| Oregon State Bar Bulletin — APRIL 2010 |
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Strategic Discovery Practice in Federal Court CLE April 30
The Oregon Federal Bar Association chapter presents “Strategic Discovery Practice in Federal Court” on Friday, April 30, noon to 5 p.m., at the Hatfield U.S. Courthouse.
The program features federal court judges and practitioners discussing mandatory conferral requirements and making effective use of various discovery devices set forth in the Federal Rules; 4.5 CLE credits are pending.
For registration or additional information, contact Kevin Sali at kevin@hoffmanangeli.com.
Aid Programs Now Updating Referral Lists
Legal Aid Services of Oregon and the Oregon Law Center are in the process of updating their referral lists.
Together the organizations operate the statewide Public Benefits Hotline for low-income Oregonians. The organizations receive many calls from clients seeking representation in Social Security and SSI cases, which are generally referred to the private bar.
The referral list is limited to active members of the Oregon State Bar. Participating lawyers also must agree to handle at least one pro bono case per year for OLC or LASO.
If you are interested in handling such cases, or have questions, contact Karen Berkowitz at the Oregon Law Center, 921 S.W. Washington St., Suite 516, Portland, OR 97205; phone: (503) 473-8321; e-mail: KABerko@yahoo.com. Include your name, address, telephone number and e-mail address, and indicate if you are willing to represent clients throughout the state or in a more limited geographic area.
16th Annual “Class Act” Show Is April 23
Virtuoso bass player Kevin Deitz headlines the jazz luminaries to be featured at “A Class Act,” the 16th annual benefit for the Bill & Ann Shepherd Legal Scholarship Fund of Equity Foundation, on Friday, April 23, at The Old Church, 1422 S.W. 11th Ave., Portland.
Doors open at 7 p.m., with curtain time at 8 o’clock. A reception will follow, featuring desserts from some of such Portland bakeries as Piece of Cake, Holiday Essence Quality Cake, Cupcake Jones and Little T’s American Bakery.
Tickets, $40 in advance and $50 at the door, are available online at http://www.equityfoundation.org; click “Donate Now” and specify the transaction as “Class Act Tickets.” Tickets are also available at Funny Bone/Balloons on Broadway, 617 S.W. Washington St., Portland. For more information, call (503) 286-1752.
Fastcase App for iPhone
Now there’s legal research on the go for those with iPhones. The new Fastcase research application is free and virtually puts the American law library in the palm of your hand. Cases are searchable by citation, keyword (in Boolean or natural language), or users can just as easily browse statute collections.
Fastcase for the iPhone also uses smart search technology from Fastcase’s web-based legal research application, which allows you to sort the most relevant results to the top of the list and integrates citation analysis tools right into the results list. For more information and to download the free app, visit the Fastcase iPhone page at www.fastcase.com/iphone/.
Note that after downloading the application from the App Store, OSB members will need to create a new account and password for Fastcase on iPhone. When accessing Fastcase on the web from the OSB website, continue to use your bar number and password as before.
Spring Juvenile Law Seminar Focuses on Delinquency
The Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association is sponsoring an intense day and a half seminar with tools and tips to help practitioners better represent
juvenile clients.
The annual Spring Juvenile Law Seminar will be held April 16-17 at the Agate Beach Inn in Newport.
Challenging violations of the right to counsel, suppressing confessions and challenging the capacity to proceed, shackling, gay/lesbian/bisexual youth, avoiding state and federal collateral consequences of juvenile adjustications, zealousness and the role of counsel, appellate law and other topics will be covered. A casual reception starts the event on Friday. CLE credit is pending approval for 8 general, 1 ethics and 1 access-to-justice credit.
For more information, see www.ocdla.org.
New Website Informs About Oregon Courts
The Multnomah Bar Association (MBA) has launched a new website to educate the public about Oregon courts, preserving the impartiality of the judiciary and opposing attempts to threaten the judicial system.
Visit the site at www.protectoregoncourts.org.
“Overheard in Court” Goes to the Web
A couple of lawyers in Texas have started a fun website, Overheardincourt.com, which went live in March.
The site honors the tradition of U.S. District Judge Jerry Buchmeyer, whose popular column of courtroom humor and malapropisms, “Et cetera,” was a longtime feature of the Texas Bar Journal. Though Judge Buchmeyer died in 2009, a group of enthusiasts is seeking to carry on the column with an online version and has expanded the scope of the column beyond the Lone Star State.
Here’s your chance to share “war stories” with the universe, courtesy of the Worldwide Web. There’s even a contest at the moment, if Internet fame weren’t enough of an incentive.
Visit the site at http://overheardincourt.com.
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Wealth Law Blog Unveiled
The Portland firm of Samuels, Yoelin, Kantor, Seymour & Spinrad recently launched WealthLawBlog.com, which provides clients with the up-to-date information on estate planning, trust and estate administration, asset protection, taxation, business and corporate matters, and fiduciary litigation.
The http://www.WealthLawBlog.comcontains articles authored by the firm’s attorneys on estate tax reform, springing power of attorney, family settlements versus litigation and other topics. Readers can subscribe to the blog via e-mail or add it to their feeds. Readers are encouraged to comment, question and participate in online conversations. The blog is free, and contact information is not shared with anyone.
A http://www.wealthlawblog.com/ option appears in the left-hand column of the blog’s homepage at http://www.WealthLawBlog.com.
OWLs Accepting Nominations for 2010 Workplace Leader Award
Oregon Women Lawyers is accepting nominations for the 2010 Workplace Leader Award. The deadline for nominations is June 1. The award recipient will be honored at the organization’s fall CLE reception in October.
The award recognizes a legal employer making innovative and effective efforts to promote a healthy balance between work and life, acquiring and maintaining a diverse workforce with diverse leadership, or maximizing opportunities for women and minorities to succeed in the workplace and advance to positions of influence and leadership.
The award will recognize a specific program, policy or project that is successfully addressing one or more of the concerns above. Applications are encouraged from in-house legal departments, government employers and employers who are making strides in recruiting and retaining ethnic minority lawyers and equipping them for leadership.
In 2009, the award was presented to Knowledge Learning Corporation’s legal department in Portland for accommodating part-time and flexible schedules, engaging in a thoughtful and collaborative process that addresses both the needs of KLC and the needs of each employee, and supporting and encouraging educational advancement.
Nominations must be received (preferably by e-mail) by June 1 and should be sent to Cashauna Hill, chill@oregonlawcenter.org. For award and nominations details, see www.oregonwomenlawyers.org.
For the Notaries in Your Office
The 2009 legislature made some changes in the notary act, including how signers are identified. Also, for budgetary reasons, the Secretary of State Corporation Division will no longer send announcements and renewal notices by regular mail.
Visit www.filinginoregon.com for information about the statutory changes and information on how to subscribe to the division’s e-mail notification service.
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