JUSTICE EVENT SET FOR APRIL IN PORTLAND

The 2003 Equal Justice Conference is scheduled for April 9-12, 2003 in Portland. The conference is collaboration between the ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service and the National Legal Aid and Defender Association.

The Equal Justice Conference brings together all components of the legal community to discuss equal justice issues. Client-based service and strengthening partnerships among the main players in the civil justice system are key components of this event. Through plenary sessions, workshops, networking opportunities and special programming, the conference provides a wide range of learning and sharing opportunities for all attendees.

Mark your calendars now for this event. In the meantime, for more information, contact Dorothy Jackson at (312) 988-5766 or JacksonD @staff.abanet.org. 

Are you clinging to the old ways of doing things? Is technology passing you by? (Do you remember how to Shepardize manually?)

The Alaska Bar Association’s bimonthly publication, The Bar Rag (and yes, that’s it’s real name) recently devised a handy quiz to help answer the question.

Here is a partial listing of ways to know if you are a legal dinosaur:

• You use the word 'said' as a modifier instead of a verb.
• You refer to the 'kid' you once hired as 'your honor.'
• You start every pleading with 'Comes now the defendant…'
• You like the phrase 'Further your affiant sayeth naught.'
• You send a letter that ends with 'Dictated But Not Read.'
• You catch yourself looking for your friends in the 'In Memoriam' section.
• You miss the Warren Court.
• You refer to the fax machine as a 'telefax' (and you think it is still new technology and you don’t like people sending you documents this way).

To add your own idea, contact the Bar Rag editor, Thomas Van Flein, at anch@cpsattorneys.com. Or if you don’t have e-mail (and that might be a sign of something), use the 'telefax' and send it to (907) 272-9586. 

A new survey of 9,500 attorneys reveals that lawyers in Portland are the most satisfied with diversity at their law firms, compared with lawyers across the nation.

These findings are in Vault Inc.’s new 300-page report that examines how specific demographic groups (organized by gender, ethnicity, marital status, location, practice area, sexual orientation) score law firm quality-of-life issues (e.g., compensation, associate-partner relations, diversity, training, hours, retention) as well as perceptions of specific law firms. The report is based on Vault’s exclusive survey of 9,500 attorneys at more than 100 law firms nationwide, conducted in spring of 2002.

The 'Satisfaction With Diversity' category is based on lawyer responses to questions about the acceptance of minorities, women, and gays/lesbians/bisexuals at law firms. Scoring 8.167 in the overall 'Satisfaction With Diversity' category using a scale from 1 to 10 (where 10 equals most satisfied), Portland ranks highest, while Pittsburgh scores worst with 6.892. Seattle/Tacoma came in third at 7.865.

The Vault Corporate Research Report is designed for managing partners, recruiters and others interested in legal workplace trends. The report is available at Vault’s online bookstore at https://www.vault. com/bookstore/order.jsp

— return to top
— return to Table of Contents

The cover story appearing in the October 2002 issue of the Bulletin described a number of user-friendly websites developed by Oregon law firms to draw new business and satisfy existing clients. OSB member William Francis, a Medford family law practitioner, brings another to our attention that will be of particular interest to family law practitioners.

Francis’ website provides instant access to recent family law opinions published online by the Oregon Judicial Department and the Oregon Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals (1998 to present). It also provides a convenient option to retrieve a list of family law appellate opinions, arranged by date, or to view an index that organizes the cases by subject.

A separate page provides links to other online resources in Jackson County, local court calendars and rules, Oregon domestic relations statutes, relevant administrative rules, child support calculators and various state agencies and offices that publish family law information and forms online. Several other links provide access to websites focusing on issues and recent developments in family law.

To see more go to www.williamfrancis.com.