THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL 48 | MARCH 2025 There were 13 discipline cases filed with the Oklahoma Supreme Court as of January 1, 2024. During 2024, 19 new formal complaints were filed for a total of 32 cases before the Oklahoma Supreme Court during 2024. On December 31, 2024, 15 cases remained open before the Oklahoma Supreme Court. REINSTATEMENTS On January 1, 2024, there were four Petitions for Reinstatement pending before the Professional Responsibility Tribunal and no Petitions for Reinstatement pending with the Oklahoma Supreme Court. There were two new Petitions for Reinstatement filed in 2024. In 2024, the Oklahoma Supreme Court granted two reinstatements. On December 31, 2024, there were three Petitions for Reinstatement pending before the Professional Responsibility Tribunal and two Petitions for Reinstatement pending before the Oklahoma Supreme Court. UNAUTHORIZED PRACTICE OF LAW Rule 5.1 (b), RGDP, authorizes the Office of the General Counsel to investigate allegations of the unauthorized practice of law (UPL) by non-lawyers, suspended lawyers and disbarred lawyers. Rule 5.5, ORPC, regulates the unauthorized practice of law by lawyers and prohibits lawyers from assisting others in doing so. Requests for Investigation. In 2024, the Office of the General Counsel received 33 requests for investigation of the unauthorized practice of law. The Office of the General Counsel fielded many additional inquiries regarding the unauthorized practice of law that are not reflected in this summary. Practice Areas. Allegations of the unauthorized practice of law encompass various areas of law. In previous years, most unauthorized practice of law complaints involved non-lawyers or paralegals handling family law matters, but that changed in 2024, as 15% of the UPL complaints involved litigation matters.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTk3MQ==