§ 1367 Volunteers - Liability for professional services.

If you're a lawyer in Oklahoma who agrees to represent a poor defendant for free, you're protected from being sued over that volunteer work. This applies to both trial and appeals work. As long as you're providing legal defense services without pay to someone who can't afford a lawyer, you won't be held liable for the professional services you give them.

This rule exists to encourage more lawyers to take on cases for people who can't pay. Without this kind of protection, some lawyers might hesitate to volunteer their time because they'd worry about being sued later if something went wrong with the case. By removing that risk, the rule makes it easier for indigent defendants to get legal help, and it gives lawyers more confidence to step up and offer their services for free.