Are you a fiction writer?
The third annual National Legal Fiction Writing Competition for Lawyers is off and running. Its purpose is to encourage lawyers to become more interested in and adept at writing legal fiction. Format: a short story or novel excerpt in the legal fiction genre.

Submissions should be typed and not exceed 2,500 words. Deadline is Sept. 15, 2004. Submissions will be judged on originality, quality of writing and the 'potential of the author.'

Did we mention the cool prizes? First place wins a $1,000 gift certificate, plus lunch with lawyer-authors Lisa Scottoline and Stephen Horn, New York Times best-selling writers, in Falmouth, Mass. Second prize is a $500 gift certificate and autographed copies of Scottoline’s and Horn’s latest books.

For additional information, visit www.seak.com or call (508) 548-7023 or email sbabitsky@aol.com. There is no entry fee for the competition.

Labor history buffs, labor no further
The University of Oregon has developed a new website, throwing 'open the doors to a virtual attic crammed with letters, diaries, corporate records and photographs documenting the lives of workers and the politics of labor in the Pacific Northwest. '

The Labor Project is dedicated to the preservation of the region’s labor history, according to James Fox, head of the UO Libraries’ Special Collections and University Archives Department, which hosts the web portal. The department notes, 'The online repository promises to take the labor out of mining for information on these topics.'

Examples of archived materials housed in UO special collections and referenced on this website include: documents on the Northwest timber industry; arbitration papers from the ILWU and other unions; original pamphlets from the Industrial Workers of the World; legal documents related to the trial of Sacco and Vanzetti and extensive materials from native tribes. Approximately 100 collections are included in the database, which will expand as new materials are acquired and catalogued.

See the Labor Project at http://libweb.uoregon.edu/speccoll/exhibits/labor

A class act returns for 10th year may 21
The 10th annual 'classical music and decadent dessert revue' benefiting the Bill & Ann Shepherd Legal Scholarship Fund of Equity Foundation, known as A Class Act, will be held Friday, May 21 at Portland ’s historic Old Church on S.W. 11th Ave.

Music will be provided by the talented Michael Allen Harrison and Julianne Johnson. Sinfully rich pastries will be baked by Joseph’s Dessert Co., Piece of Cake and Holiday Essence Quality Cake Shop. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. For further information, phone (503) 286-1752.

Shepherd scholars, the beneficiaries of this fundraising event, are third- and fourth-year laws students dedicated to donating part of their legal expertise to fighting bigotry and discrimination, particularly against sexual minorities. Bill and Ann Shepherd were parents of lesbian daughters who co-founded what became the Portland chapter of the International Federation of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). Bill practiced law for more than 56 years in Oregon. Ann was a newspaper reporter and mother of five.

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Did you know that you can receive free summaries of recent court decisions — and more — affecting law practice in the Northwest?

Willamette Law Online, which produces and e-mails the summaries, functions as a notification service, alerting users to legal decisions and trends. The service looks quite useful for that 'heads-up!' on recent decisions.

A range of options to choose from includes: U.S. Supreme Court (same-day summaries of happenings there, including cert petitions granted, oral arguments, decisions issued); 9th Circuit (weekly summaries of decisions); Oregon Supreme Court (weekly summaries of decisions and news releases); Oregon Court of Appeals (weekly summaries) and a lot more.

You can customize which areas you receive. Anyone can subscribe (or unsubscribe) at http://www.willamette.
edu/wucl/wlo