FEBRUARY 2025 | 63 THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL grateful for the grants they receive from the OBF. In addition to nonprofit grants, the OBF is working to address the shortage of court reporters in rural areas by awarding grants to court reporters willing to work in communities where they are most needed. The OBF also provides grants to courts for technology upgrades, which have been awarded in all 77 counties of the state. In an effort to make a legal education more affordable for some students, the OBF provides scholarships to students at each of the three Oklahoma law schools. In fact, a new scholarship was created just this past year. So what do we need from you? The obvious answer is we need you to contribute money. The OBF can not do its work without funds. But we need more than that. We need you to inform people of the OBF’s work. There are undoubtedly nonprofits around the state that need and would qualify for an OBF grant but do not know to ask. If you know of such a nonprofit, tell them about the OBF. If you see a need that no organization is available to address, perhaps you can take the lead in starting a nonprofit to address such a need. The work of the OBF brings to life some of the idealism that young law students have, and that, unfortunately, is all too easy to lose in the practice of law. I encourage you to partner with us in doing what law students say motivated them to go to law school in the first place: helping people and improving society. The legal community can do great good if we work together, and there is much work to be done. So please partner with us as we continue to be something lawyers get right. Mr. Dowell practices in Woodward and serves as the 2025 OBF president.
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