BOG Candidates Filing Deadline May 13
The OSB is seeking candidates for the Board of Governors. There are four board positions open to active bar members in regions 4, 5, 6 and 7. The board consists of 14 active bar members and four members of the public. Board terms are for four years and begin on Jan.1, 2015.
The board has five regular meetings a year, on a Friday and occasionally on the following Saturday morning. Nearly half of the meetings are in the Portland area and the remainder at locations around the state. The Board of Governors’ committee meetings are held at the bar center in Tigard, three to four weeks prior to regular board meetings. Board members serve as liaisons to the Professional Liability Fund, bar sections and committees and numerous other groups.
For more information or to print a copy of the candidate statement go to www. osbar.org, hover over “Member Groups” in the top green banner, and select “BOG Home” under the “Board of Governors” heading. You can also contact Danielle Edwards at dedwards@osbar.org, or (503) 620-0222, ext. 426.
Reminder: LRAP Applications Are Due April 15
The Oregon State Bar Loan Repayment Assistance Program uses forgivable loans to help lawyers working in public service pay their student debt. Lawyers who have benefitted from the program include public defenders, district attorneys and attorneys working for civil legal services providers. The program offers loans in any amount up to $5,000. Participants selected will receive the forgivable loans for three years, as long as they stay in qualifying employment.
Many attorneys in public service face crushing debt, coupled with meager salaries, and the OSB LRAP was created to help repay the students loans of attorneys who have dedicated their careers to public service. For more information visit www.osbar.org/lrap or contact LRAP Coordinator Catherine Petrecca at cpetrecca@osbar.org or at (503) 431-6355.
Volunteers Sought for New Veterans History Project
The Oregon Court Reporters Association and the Military and Veterans Law Section have joined forces to form an Oregon Veterans History Project. Working to create submissions to the Library of Congress, this partnership collects, preserves and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war.
In addition to audio- and video-recorded interviews, VHP accepts memoirs and collections of original photographs, letters, diaries, maps and other historical documents from World War I through current conflicts.
On Feb. 18, the project recorded its first oral history of Vietnam veteran and former Oregon Supreme Court Justice Paul J. De Muniz. He was interviewed by his former law clerk, currently a captain in the National Guard and associate with Barran Liebman, Sam Hernandez.
OCRA volunteer court reporters and videographers record the interview and produce a transcript and DVD for submission to the Library of Congress, along with photos and other documents donated by the veteran. OSB volunteers conduct the interviews. The oral histories are scheduled to occur the third Tuesday of each month, following the Military and Veterans Law Section meetings at the Bar’s offices.
The project is asking for OSB members to volunteer to interview a veteran and, if you are a veteran, to be interviewed and give your oral history. To volunteer, contact VHP coordinator Gretchen Magarro at gmagarro@LNScourtreporting.com or 503-299-6200.
Fastcase Tip: Find Authoritative Cases Quickly
Did you know that you can use Fastcase Authority Check to help you find the most authoritative cases on your research topic? In fact, if you are not taking advantage of Authority Check’s second level of citation analysis — citations within your search results — you may be missing out on valuable information.
Follow these quick and easy steps to get the most out of Authority Check and find authoritative cases quickly:
1) Perform a search using the Advanced Case Law Search. Make sure that the box next to “Show Number of Citations in Search Results” is checked at the bottom of the page.
2) When you get to the Results screen, you will see a column labeled “Authority Check” on the far right of the screen. Under that heading, there will be a blue hyperlink that reads “These Results.” Click on the link.
3) After you click on the link, your search results will be sorted by the number of times they have been cited by other cases within your search results. In other words, the most authoritative cases — those relied on most heavily by other cases within your search results — will be at the top of the list.
2014 Law Library Values Are Available Online
The 2014 schedule of suggested values for law libraries is now available at www.osbar.org/resources/eresources.html#libraries. This schedule has been prepared by the property tax division of the Oregon Department of Revenue. Owners of law libraries should declare the schedule values to the assessor.
Oregon Administrative Rules: the Easy-to-Read Version
A clear, readable, version of the complete set of the Oregon Administrative Rules is now available online, thanks to a partnership of several Oregon businesses and attorneys.
OregonAdminRules.org was inspired by the ease and error-reducing readability of OregonLaws.org. Now the Oregon Administrative Rules, which are often at least as important to the public and practitioners as statutes, are available in a free, readable form as well.