By Allen Smallwood

Most lawyers (particularly solo practitioners like me) are independent folks who pride themselves on going their own way most of the time. However, lawyers as well as other professionals are social creatures and invariably are members of an association whose purpose is to further the aims of the profession, engender a collegial spirit, assist in continuing professional education and improve not only the perception of their profession, but the substance of it as well.

All these goals are advanced by your participation in the Annual Meeting of the Oklahoma Bar Association. Not only are there enjoyable social functions to attend, there is excellent end-of-the year CLE available in virtually all areas of our profession. Members of the OBA staff and the Board of Governors have engaged in significant amounts of effort to make this a memorable event for all of us.

Of particular interest to me will be the eyewitness identification presentation based upon the wrongful conviction of a Texas man named Ronald Cotton who ended up serving over 10 years in prison for a rape he did not commit. The riveting presentation by the victim of that rape case, the circumstances surrounding the ultimate exoneration of Mr. Cotton and the catharsis that all of them went through in the process is something you will never forget. This will be the Thursday morning OBA/CLE plenary session.

We also have scheduled as our luncheon speaker the noted Pulitzer Prize- nominated author Michael Wallis, who will regale us with a history of our checkered past with respect to some of our less than savory citizens operating on the wrong side of the law.

All in all, I anticipate this will be a memorable meeting, beneficial to all, and I urge all of you to attend and make as much benefit of it as you can.