BOG Election Results
Election results for the 2008 Board of Governor seats were announced on Oct. 16. The newly elected region 5 board members are Christopher H. Kent and Stephen V. Piucci. Gina A. Johnnie was elected to fill the region 6 open seat. The newly appointed public member is Audrey T. Matsumonji. Each new board member will take office on Jan. 1, 2008, and serve a four-year term.

HOD Passes Resolution Opposing Ballot Initiatives
At its annual meeting in September, the House of Delegates adopted a resolution opposing three ballot initiatives: HOD Delegate Resolution no. 2, which concerns elimination of designation of incumbency for judges; resolution no. 51, which concerns caps on contingency fees; and resolution no. 53, which concerns frivolous litigation. All three initiatives were sent to the HOD after being adopted by the Board of Governors.

Move to New Bar Center Delayed
Due to construction delays, the projected move to the new bar center has been pushed back. The projected move-in date of Dec. 20 has been changed to sometime in mid-January.

Apply for the OSB Leadership College
The OSB Leadership College seeks applicants for 2008. The program’s mission is to recruit, educate and retain emerging leaders for the legal community and the bar. College fellows are selected by an advisory board and commit to a one-year program consisting of five three-hour sessions. All expenses for the participation of the fellows are paid and there is no tuition fee.

Selection criteria for the leadership college includes: candidates must be an active member of the bar with three or more years experience; candidates must have demonstrated leadership potential in bar-related groups, sections or committees; candidates must commit to attend and participate in all sessions; candidates must be committed to promoting the values of the bar with leadership, excellence and integrity.

Benefits from participation include peer mentoring, one-on-one interaction with judges, exposure to bar leaders and exposure to leaders of other industries.

An application and more information is available here. For questions, contact Peggy Miller at (503) 620-0222, ext. 384 or pmiller@osbar.org. Applications are due by Dec. 14.

Wine Lovers Raise $80,000 for St. Andrew Legal Clinic
Wine lovers from the legal and business communities came together on Sept. 18, 2007, and raised more than $80,000 for legal services for low-income families. The Markowitz Wine Tasting & Auction, held at the University Club, benefited St. Andrew Legal Clinic, a nonprofit law firm supporting low-income families in Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington and Columbia counties.

The 72 attendees tasted 10 wines hand-selected by event host Dave Markowitz, then bid on 36 wine lots, including a bottle of Opus One autographed by tennis star Anna Kournikova. OSB president Albert Menashe and past- president Dennis Rawlinson worked as guest auctioneers along with Paul Fortino from Perkins Coie.

St. Andrew Legal Clinic is a community-based nonprofit organization that provides quality legal services, in the area of family law, to low-income individuals and families who might not otherwise have access to them. The clinic has served over 35,000 people since opening in 1979. For more information, visit www.salcgroup.org.

OWLS Invites Nominations for Roberts-Deiz Awards
Oregon Women Lawyers is inviting nominations for the 16th Annual Justice Betty Roberts and Judge Mercedes Deiz Awards. The awards recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of individuals in promoting women and minorities in the legal profession in Oregon. The recipients will be honored at the annual awards dinner on March 14, 2008, at the Governor Hotel in Portland.

The Justice Betty Roberts Award recognizes an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to promoting women in the legal profession and in the community. Past recipients of the award include Justice Betty Roberts, Judge Sid Galton, Helen Althaus, Norma Freitas, Katherine O’Neil, Barrie Herbold, Elizabeth Harchenko, Judge Maureen McKnight, Judge Ellen Rosenblum, S. Diane Rynerson, Diana Crane, Justice Susan Leeson, Judge Ann Aiken, Sandra Hansberger and Judge Mary Deits.

The Judge Mercedes Deiz Award recognizes an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to promoting minorities in the legal profession and in the community. Past recipients of the award are Judge Mercedes Deiz, Gayle Patterson, Nargess Shadbeh, Justice Edwin Peterson, Armonica Gilford, Okianer Christian Dark, Judge Janice Wilson, Madelyn Wessel, Lynn Nakamoto, Marva Fabien, Judge Adrienne Nelson, Leonard Girard and Pamela Jacklin, Stella Manabe, Daniel Santos and Justice Wallace P. Carson, Jr.

The nomination should include detailed information explaining how the nominee fulfills the award’s criteria. At least three letters of recommendation should also be included. Nominations must be received by Monday, Nov. 19, 2007. Nomination forms can be found at www.oregonwomenlawyers.org.

Send nominations to Kendra Matthews, Oregon Women Lawyers, Ransom Blackman, 1001 S.W. Fifth Ave., Suite 1400, Portland, OR 97204; fax: (503) 227-5984; e-mail: kendra@ransomblackman.com.

OSB Awards Dinner is Dec. 7
Please join OSB President Albert Menashe in recognizing the outstanding achievements of the 2007 award recipients at the Annual Awards Dinner.

This year’s recipients include: Award of Merit: Kate Brown; President’s Membership Service Award: Steve Janik, Harvey Rogers and Brad Tellam; President’s Public Service Award: Lisa LeSage, Hon. Adrienne Nelson and Mark Wada; President’s Affirmative Action Award: Hon. David Schuman; Wallace P. Carson, Jr. Award for Judicial Excellence: Hon. Richard Barron; Edwin J. Peterson Professionalism Award: Ed Harnden; President’s Award of Special Appreciation: Doug Houser and Eric Larson.

The evening begins with dinner at 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 7, at the Benson Hotel in Portland. See the OSB Events page for updates and ticket information.

UTCR Committee Seeks to Fill Two Positions
The Uniform Trial Court Rules committee seeks attorneys to fill two open positions: a criminal defense attorney and a civil law attorney. These are volunteer positions with appointment made by the chief justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. Candidates should have significant trial experience.

The UTCR committee is an advisory group to the chief justice that makes recommendations on the UTCR and Supplemental Local Rules. It meets twice a year in the fall and spring in Salem. Members work with judges, attorneys and court personnel from across the state on issues that directly affect litigation practice.

To apply, please send a resume and cover letter (describing your law practice, areas of expertise, qualifications, involvement in similar groups, etc.) to: utcr@ojd.state.or.us or Bruce C. Miller, Office of the State Court Administrator, Supreme Court Building, 1163 State Street, Salem, OR 97301. The deadline for application is Dec. 1.

For more information on the UTCR committee, visit www.ojd.state.or.us/ programs/utcr/index.htm.

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