Eastern District Breakfast with the Bench
In September 2023, our Eastern District district, magistrate, and bankruptcy judges hosted more than 50 practitioners for a morning of conversation, coffee, and cinnamon rolls.
Summer Insider Courthouse Tours
Our chapter offered two morning-long tours of the Northern District courthouse in June and July 2023. Between the first-half and second-half tours, we hosted almost 60 law students and attorney mentors from 15 private firms and public service entities; provided opportunities for participants to interface with both active district judges in the Northern District and six magistrate judges from the Northern and Eastern Districts; and offered rare insights into the workings of the Clerk of Court, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the U.S. Probation Office.
Sidebar with Your Magistrate Judges
Our chapter’s biggest event yet was “Sidebar with Your Magistrate Judges,” an event on March 30, 2023 with over 100 lawyer attendees, nine judges in attendance, and sponsorships from the two district courts we serve along with our sister chapter in Oklahoma City. The event offered civil practitioners unique insight into the process for appointment of magistrate judges, the backgrounds and experience of the magistrate judges in both the Northern and Eastern Districts, and first-hand experiences of practitioners on consenting to magistrate judge jurisdiction.
The forum was particularly timely given the appointment of several new judges over the past few years, the civil backlog caused by McGirt v. Oklahoma, and the magistrate judges’ presence on the case assignment wheel in the Eastern District and likely soon the Northern District. The event was led by T. Lane Wilson, former United States Magistrate Judge and current Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the Williams Companies.
All four magistrate judges in the Northern District and all three magistrate judges in the Eastern District attended, along with both active district judges from the Northern District. The forum outgrew its original location in the Side Bar of McNellie’s Irish Pub in downtown Tulsa and moved to a larger space upstairs at McNellie’s, where attendees were able to mingle with judges over food and drinks both before and after the presentation.
Civil Discourse and Difficult Decisions
In March 2023, United States Magistrate Judge Jodi F. Jayne and our chapter hosted the Civil Discourse and Difficult Decisions program, a national initiative of the United States Courts that brings high school students into federal courthouses for experience with civil discourse skills, complex decision making, and legal proceedings relating to situations in which law-abiding young people can find themselves.
45 students from Tulsa Public Schools and local homeschooling families participated as jurors and attorneys, with guidance from local public and private attorneys. The morning-long event concluded with lunch, where Judge Jayne and the attorney volunteers shared personal stories about joining the legal profession.
Your Case in Black and White
In January 2023, Northern District court reporters Terri Beeler and Laura Griffin presented a lunchtime CLE on the best practices and worst pratfalls of making a record in federal court.
Tenth Circuit Year in Review
In December 2022, four federal judges from three jurisdictions and thirteen of Oklahoma’s most well-respected federal practitioners presented a 7-hour CLE on the Tenth Circuit’s 2022 decisions in the areas of criminal law; civil rights; Indian law; employment law; civil procedure, federal courts, & jurisdiction; habeas corpus & prisoner litigation; ethics; environmental law; and commercial law & bankruptcy. Tenth Circuit Chief Judge Jerome A. Holmes delivered the keynote address.
Breakfast with the Bench
In November 2022, our chapter hosted a members-only morning of conversation and coffee with our federal district and magistrate judges from the Northern District.
The United States Probation Office: What It Does and How It Works
In October 2022, we presented an inside look at the Probation Office’s work from arrest through sentencing and supervision. Topics included pretrial services, presentence investigation, sentencing guidelines & relevant conduct, post-conviction supervision, and working efficiently with the court.
Summer Associate Courthouse Tour
In June 2022, summer associates from Tulsa law firms joined us for a tour and networking lunch at the Tulsa courthouse. Speakers included the Hon. Claire V. Eagan, the Hon. Susan Huntsman, Northern District court clerk Mark McCartt, and Deputy US Marshal Michael OConnor. Lunch attendees included the Hon. Gregory K. Frizzell, the Hon. Jodi F. Jayne, and career and term law clerks from the Northern and Eastern Districts.
The Judicial Conference Turns 100: A Discussion of the JCUS’s History and Role Today
Brown Bag Lunch with Judge Eagan
In June 2022, Northern District Judge Claire V. Eagan, Chair of the Executive Committee of the Judicial Conference, joined us for a brown bag lunch about the Judicial Conference, the allocation of judges, and more.
Brown Bag Lunch with Judge Robertson and Judge Thomas
In May 2022, we welcomed new Eastern District Magistrate Judge Jason A. Robertson and Eastern District Bankruptcy Judge Paul R. Thomas at an informal lunch in Muskogee.
Suggestions for Success in Forensic Frays
Brown Bag Lunch with Judge Frizzell
In March 2022, Northern District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell shared federal court pointers for practitioners of all experience levels, based on his 25 years of judicial experience and conveyed with his trademark wit.
Brown Bag Lunch with Judge Jayne
In November 2021, Northern District Magistrate Judge Jodi F. Jayne spoke to our chapter about becoming a federal CJA panel lawyer, the need for CJA service, the professional benefits involved, the application process, and the extensive training provided. Current CJA panel members also attended to answer questions about payment, case assignments, and experiences.
Brown Bag Lunch with Judge Heil
In October 2021, Judge John F. Heil III, United States District Judge for the Northern, Eastern, and Western Districts of Oklahoma, addressed the significance of McGirt v. Oklahoma for the Northern and Eastern Districts’ civil dockets and the options available to litigants for resolution of civil cases.