Below are some of the common membership fee questions and answers asked by members.
Please contact us if you do not find an answer to your question here.
The active membership fee is increased $30.00. This is an additional assessment designated exclusively for the Client Security Fund. The Board of Governors approved this assessment increase from $15.00 to $45.00 to fund the unprecedented number and amount of claims against the fund in 2012 and 2013.
The inactive member fee increase from $110.00 to $125.00 was approved by the House of Delegates. The last increase to this fee was in 2002.
The bar’s office is open until 5:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on the due dates. The bar's online payment system will accept payments until midnight on the due dates. In the case of credit card payments the payment by credit card is not complete until the transaction is approved by the bank card authorizer.
| Membership Fee Status |
Rate through January 31 |
Rate Effective February 1 |
Payment after February 29 |
| Active Over Two Years | $522.00 | $572.00 | $622.00 |
| Active Under Two Years** | $443.00 | $493.00 | $543.00 |
| Active Pro Bono | $125.00 | $125.00 | $125.00 |
| Inactive | $125.00 | $ 150.00 | $175.00 |
No payments are accepted by phone, e-mail or fax. Credit card payments are only accepted online.
| Telephone Assistance | |
| Phone: (503) 620-0222 or Toll Free in Oregon: (800) 452-8260 | |
| Status Change, Reinstatements, Resignations, Active Pro Bono Information | Extension 343 |
| Waivers - Military, Vista, Peace Corps, Americorps, Other | Extension 304 |
| Hardship Exemptions | Extension 305 |
| Web Payment Problems | Extension 304 & 305 |
What credit cards are accepted?
The bar accepts only Visa, MasterCard or debit cards with the Visa or MasterCard logo.
Can I give you my credit card over the phone, by fax, or by
e-mail?
No. Membership fee payments are not accepted via the phone, fax or e-mail. For your security, Membership fee payments by credit card must be made online.
Can I fax my credit card payment?
For security reasons, the bar does not accept credit card payments via fax.
You may pay your fees online using your credit card.
Can I use my debit card to make payment?
Yes, if your debit card has the Visa or MasterCard logo, you can use it to pay your membership fees online. All debit card payments require that you supply the billing address of where you receive your monthly bank statement. If you are experiencing any technical problems paying online with your debit card, please call the bar’s accounting department immediately, extension 304.
I am located outside the U.S., want to pay using my Visa or MasterCard and can’t pay online.
Members located outside the U.S. can pay by credit card, but your payment must
be specially handled. Please contact the bar's offices, extension 304, for
instructions.
I am having a problem paying online, who can I call?
Please contact the bar’s accounting department immediately, extension 304, or 305.
I paid online, but received a fatal error and am not sure it went through, who can I call?
Please contact the bar’s accounting department immediately before making any attempt to try again, extension 304, or 305.
I tried to pay online and received an AVS error. What does this mean?
AVS is short for Address Verification System. This message refers to the credit card billing address you entered on the screen, and means that the address and/or zip code provided does not match your address on file with your bank.
Do you have an installment payment plan?
The bar does not have an installment payment plan, but we will accept and process
partial payments for the mandatory fees. Members
should note that submitting a partial payment WILL NOT avoid the fee increase. If
there is any balance on February 1, 2013 or March 1, 2013, the member
will be assessed the appropriate fee increase, but will also have until 5:00
p.m., July 1, 2013,
to spread out the payments. Members should always include a copy of the remittance
portion of their statement with each partial payment sent, and clearly indicate
on the statement that it is a partial payment. A receipt with a balance owed
is sent each time a partial payment is processed.
I need a duplicate statement:
The fastest way to obtain a duplicate statement is online.
Members do not need a password or login to access their current membership fee
statement. Simply select the Member
Fees link on the bar’s website, supply your bar number, and press the "get
my file" button. The online system will retrieve the information, including
voluntary section renewal(s). Voluntary sections can be changed or deleted
before printing your statement by selecting the add/change sections button.
