Choose How the Bar Communicates With You!

The world is a noisy place. Anyone and everyone wants to communicate with you – via phone, fax, email, the post office or however else they can get your attention. And while many of these communications are good for your practice, sometimes you get so overloaded by messages that you just want to give up and delete everything.

That’s why the bar has created a new communications tool to help you sort through some of the clutter. Just log in to your account and click on the “Communications Preferences” tab in the left-hand column. From there you can choose which bar communications you wish to receive and how you wish to receive them. Do you want Bar News emails sent to your home email address? You can do that. Would you prefer to have CLE notices sent via regular mail? You can do that too. And you can change your preferences at any time.

Please note that while you may opt out of some communications, you cannot opt out of regulatory messages that might affect your member status. Also note that outside groups may have access to our mailing lists, but they do not have access to the member preferences. Because of this, you might still receive unwanted communications from these outside groups.

Let Your Voice Be Heard in the New Bar Member Forums

As you know, the leadership of the Oregon State Bar sends communications to its members on a regular basis. The emails, postcards and letters we send are great for broadcasting information, but they are only one-way communications. They don't allow you to speak back to the bar. In order to elicit better feedback from the membership, the bar has created a new online discussion board. Now you can make your opinion known on a variety of bar issues.

Welcome to the new Member Forums section of the OSB website. You can access it by logging in to your account, then clicking on the Forums link. Each month we will update the forums with a new topic of discussion that is important to Oregon lawyers. You can read and reply to messages and engage in timely discussions with your peers from across the state.

This month we invite you to discuss the current state of the economy and how it is affecting Oregon lawyers. Take a look at the Economic Resources page for lawyers on our site, then join the discussion in the forums. We have also posted a topic where you can get to know the new executive director Teresa Schmid. You can view her biographical information, introduce yourself and even ask her questions. We look forward to hearing from you!

BarBooks™ Improvements on the Way

In a few weeks, you will see a change to the BarBooks™ Web site. We are converting the entire site from FlashPaper to HTML format. The benefits of the new site will be:

• The ability to easily copy and paste text from BarBooks™ to a brief or memo, or to copy and paste a citation into your primary research tool.
• Faster load times.
• The ability to access BarBooks™ from most handheld devices.
• Improved navigation interface.
• Easier implementation of future improvements to BarBooks™.

You will not lose any of the great content or features that you have become accustomed to with the current version of BarBooks™. If you have any questions, please email support@osbar.org.

Haven't Paid Your 2009 Membership Fees Yet?
Don't Miss This Important Date!

Active and inactive members admitted prior to 2009 and who have not yet paid their 2009 membership fees, must remit payment by 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, July 1st, to avoid suspension for non-payment of fees. Members can pay their fees online using their Visa or MasterCard, confirm receipt of payment or view any balance due on the bar website. No login is required to access or pay fees online – just your six-digit bar number. Credit card payments are not accepted by mail, telephone, fax or email. Please contact the bar’s accounting office if you have questions regarding your 2009 fees.

Membership Fee Telephone Contacts
Please call (503) 620-0222 or (800) 452-8260, toll-free in Oregon.
§      Ext. 301 – Payment Confirmation & General Questions
§      Ext. 302 – Online Fee Site Issues
§      Ext. 343 – Status Changes, Reinstatement & Resignations
§      Ext. 302 – Military / Other Waivers
§      Ext. 305 – Hardship Exemptions