Due to a temporary issue with copying cases from the Lexis database to Decisis, please add an “e” to the “Or/Or App” court reporter abbreviation when searching for an Oregon case citation in Decisis. For example: 374 Ore 350, or 334 Ore App 302.
All Oregon cases are in the Decisis database. However, at this time omitting the “e” in a citation will result in a listing of cases citing the case being searched, not the actual case cited. Users can either drill into the citing case or enter the original citation using the “Ore.”
The Decisis engineers have made this issue their top priority. We apologize for any confusion caused and appreciate your patience and understanding.
On September 24, the Oregon State Bar moved its online legal research tool from the Fastcase platform to the Decisis platform. This change—first shared with licensees in the OSB Bulletin and via email early this summer—was prompted by declining Fastcase usage and user feedback.
In 2024 a Focus Group of Oregon licensees who were heavy users of Fastcase tested the Decisis platform and overwhelmingly supported the change. Staff also contacted several of the 20 state, local and specialty bars that have migrated to Decisis since it entered the market in 2021 and heard positive feedback. We fully expect this to be an upgrade for OSB users.
That said, we recognize that many OSB lawyers and licensed paralegals rely on the bar's legal research tool, and change can be disruptive. Following are several steps we are taking to ease the transition.
▪ Decisis also has a body of on-demand training videos available here.
▪ The log-in to the new platform should be seamless. Decisis also has a team of research assistants to help with specific searches as users get accustomed to the new tool.
▪ An FAQ is available here and additional questions should be directed to legalpubs@osbar.org.
Decisis and the bar are working to add this linking tool to the new platform. We expect it to be available in early 2026. The new linking tool will not only link cases cited in BarBooks, but Decisis is also working to link cited statutes. While the tool is being developed, users will still have full access to all BarBooks as part of their licensing fee.
The platform also offers a new feature: the Decisis tool will alert users to negative subsequent case history, a feature that users have long sought in their research tools but was unavailable in Fastcase. New databases and features are continually being added to the Decisis platform. The most recent addition is circuit court trial orders, which were behind paywalls in the Fastcase database.
Again, we recognize that change – even positive change – can be disruptive. We will support licensees throughout this process, and expect that post-transition, this will be a significant improvement for Oregon's legal professionals.