Members who believe they are eligible for complimentary section membership
should UNMARK the sections before processing the online payment. Section membership
fees are not refundable if a member discovers they qualified under the complimentary
offer or paid the fees in error.
Please note: All status change forms and payments must be received by the Jan 31, 2013 deadline to affect membership rates for 2013: Inactive Enrollment Form – Active Probono Enrollment Form
How do I resign my membership?
Any active or inactive member who does not wish to continue their membership
must submit a completed a resignation form by 5:00 p.m., January 31, 2013. The
fees will remain owing for any member who does not file a resignation form by 5:00
p.m., January 31, 2013, and will be collected if the member should seek reinstatement
at a later date. The Form A Resignation form is for members who have no complaints
of misconduct, and are not under investigation by the Bar, or is not the subject
of a formal disciplinary proceeding initiated by the Bar. The form
is available online. If you are not eligible to use the Form A Resignation
form, please contact the Regulatory Services department, extension 343.
How do I transfer to inactive status?
An active member who is not practicing law in Oregon is eligible to transfer
to inactive status. Members
who wish to transfer to inactive status MUST complete an Inactive
Enrollment form and send it in WITH the $125.00 inactive dues
by 5:00 p.m., January 31, 2013. Both the form and payment must be
received by the deadline to affect the membership fee rate for 2013. The
inactive form is available online,
or in the resource directory. Completing the Professional
Liability Exemption form DOES NOT transfer your status to inactive.
Inactive membership is not recommended for a member who is actively seeking employment to practice law in Oregon, since a reinstatement fee is required to be reinstated to active membership. If you transfer to inactive status and subsequently wish to return to active status, you must comply with the reinstatement rules of the Bar. Please review Title 8 of the Rules of Procedure for more information.
Inactive members are still considered members of the bar, receive the annual resource directory, the Bulletin magazine, and do not need to meet MCLE requirements. Inactive members cannot access Fastcase without subscribing, and should contact the bar’s accounting department, extension 302, for Fastcase subscription information.
How do I transfer to Active Pro bono?
Members who wish to transfer to Active Pro bono must complete an Active
Pro bono enrollment form, and send it in with the Pro Bono
membership fees by 5:00
p.m., January 31, 2013. Both the form and payment must be received by
the deadline to affect the membership fee rate for 2013. The form is available online,
or by contacting the Regulatory Services department, extension 343.
Eligibility: Active Pro Bono is available to attorneys in good standing:
Can I transfer to inactive status after January 31, 2013?
Members may transfer to inactive status after January 31, 2013, but must pay the
full active fees before the transfer will be processed. No refund of active fees
is issued to a member who transfers to inactive status after January 31, 2013. The
deadline to transfer your status and have it affect the membership fee rate is 5:00
p.m., January 31, 2013.
I have a status change in process but received a receipt with a balance owed.
There is often a delay in processing status changes due to the large number of requests received. Members will receive two receipts, the first of which will reflect a balance owed and is typically for the inactive, Pro Bono membership fee payment. A second receipt will be sent to the member when the fees have been adjusted to the appropriate category’s rate.
Can I resign after January 31, 2013?
A member who files their resignation after January 31, 2013, and before
the final July 1, 2013 deadline, will not be suspended for non-payment.
However, the fees will remain owing for any member who does not file a resignation
form by 5:00 p.m., January 31, 2013, and will be collected if the member
should seek reinstatement at a later date.
I am inactive and want to be reinstated, how do I become an active member?
Inactive members who want to be reinstated to active status must complete the appropriate reinstatement form, pay the active membership fees for the calendar year, and pay the appropriate reinstatement fee. If a member applies for reinstatement mid-year, the $125 inactive fees paid are applied towards the full active fees. The reinstatement fee depends on the length of time that the member has been on inactive status.
