Allyson Dow presents training on Virtual Hearings for Temporary Orders in Oklahoma Courts

Henry + Dow’s Allyson Dow took part in a CLE presentation Friday afternoon on May 8th. The CLE was sponsored by the Oklahoma Bar Association, and attendance to the Zoom call totaled 300 participants including members of both the bar and bench. Other speakers were Virginia Henson (AAML member and Oklahoma attorney) and Judge Tupper of Cleveland County. Allyson shared how trial lawyers can conduct Temporary Court Hearings during the migration of trials to online platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Oklahoma courts have recently opened, but they are limiting hearings to emergency cases. This factor makes the use of online hearings even more essential for Oklahoma citizens. In 2018, the Oklahoma Supreme Court passed Rule 34 stating video conferencing may be used for all stages of criminal and civil cases. Although this rule was originally passed to assist in easing transportation of defendants from off-site jails to court for initial appearances, courts have used it to help migrate cases from going through traditional in-person trials. Henry + Dow is thankful for our co-founder Allyson as she is helping lead Oklahoma attorneys during this transition in the Oklahoma legal system.