

Linda Thomas of Bartlesville will be sworn in as vice president, and Oklahoma City attorney J. William Conger will serve as immediate past president. Both will serve one-year terms.

Other OBA Board of Governors members being sworn in for three-year terms are Charles W. Chesnut, Miami; Martha Rupp Carter, Tulsa; Steven Dobbs, Oklahoma City; and Lou Ann Moudy, Henryetta. Young Lawyers Division Chairperson Richard Rose of Oklahoma City will take the oath of office to serve on the board for one year.

The 16,000-member Oklahoma Bar Association, located in Oklahoma City, was created by the Oklahoma Supreme Court to advance the administration of justice and to foster and maintain learning, integrity, competence, public service and high standards of conduct among Oklahoma's legal community. The 18-member Board of Governors meets monthly across the state and governs the association.

The new officers and board members are:

President Jon K. Parsley Guymon	President-Elect Allen M. Smallwood Tulsa	Vice President Linda S. Thomas Bartlesville
Martha Rupp Carter Tulsa	Charles Chesnut Miami	Steven Dobbs Oklahoma City
Lou Ann Moudy Henryetta	Immediate Past President Bill Conger Oklahoma City	Young Lawyers Division Chairperson Richard Rose Oklahoma City

Meet President Jon Parsley

Meet the OBA Officers and Board of Governors