A summary of the reinstatement fees is below. For further details, please contact the Regulatory
Services department, extension 343. Members should review Title
8 of the Rules of Procedure.
|
Informal Reinstatement Process (members inactive 5 years or less) |
Formal Reinstatement Process (members inactive for more than 5 years) |
|
1) $250 Reinstatement Fee |
1) $500 Reinstatement Fee |
|
2) Character and fitness review and approval of application by the executive director. |
2) Character & fitness review and approval by the Board of Governors and the Supreme Court. |
|
3) Applicant must pay any dues and fees owing at time of application, plus active membership dues for the year of reinstatement. |
3) Applicant must pay any dues and fees owing at time of application, plus active membership dues for the year of reinstatement. |
|
4) Reinstatement process estimated to take approximately two months. |
4) Reinstatement process estimated to take approximately three - six months. |
|
5) Board of Governors may recommend to the Supreme Court that the applicant be required to take the Bar exam if the applicant has not been an active member of the bar for more than five years. |
I resigned my membership and want to be reinstated, how do I become an active member?
Members who resigned their membership and want to be reinstated must complete the appropriate reinstatement form, pay the active membership fees for the calendar year, pay the appropriate reinstatement fee, pay any membership fees owed for prior years not paid by January 31 of that year, and pay interim years dues at the inactive dues rate for the years resigned. The reinstatement fee depends on the length of time that the member has been resigned.
A summary of the reinstatement fees is below. For further details, please contact the Regulatory
Services department, extension 343. Members should review Title
8 of the Rules of Procedure.
|
Informal Reinstatement Process (members resigned 5 years or less) |
Formal Reinstatement Process (members resigned for more than 5 years) |
|
1) $250 Reinstatement Fee |
1) $500 Reinstatement Fee |
|
2) Character and fitness review and approval of application by the executive director. |
2) Character & fitness review and approval by the Board of Governors and the Supreme Court. |
|
3) Applicant must pay any dues and fees owing at time of application, plus active membership dues for the year of reinstatement. This includes interim years dues at the inactive dues rate for the resigned year(s). |
3) Applicant must pay any dues and fees owing at time of application, plus active membership dues for the year of reinstatement. This includes interim years dues at the inactive dues rate for the resigned year(s). |
|
4) Reinstatement process estimated to take approximately two months. |
4) Reinstatement process estimated to take approximately three - six months. |
|
5) Board of Governors may recommend to the Supreme Court that the applicant be required to take the Bar exam if the applicant has not been an active member of the bar for more than five years. |
Please note: All waiver and exemption forms must be received by the January 31 deadline to affect membership fees for the year: Military/Other Fee Waiver Form – Hardship Exemption Form
Military: Annual OSB membership fees and assessments may be waived for members in active U.S. military service. Waivers for members serving in any branch of the U.S. armed forces will be granted regardless of the lawyer’s length of active duty in the military for the year the waiver is granted. Military members requesting this waiver: please supply a copy of your current active duty orders with the waiver request.
Other Waiver: Annual OSB membership fees and assessments may also be waived for members participating in VISTA, Peace Corps, Americorps and other volunteer programs serving the national interest or the legal profession, and for which the member receives only a subsistence income, stipend or expense reimbursement that is the member’s principal source of income. For members in these volunteer programs, waivers will be granted if the lawyer’s service encompasses the majority of the year and meets the criteria for the “Other Waivers” category. Please supply documentation with this waiver request.
Requests for Military and Other waivers must be submitted annually on the Waiver Request Form, and are due by January 31 of the year for which it is granted. Section memberships are not eligible for either of these waivers. For further assistance with Military and Other waivers, please contact the bar’s Accounting Department, extension 304.
