Guymon Attorney Jon K. Parsley to Serve as 2009 OBA President
Jon graduated from Guymon High School in 1987. While in high school he was very active in speech and debate. His senior year of high school, he was recognized as one of the best debaters in the state. He earned a full ride debate scholarship at Central State University in Edmond, spending all four years in college traveling the country debating. Jon and his partner placed third at the National Debate Tournament in 1991. At that time, it was one of the largest debate tournaments ever held. Jon was part of the squad that won the debate national championship the prior year.

The Last Year of the First Decade of the New Millennium
I remember when I was in grade school contemplating how old I would be at the turn of the century. It was inconceivable that I would live to such an old age. The thought that I would be so ancient was beyond my comprehension. Well, that came and went. Now we are beginning the last year of the first decade of the new millennium. Gee, that sounds ominous.

OBA Departments and the Member Services They Provide
Volunteer leaders may be the chief engineers who keep any professional association on track, but it is the staff who provides the power to move forward. Member services are an essential part of the Oklahoma Bar Association.

OBA Membership Benefits
Perks Bar Members Receive from Their Association
Your state bar association offers you a broad selection of opportunities to make the most of your membership. You may not even be aware of some of the professional benefits available to you as an Oklahoma Bar Association member.

What You Need to Know About New HB 2639: The ‘Nontestamentary Transfer of Property Act’
This new session law, effective Nov. 1, 2008, provides a method for individuals to transfer real property outside probate upon their death.1 This method of transferring property is similar to a Pay-on-Death bank account, and is frequently termed a Transfer-On-Death (TOD) deed. In addition to real property, Oklahoma enables TOD transfers for securities such as stocks and bonds under the “Oklahoma Uniform TOD Security Registration Act.”2 Similar to Pay-on-Death bank accounts and other TOD transfers, the grantor or property owner transferring his/her real property upon death may revoke the beneficiary designation at any time prior to death, and the beneficiary may choose to disclaim his/her interest upon the grantor’s death. The beneficiary deed is almost limitless in its scope to transfer property upon death.

Oklahoma as Lex Mercatoria? Scrutinizing Oklahoma’s New Arbitral Remedy
The new Oklahoma Uniform Arbitration Act became effective on Jan. 1, 2006. It provides an expanded and updated remedial structure to Oklahoma’s arbitral remedy. It also contains a seeming contradiction, requiring in an arbitration “decision” that there be “findings of fact and conclusions of law” — this, in stark contrast to an earlier paragraph in this same statutory section which provides that an arbitration “award may, or may not, contain the evidence and conclusion upon which the award was based unless the parties’ agreement specifies the type of award.”

Judicial Immunity and the Oklahoma Judge
As any practicing attorney knows, any case involving disputes between parties is likely to result in at least one party being unhappy with the result. While a few disputes may be resolved in such a manner as to render both sides reasonably happy with the outcome, in many cases the parties’ expectations and desires are in such conflict that dissatisfaction is unavoidable. When this occurs, a number of unhappy litigants are bound to consider legal action against one or more of the authors of their discontent.

Labor and Employment Law Section
The New, Broader Americans with Disabilities Act: Congress Enacts Substantial Changes
On Sept. 25, 2008, President Bush signed into law the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 amending the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The act, which became effective Jan. 1, 2009, expressly rejects a series of U.S. Supreme Court decisions limiting coverage under the ADA and restores congressional intent to provide broad protections to disabled individuals in the employment context.