New Appointment Made to Court of Appeals

Gov. Kulongoski just announced the appointment of Rebecca Duncan to the Oregon Court of Appeals. Ms. Duncan will fill the vacancy created by Judge Walter Edmonds' retirement. For more information on the appointment please visit the bar’s website.

Modest Means Program Increases Its Billing Rates,
Expands Case Types

The bar’s Referral & Information Services Department (RIS) has recently made significant changes to its Modest Means Program, which connects low- and moderate-income clients with lawyers willing to accept a reduced rate for certain case types. The changes are aimed at increasing the number of people the program can serve, as well as the number of bar members who are able to help those in need.

Key elements include the addition of new case types in both real property and criminal law, and a switch from a maximum billing rate of $60/hour to a 3-tiered system with a top billing rate of $100/hour.

RIS is also poised to add foreclosures to the types of cases available in the program, but needs to attain a critical mass of Modest Means foreclosure lawyers before advertising this expansion to the public.

A detailed explanation of the program, the new 3-tiered rate structure, and an application for attorneys to sign up, can be found here.

Please direct any questions, comments and recommendations to ris@osbar.org, or call us at (503) 431-6408.

2010 OSB and ABA House of Delegates Openings

The Oregon State Bar is currently seeking candidates for the OSB and ABA House of Delegates (HOD) elections. There are two open seats for the ABA HOD and several openings in all regions for the OSB HOD. The ABA’s terms are for two years and the OSB’s terms are for three years.

The deadline for filing nominating petitions and candidate statements is Mar. 22, 2010. For relevant forms and information visit the bar’s website or contact Danielle Edwards at dedwards@osbar.org, or by phone at, 800-452-8260, ext. 426.  

Membership Fee Deadline: Feb. 1

The 2010 Membership Fee fee deadline is quickly approaching! Payment of the fees must be in the bar offices or paid through the bar's website no later than 5pm (PST), Monday, Feb. 1, 2010 to avoid an increase in fees. February 1st is also the deadline for members to change their status and have it affect their 2010 membership fee rate. Members who have misplaced their fee statement can print a statement through the Online Fee Payment Site. No login is required. Status change and waiver request forms are available in the Online Forms Library.

Voter Information On Ballot Measures 66 and 67

Ballots began arriving in mailboxes last week, and Oregonians will decide the fate of two tax measures. Ballot Measures 66 and 67 were approved by the legislature last summer, but were subsequently referred to voters by initiative petition. Ballots must be returned no later than January 26th to be counted.

Measure 66 would increase the income rate on some high income filers. Measure 67 would increase the minimum tax payable by some Oregon businesses. Visit the OSB website for more information or visit the websites for the campaigns for and against the measures.

New Oregon Rules of Civil Procedure
Amendments Are Effective Now

If you have received the new 2009 Oregon Revised Statutes from the Legislative Counsel Committee, you have the Oregon Rules of Civil Procedure with all current amendments.  The ORCP are located in volume 1 just before Chapter 12.  If you are relying on West publication "Oregon Rules of Court--State" with the most recent August supplement, you do not have the amendments which became effective on Jan. 1, 2010, or legislative amendments to ORCP 32 which became effective on June 25, 2009.

Rules 1, 7, 32, 54, 55, 59, and 69 have been amended.  The amendments clarify existing practice with several exceptions. The changes to ORCP 59 require written jury instructions in all cases. The changes to ORCP 69 require that a notice of intent to take a judgment by default be prepared in pleading format, filed with the court and served on the other parties. Practitioners can find the amended ORCP at counciloncourtprocedures.org.

Report Your 2009 Pro Bono Hours by Jan. 31

Help us show the overwhelmingly positive impact lawyers have on their communities by reporting your pro bono hours. Last year, just under 2,000 lawyers reported over 63,000 hours of direct representation of low-income Oregonians, plus over 100,000 hours of service to their profession and communities. You can report your 2009 hours here.

Fastcase Training Is Available Online for Free

Last September the Oregon State Bar began providing access to Fastcase for all active bar members. To help ease users into the new system, the bar provided a day of on-site training for members who could travel to the Portland area.

If you were unable to attend the on-site training (or if you just need a refresher), there are two options now available on the bar’s website to get you up and running. Simply log in with your bar number and password, then look for the Fastcase box on the upper-right of your screen.  Members can either view a streaming video of the on-site training or a list of online training webinars being offered by Fastcase. If you have specific questions about how to use Fastcase, please call 866-77-FASTCASE (866-773-2782).

Winter eCourt Newsletter Now Available

The Winter 2009-10 Oregon eCourt Program Status Newsletter has been posted to the new OJD Internet site here. The newsletter provides updated information on the Oregon eCourt program including a new Implementation Plan, a web portal project, and information on future newsletters.