Hardship Exemptions are granted in case of proven extreme hardship, which must
entail BOTH extreme financial hardship AND physical or mental disability
that prevents working. The Executive Director may exempt or waive payment of
annual membership fees and assessments of an active or inactive member in these
cases. Hardship exemptions are for a one-year period only, and requests must
be resubmitted annually on or before January 31 of the year for which
the exemption is requested. Exemptions
for extreme hardship for annual membership fees and assessments will be approved
only if BOTH of the following conditions are met: (1) Physical or mental disability,
AND (2) extreme financial hardship. Members who wish to apply for
a hardship exemption should complete the Hardship
Exemption form and provide the requested documentation. For further assistance regarding Hardship Exemptions,
please contact the bar’s Accounting Department, extension 305.
|
Affirmative Action Program |
7% |
|
Communications (Bulletin, Lawyer Referral) |
20% |
|
Client Assistance Office |
8% |
|
Client Security Fund (CSF) |
3% |
|
Governance (Board of Governors, General Counsel, MCLE) |
17% |
|
Public Affairs |
8% |
|
Member Services (Section Support, New Lawyers Division) |
7% |
|
Regulatory Services (Discipline, New Lawyer Mentoring) |
30% |
Section membership fees ARE NOT refundable if you later discover you qualified for a complimentary section membership offer. A refund of section membership fees paid by a member who decides they no longer wish to retain their section membership or the member enrolled in the section in error is at the discretion of the section, and must be approved by the section chair.
| What type of activities and services do the voluntary sections offer? | ||||||
| Section Name | 2013 Dues |
News letter |
CLEs/ Seminars |
Legislative Proposals |
Website | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative Law | $20 | yes | • | yes | ||
| Admiralty | $10 | • | ||||
| Agricultural Law | $15 | • | ||||
| Alternative Dispute Resolution | $20 | yes | • | yes | ||
| Animal Law | $15 | yes | ||||
| Antitrust, Trade Regulation | $25 | • • | yes | |||
| Appellate Practice | $20 | • • * | yes | |||
| Aviation Law | $25 | • | ||||
| Business Law | $30 | yes | • • * | yes | ||
| Business Litigation | $20 | • • • | ||||
| Civil Rights | $27 | yes | • • | yes | ||
| Computer & Internet Law | $24 | • • * | yes | |||
| Constitutional Law | $25 | yes | • | weblog | ||
| Construction Law | $15 | yes | • • • * | |||
| Consumer Law | $15 | yes | • • | • | yes | |
| Corporate Counsel | $20 | yes | • • • * | yes | ||
| Criminal Law | $20 | yes | • • | yes | ||
| Debtor-Creditor | $25 | yes | • • * | • | yes | |
| Disability Law | $20 | • | yes | |||
| Diversity | $25 | • | ||||
| Elder Law | $25 | yes | • • | • | yes | |
| Energy, Telecom & Utility Law | $25 | • • • | ||||
| Environmental & Natural Resources | $15 | yes | • • * | yes | ||
| Estate Planning & Administration | $20 | yes | • • | • | yes | |
| Family Law | $25 | yes | • • | • | yes | |
| Government Law | $15 | • • | yes | |||
| Health Law | $15 | yes | • • | yes | ||
| Indian Law | $20 | yes | • • • | • | yes | |
| Intellectual Property | $20 | yes | • • | yes | ||
| International Law | $25 | * | yes | |||
| Juvenile Law | $25 | • • | yes | |||
| Labor & Employment | $15 | • • | yes | |||
| Litigation | $30 | yes | • • | yes | ||
| Military & Veteran's Law | $20 | |||||
| Nonprofit Organizations Law | $25 | yes | ||||
| Products Liability | $20 | yes | • | yes | ||
| Real Estate & Land Use | $25 | yes | • • * | • | yes | |
| Securities Regulation | $20 | • * | ||||
| Sole & Small Firm Practitioner | $15 | no | • * * | |||
| Sustainable Future | $20 | no | ||||
| Taxation | $25 | yes | • • •* * | yes | ||
| Workers' Compensation | $25 | yes | • • • | yes | ||