ADR Section Award Nominations Due June 14
The OSB Alternative Dispute Resolution Section seeks nominations for three awards designed to recognize excellent achievements in alternative dispute resolution work in the state. The Sidney Lezak Award was created to recognize excellence in the field of mediation and is awarded to a bar member with outstanding contributions to alternative dispute resolution in the Oregon legal community. The Interdisciplinary Cooperation Award recognizes efforts of ADR professionals who are not members of the OSB but work with attorneys, judges and court administrators in the alternative dispute resolution process and who further the values and core principles of the section. The Carlton B. Snow Award for Excellence in Arbitration is conferred on a member of the Oregon State Bar to recognize outstanding achievement in the field.
Please submit nominations by 5 p.m., June 14, by email to marcis@osbplf.org; or mail them to Bruce L. Schafer, Professional Liability Fund, c/o Marci Sasik, P.O. Box 231600, Tigard, OR 97281.
Comment On Magistrate Judge Reappointment By June 28
The U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon is required by law to establish a panel of citizens to consider the reappointment of Magistrate Judge Dennis J. Hubel to a new eight-year term. His current term expires Dec. 31, 2013. A full public notice for this reappointment is posted in the clerk’s office at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse and at ord.uscourts.gov.
Comments from members of the bar and public are invited as to whether Magistrate Judge Dennis J. Hubel should be recommended by the panel for reappointment to the court. Comments must be received by 4:30 p.m., June 28, and should be addressed to: Office of the Clerk, Human Resources Division, U.S. District Court, District of Oregon, 1000 S.W. Third Ave., Suite 740, Portland, OR 97204.
Annual Award Nominations Due June 28
The nominations deadline for the 2013 OSB Annual Awards is fast approaching. Please submit nominations to honor Oregon’s most outstanding lawyers, judges and citizens by Friday, June 28 at 5 p.m.
Find the individual awards criteria along with the nominations forms at www.osbar.org/osbevents/. Questions? Contact Kay Pulju at (503) 620-0222 ext. 402, (800) 452-8260 ext. 402, or email kpulju@osbar.org.
eFiling Services Update
Oregon Judicial Department eFiling Services are now available in four circuit courts — Yamhill, which went live on April 1, and Crook, Jefferson and Linn circuit courts, which opened OJD eFiling to all users on May 13. Jackson County Circuit Court is next, scheduled to open eFiling in June.
Oregon attorneys who wish to file cases in the circuit courts that currently have eFiling services can register online for access to the Odyssey File & Serve portal, allowing them to eFile, serve, distribute and deliver court documents, and pay filing fees for many types of cases in Yamhill, Crook, Jefferson, Linn county circuit courts. While other types of eFilers can register for access, the availability of electronic forms and other user assistance processes in development for self-represented eFilers is not scheduled for release until late 2014.
The deployment of File & Serve has been incorporated into the Oregon eCourt Case Information System implementation schedule. Thirty days after each Oregon circuit court implements the Oregon eCourt Case Information System, they will complete a pilot and testing phase of the File & Serve system for 15 days before opening eFiling services to all users.
The pilot and testing phase of eFiling is accomplished in each circuit court with the participation of local law firms to test the system before going live with eFiling. Court business processes related to File & Serve are also tested and established during the pilot phase by each circuit court.
eFilers are provided with free online training tools — an Oregon-specific Quick Reference Guide and Odyssey-specific eFiling user guides, self-study online classes and live webinars. Access to these free training tools can be found on the File & Serve portal page in the “TRAIN” and “LEARN” sections. eFilers can register for File & Serve (currently only available for Yamhill, Crook, Jefferson and Linn circuit courts) by going to www.tinyurl.com/OJDeFileHome, or at the Online Services page from the OJD homepage.