{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-74-74-18c","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 74, § 74-18c","heading":"Employment of attorneys, authority of boards or officials","body":"- Defense of actions by Attorney General.\n\nA. 1. Except as otherwise provided by this subsection, no\n\nstate officer, board or commission shall have authority to employ or\n\nappoint attorneys to advise or represent said officer, board or\n\ncommission in any matter.\n\n2. The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to the\n\nCorporation Commission, the Council on Law Enforcement Education and\n\nTraining, the Consumer Credit Commission, the Board of Managers of\n\nthe State Insurance Fund, the Oklahoma Tax Commission, the\n\nCommissioners of the Land Office, the Oklahoma Public Welfare\n\nCommission also known as the Commission for Human Services, the\n\nState Board of Corrections, the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, the\n\nDepartment of Public Safety, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Narcotics\n\nand Dangerous Drugs Control, the Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement\n\nCommission, the Transportation Commission, the Oklahoma Energy\n\nResources Board, the Oklahoma Merit Protection Commission, the\n\nOffice of Management and Enterprise Services, the Oklahoma Water\n\nResources Board, the Department of Labor, the Department of\n\nAgriculture, Food, and Forestry, the Northeast Oklahoma Public\n\nFacilities Authority, the Oklahoma Firefighters Pension and\n\nRetirement System, the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System,\n\nthe Uniform Retirement System for Justices and Judges, the Oklahoma\n\nConservation Commission, the Office of Juvenile Affairs, the State\n\nBoard of Pharmacy and the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs.\n\n3. The provisions of paragraph 2 of this subsection shall not\n\nbe construed to authorize the Office of Juvenile Affairs to employ\n\nany attorneys that are not specifically authorized by law.\n\n4. All the legal duties of such officer, board or commission\n\nshall devolve upon and are hereby vested in the Attorney General;\n\nprovided that:\n\na. the Governor shall have authority to employ special\n\ncounsel to protect the rights or interest of the state\n\nas provided in Section 6 of this title, and\n\nb. liquidation agents of banks shall have the authority\n\nto employ local counsel, with the consent of the Bank\n\nCommissioner and the Attorney General and the approval\n\nof the district court.\n\nB. At the request of any state officer, board or commission,\n\nexcept the Corporation Commission, the Oklahoma Tax Commission and\n\nthe Commissioners of the Land Office, the Grand River Dam Authority,\n\nthe Oklahoma State Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control,\n\nthe Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission, the Oklahoma\n\nFirefighters Pension and Retirement System, the Oklahoma Public\n\nEmployees Retirement System, the Uniform Retirement System for\n\nJustices and Judges and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact\n\nCommission, the Attorney General shall defend any action in which\n\nthey may be sued in their official capacity. At the request of any\n\nsuch state officer, board or commission, the Attorney General shall\n\nhave authority to institute suits in the name of the State of\n\nOklahoma on their relation, if after investigation the Attorney\n\nGeneral is convinced there is sufficient legal merit to justify the\n\naction. Any officer, board or commission which has the authority to\n\nemploy or appoint attorneys may request that the Attorney General\n\ndefend any action arising pursuant to the provisions of The\n\nGovernmental Tort Claims Act.\n\nC. Nothing in this section shall be construed to repeal or\n\naffect the provisions of the statutes of this state pertaining to\n\nattorneys and legal advisors of the several commissions and\n\ndepartments of state specified in subsection B of this section, and\n\nall acts and parts of acts pertaining thereto shall be and remain in\n\nfull force and effect.","path":["OK Code","Title 74"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os74.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"573931afb6362b785ded6a8ac8734c6446ff6658fab4892b9359ead4e5b91819","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-74-74-18b","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-74-74-18d"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}