May 8 Filing Deadline for OSB Board of Governors in Regions 5 and 6
The Oregon State Bar is currently seeking candidates for the Board of Governors. There are three board positions open to active bar members, two in region 5 and one in region 6. The Board consists of 16 members — 12 active members and four public members. The election will be held Oct. 15, 2007. Board terms are for four years and begin Jan. 1, 2008. Region 5 encompasses Multnomah county and Region 6 encompasses Clackamas, Marion, Polk, and Yamhill counties.

The board has five regular meetings a year, on a Friday and the following Saturday morning. Nearly half of the meetings are in the Portland area and the remainder at locations around the state. The board’s committee meetings are held three to four weeks prior to regular board meetings in the Portland area. Board of Governor members serve as liaisons to the Professional Liability Fund, bar sections and committees, and numerous other groups and activities. Minority attorneys and women are encouraged to run for a position on the board.

For more information or to print a copy of the candidates statement and nominating petition, go to www.osbar.org and select Forms Library, or contact Danielle Edwards at (503) 620-0222 or toll-free in Oregon at (800) 452-8260, ext. 426.

Carson Judicial Excellence Award Luncheon Set for May 31
In recognition of his exemplary contributions to Oregon’s judiciary, the Oregon State Bar has created the Wallace P. Carson Jr. Judicial Excellence Award. Justice Carson is greatly admired and respected for his professionalism, integrity, commitment and judicial independence.

All bar members are invited to join in honoring Justice Carson at the special inaugural awards ceremony to be held Thursday, May 31, at noon, in the Heritage Ballroom of The Governor Hotel in Portland. Tickets are $30 per person. Reserved tables for 10 are available.

More information and a registration form are available at www.osbar.org.

For questions or to reserve a table, contact Karla Houtary at (800) 452-8260, ext. 367, or (503) 620-0222, ext. 367;
e-mail: khoutary@osbar.org.

CourtCare’s 4th Annual Fundraising Campaign Approaches
Every day, small children play in the safety of CourtCare instead of witnessing adult conflict and other traumatic scenes in the courtrooms and hallways of the Multnomah County Courthouse. CourtCare provides free drop-in child care for young children of parents using the courthouse. Commonly, the parents are dealing with domestic abuse restraining orders, divorce or child custody issues, or evictions. CourtCare protects children from those situations, eases courtroom proceedings, and enhances access to
justice.

CourtCare is located in a converted jury room in the Multnomah County Courthouse. The facility is operated by state-certified staff of the Volunteers of American Oregon. Space and budget limitations keep CourtCare from serving all of those in need, but it has cared for more than 5,000 children since opening its doors in December 2001.

CourtCare receives some public funding, but it depends primarily on private contributions from the legal community. Last year, nearly 1,000 people gave to CourtCare. Without the financial support of lawyers, legal assistants, judges, courthouse staff and other members of the legal community, its doors would close.

The "Jungle Gym in the Jungle" fundraising campaign will be held May 1-22 this year. For more information about CourtCare and this year’s campaign, contact the campaign co-chairs, Susan Marmaduke at susan.marmaduke@harrang.com or Marshall Spector at mspector@gevurtzmenashe.com. Information is also avaialbe at the website of the Multnomah Bar Association, www.mbabar.org.

— Susan Marmaduke

Justice Carson, Judge Mary Deits Honored at OWLs Dinner
Oregon Women Lawyers (OWls) honored two retired Oregon appellate judges at its awards dinner held in early March.

Judge Mary Deits, former chief judge of the Oregon Court of Appeals, received the Justice Betty Roberts Award for the promotion of women in the law. Justice Wallace P. Carson Jr., former chief justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, received the Judge Mercedes Deiz Award for promotion of minorities in the law. The 15th annual event was held March 9 at the Governor Hotel in Portland.

Deits has served not only as one of Oregon’s first women appellate judges, but also as a respected role-model, adviser and friend to many of Oregon’s best women lawyers. She was only the second woman to serve as a judge on the Oregon Court of Appeals, after Justice Betty Roberts herself. Once on the Court of Appeals, Deits earned the respect of her peers and became the only woman to serve as Chief Judge of that court. She also earned the position of President of the national Chief Judges Association. As Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals, she instituted many innovative programs that helped make our court a national leader on many fronts, including the appellate mediation program and the school outreach program, which provides school-aged students an opportunity to see women lawyers and judges in action.

Justice Carson is credited with being a quiet, yet constant, presence in the lives and careers of many minority attorneys and law students. For the last five years, Justice Carson has responded faithfully to the calls for assistance of the Oregon State Bar Affirmative Action Program’s Opportunities for Law in Oregon (OLIO), attending an annual orientation for law students in Central Oregon. He also frequently lends his support and presence to events organized by the Oregon Minority Lawyers Association (OMLA). During the reauthorization of the Affirmative Action Program earlier this year, Justice Carson’s presence brought a sense of strength to OMLA leaders and members working to ensure the future of the program. His personal commitment and assistance with funding has played a pivotal role in the success of Oregon’s Access to Justice Committee.

— Oregon Women Lawyers

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