Background
The Board of Governors of the Oklahoma Bar Association filed an application with the Oklahoma Supreme Court seeking an order striking the names of certain attorneys from the OBA’s membership rolls and from the Roll of Attorneys. The affected members had failed to pay their dues for the year 2025. Pursuant to Article VIII, Section 2 of the Rules Creating and Controlling the Oklahoma Bar Association (5 O.S. 2011, ch. 1, app. 1), the Court had previously suspended these attorneys from OBA membership and prohibited them from practicing law in Oklahoma by order dated June 2, 2025.
Despite the prior suspension, none of the attorneys named in Exhibit A applied for reinstatement under Article VIII, Section 4 of the Rules. The Board of Governors confirmed this at its May 15, 2026 meeting and declared that, pursuant to Article VIII, Section 5 of the Rules, the delinquent members’ names should be stricken from the membership rolls and the Roll of Attorneys effective June 2, 2026. The twenty-three attorneys named span addresses in Oklahoma, Texas, California, Georgia, Tennessee, Nevada, and Utah.
The Court reviewed the Board of Governors’ application and confirmed that the Board’s actions complied with the Rules Creating and Controlling the Oklahoma Bar Association before issuing its order.
The Court’s Holding
The Oklahoma Supreme Court, with all justices concurring, entered an order striking the twenty-three named attorneys from the Roll of Attorneys for failure to pay their 2025 OBA dues. The Court found that the Board of Governors followed the procedural requirements of Article VIII of the OBA Rules, including the prior suspension order issued June 2, 2025, the waiting period for reinstatement applications, and the Board’s May 15, 2026 determination that none of the members had sought reinstatement.
The striking of names is a consequence distinct from and more severe than suspension: it terminates OBA membership entirely and removes the attorneys from the Roll of Attorneys, which is the official record of persons licensed to practice law in Oklahoma. The Court’s order is designated for publication in the Oklahoma Bar Journal only and is not designated for official publication in the Pacific Reporter.
Key Takeaways
- Twenty-three OBA members were permanently stricken from the Roll of Attorneys after failing to pay 2025 dues and failing to seek reinstatement following a June 2, 2025 suspension order.
- The process followed a two-stage framework under OBA Rules Article VIII: first suspension for nonpayment, then striking of name after a period in which reinstatement was not sought.
- The Board of Governors’ determination at its May 15, 2026 meeting that no reinstatement applications had been filed was a prerequisite to the Court’s striking order.
- Attorneys stricken from the Roll of Attorneys are no longer licensed to practice law in Oklahoma and must seek formal reinstatement to resume practice.
Why It Matters
This administrative order is a routine but consequential exercise of the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s exclusive jurisdiction over attorney licensure. It illustrates the OBA’s mandatory dues enforcement mechanism and serves as a public record that the named individuals are no longer authorized to practice law in Oklahoma. For clients, courts, and opposing counsel, the Roll of Attorneys is the authoritative reference for verifying an attorney’s active status.
For attorneys who have relocated out of state or allowed their Oklahoma licenses to lapse, the order underscores that inactive or unmonitored bar memberships can result in formal disbarment-equivalent consequences. Reinstatement after a striking requires a separate application process and, depending on the length of the gap, may involve additional requirements beyond simple payment of arrears.