A Call for Something Old
The OSB Legal Heritage Interest Group is seeking contributions of "old documents" to be used in decorating the Members’ Room at the new OSB Bar Center, now under construction in Tigard.

The group plans to decorate the room in a 1930s to 1940s décor, and has already secured the contribution of period office furniture (courtesy of OSB member and former Board of Governors member Frank Hilton) to allow the room to resemble a law office of the time.

Chair Janet Kreft of Gresham says the group is seeking old documents such as wills or deeds, "short, one-page documents that can be framed and mounted." When completed, the room will be made available for visiting members of the bar as a place to work or relax before or between appointments at the bar center.

Contact Kreft at (503) 465-9900 or jkreft@teleport.com for more information or to arrange contributions.

The nearly 125,000-square-foot building is located near the intersection of Southwest 72nd Avenue and Upper Boones Ferry Road, just off of Interstate 5 (Carman Drive exit). The offices of both the OSB and the Professional Liability Fund will occupy much of the building. Other space will be made available for lease. Construction is slated to be complete by this December.

New Paralegal Program Begins in Roseburg
Approximately 260 paralegal programs are approved by the ABA, but until recently none existed in Oregon. Now, thanks to pioneering efforts by Sutherlin lawyer Danny Lang, a new program has been initiated at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg and will start holding classes this September.

According to Lang, the lack of standardized, accredited educational programs sometimes makes it difficult to find qualified candidates, particularly outside the metro area. "This translated into practitioners being forced to devote attorney time to on-the-job trainings of legal support staff," he says. "While each law office will always need to train new hires about the firm’s particular policies and procedures, there remains an unmet need for standardized proficiency in preparation of new files, preparation of pleadings, handling discovery, preparation of trial notebooks, calendar management, summarizing depositions and legal research."

The new one-year paralegal program in Roseburg will lead the successful candidate to a paralegal certificate, and the two-year program will lead to an applied science degree. The curriculum is designed to prepare the future paralegal with both an educational understanding of the world of law and the practical skills necessary to succeed. Students will take courses to provide them with the basic skills to begin a career as a paralegal or legal assistant.

For more information, contact Sue Goff at Umpqua Community College, (541) 440-4713 or sue.goff@umpqua.edu. Lang can be reached at (541) 459-9898.

Magistrate Term to Expire, Reappointment Process Begins
On Feb. 24, 2008, the current term of office for U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas M. Coffin will expire. As required by law, the court is establishing a panel of citizens to consider a reappointment of the magistrate judge to a new eight-year term.

Magistrate judges conduct most preliminary proceedings in criminal cases and oversee trial and disposition of misdemeanor cases. The duties also include conduct of various pretrial matters and evidentiary proceedings delegated to them from the judges of the district court, as well as civil cases (with consent of the parties).

Comments from members of the bar and public are invited as to whether Coffin should be recommended for reappointment, directed to: Sheryl S. McConnell, clerk of the court, U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse, Suite 740, 1000 S.W. Third Ave., Portland, OR 97204. Comments are due by 4:30 p.m., Aug. 6.

Annual Awards Seek Nominees
The OSB Board of Governors and the Oregon Bench and Bar Commission on Professionalism are seeking nominations for their annual awards.

The bar presents the Award of Merit, President’s Awards and the Wallace P. Carson Jr. Award for Judicial Excellence. The professionalism commission presents the Edwin J. Peterson Award. You can help find the most outstanding lawyers and judges by nominating your deserving colleagues for these awards.

Nominations must be postmarked or delivered by 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 24 by mail to Kay Pulju, Oregon State Bar, 5200 S.W. Meadows Road, Lake Oswego, OR 97035; e-mail: kpulju@osbar.org; or fax: (503) 598-6987. The nomination forms may be downloaded from the bar website here.

For further assistance, contact Pulju at (503) 431-6402 or (800) 452-8260, ext. 402.

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