NOVEMBER 2022 | 9 THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL Join Us! Representation of municipalities is challenging, rewarding and important. We are a very collegial, experienced group who tirelessly work to recruit and retain quality municipal practitioners. Those of us who have done this for many years will assist you with the resources you need to be successful. All you need is the commitment to learn and the desire to practice law for the public good. In recent years, the Oklahoma Association of Municipal Attorneys (OAMA), the Oklahoma Municipal Assurance Group (OMAG) and the Oklahoma Municipal League (OML) have worked diligently to increase educational opportunities and provide additional support to local government attorneys. These organizations, as well as the International Municipal Lawyers Association (IMLA), tirelessly work in support of the municipal attorney. The resources provided are enormously beneficial and additionally provide opportunities to collaborate on issues facing all municipalities. CONCLUSION Several years ago, I was sitting in a board meeting when an astonishingly large roach ran past me. Being raised in Alabama, I am adept in all manners of personal roach eradication and was prepared to use my high heel to rapidly address this situation. Fortunately for the roach, the successful bidder on the sanitary sewer lagoon mowing contract was much quicker than me. He leaped out of his chair, removed his hat, scooped up the roach and tossed it out the back door. It was a remarkable feat of quick thinking, physical agility and selflessness. Over the years, my municipal law career has been defined by kangaroos, miniature horses, algae-eating grass carp, hospitals, falling walls, sewer backups and witnesses showing up to municipal court in all forms of attire, including (my personal favorite) SpongeBob SquarePants pajama pants, flip-flops and a very thin, grey shirt (no undergarments). While some might say my career has been – in a word – a circus, it has been much more than a series of entertaining events. More accurately and importantly, it has been rewarding, challenging and important. I am professionally fulfilled, grateful for the municipal attorneys who trained and supported me and hopeful that my one or two words of guidance over the years have made a difference for those serving in the circus of municipal government. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Beth Anne Childs represents the Oklahoma municipalities of Bristow, Wynona and Luther and is the city prosecutor for the cities of Owasso and Coweta. She has represented numerous other municipalities and serves on the Board of Directors for the International Municipal Lawyers Association and the Oklahoma Association of Municipal Attorneys. ENDNOTE 1. Student Debt: The Holistic Impact on Today’s Young Lawyer, published by the American Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division in 2021.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTk3MQ==