The Oklahoma Bar Association (OBA) is the integrated (mandatory)

bar association A bar association is a professional association of lawyers as generally organized in countries following the Anglo-American types of jurisprudence. The word bar is derived from the old English/European custom of using a physical railing to separ ...

of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

History

The Oklahoma Territory Bar Association and the Indian Territory Bar Association merged in 1904 to form the Oklahoma Bar Association. After statehood in November 1907, the

Oklahoma Legislature The Legislature of the State of Oklahoma is the state legislative branch of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The Oklahoma House of Representatives and Oklahoma Senate are the two houses that make up the bicameral state legislature. There are 101 sta ...

recognized the Association; however, it repealed the enacting legislation in 1938. In 1939 the

Oklahoma Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Oklahoma is a court of appeal for non-criminal cases, one of the two highest judicial bodies in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and leads the judiciary of Oklahoma, the judicial branch of the government of Oklahoma.

reorganized the association and made membership mandatory to practice law in Oklahoma.

Structure

The Oklahoma Bar Association is governed by a 17-member Board of Governors, whose members are lawyers elected by OBA members and meet monthly. Day-to-day operations are managed by an Executive Director and a staff of both attorneys and non-attorneys. OBA enforces the rule that Oklahoma lawyers must complete 12 credits of

Continuing Legal Education Continuing legal education (CLE), also known as mandatory or minimum continuing legal education (MCLE) or, in some jurisdictions outside the United States, as continuing professional development, consists of professional education for attorneys t ...

every year. The bimonthly ''Oklahoma Bar Journal'', established in 1930, is OBA's official member publication. Although an arm of the Oklahoma Supreme Court, OBA does not receive any appropriations from the Oklahoma Legislature or other public or tax-related revenues.

References

{{Authority control American state bar associations Government of Oklahoma 1904 establishments in Oklahoma Territory Organizations established in 1904 Organizations based in Oklahoma City