Countdown to meeting begins;
save by registering early
Register for the OSB Annual Meeting by Oct. 4, and save by paying the early registration fees. All registrations received after this date will be subject to a late fee.

This year’s meeting will take place Oct. 14-16 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland. The annual meeting begins Thursday with various OSB section-sponsored CLE seminars, an exhibitor tradeshow and the president’s annual awards dinner and dance. Friday will offer two tracks of education in the areas of ethics, elimination of bias, technology, marketing and more.

The OSB tent show and dinner on Friday evening, reminiscent of the old OSB tent shows of the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, will include dinner and dancing.

The meeting will conclude with the House of Delegates meeting on Saturday. In addition, the Oregon New Lawyers Division will host its SuperSaturday CLE event on Saturday.

Of special note: Legalstaff.com will sponsor Career Fair 2004 at the Oregon Convention Center on Wednesday, Oct. 13. This pre-conference event is included in the Annual Meeting registration fees.

For more annual meeting information or to register online, go to www. oregonstatebar.org. If you have questions about registration, call (503) 684-7413.

Casemaker to add Washington
The board of the Washington State Bar Association Board of Governors has voted to join the Casemaker consortium, bringing to 17 the number of states that so far have joined electronic legal research service.

With the addition of Washington state, all three Pacific Northwest states will now be represented in the Casemaker consortium. Five other states are presently considering the service.

Casemaker’s Washington library will provide access to all of the state’s appellate decisions (as well as the appellate decisions of the other 16 member states). Casemaker also includes U.S. Supreme Court decisions from 1935 forward and 9th Circuit decisions from 1990 to date, as well as some circuit and district court decisions. It includes the Revised Code of Washington, as well as the United States Code. 

The WSBA hopes to have this service up and running within six to nine months.

"As Casemaker continues to grow, we are confident that its value to Oregon lawyers will steadily increase," says Rod Wegener, OSB chief financial officer. "The Board of Governors continues to work with the entire consortium to improve the content and utility of this online legal research tool."

Patriot Act seminar available online
The April 15 CLE presentation, "Civil Liberties after 9/11 and the Patriot Act," has been approved for two general CLE credits and is now available for viewing free online.

The forum, held last spring at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, was videotaped. A link to that videotape can be found online at www.osbar.org under "Bar News." (The program can also be seen on cable access television stations around the state; consult your local listings.)

The keynote speaker was the author of the Patriot Act, Viet Dinh, a former assistant attorney general. Also present was Timothy J. Keefer, a chief counsel in the Department of Homeland Security in Washington. A lively panel discussion about the act’s impact on civil liberties followed.


Humor and law will mix for fundraiser
Legal and business community leaders will use humor to fund a legal aid attorney for a year and kick-off the 2004 Campaign for Equal Justice, Sept. 10, at the Oregon Convention Center.

Business leaders, attorneys and legal professionals will gather to support the first-annual 2004 LAF-OFF Comedy Competition and use humor to raise awareness for Legal Aid. The fundraiser is sponsored by Fios Inc. and Friends. It will feature 10 Oregon attorneys in a head-to-head stand-up comedy competition. The competition will be judged by a panel of judges. Organizers hope to raise enough money to fund a Legal Aid attorney for a year. LAF-OFF will also serve as the kick-off for the annual fundraising drive by the Campaign for Equal Justice.

More information on the event can be found on the event web site at www.laf-off.org.

Notice of reinstatement applications
The following individuals have filed applications for reinstatement as active members of the Oregon State Bar pursuant to Rule of Procedure (BR) 8.1:

Sally Ann Carter of Texas, OSB #97514, was admitted to the OSB on Oct. 20, 1997. On Jan. 26, 1999, she transferred to inactive status because she relocated to Texas where she was admitted to practice. Since that time, she has been continuously employed as an assistant district attorney. Carter plans to return to Oregon and seek employment.

Henry H. Drummonds of Portland, OSB #73080, was admitted to the OSB on Sept. 21, 1973. On Jan. 4, 1990, he transferred to inactive status when he became a law professor at Lewis & Clark School of Law, where he continues to be employed. He will continue in that position.

Jeffrey S. Frasier of California, OSB #96026, was admitted to the OSB on March 18, 1996. On Jan. 30, 1997, he transferred to inactive status. He has been an active member of the California bar since December 1988, practicing law for the past ten years with the law firm of Silver & Arsht in Westlake Village, Calif. Frasier plans to relocate his family to Portland and seek employment.

Paul D. Gear of Pendleton, OSB #96293, was admitted to the OSB on Sept. 20, 1996. He presently is suspended for disciplinary reasons. See, In re Gear, 15 DB Rptr 200 (2001); In re Gear, 16 DB Rptr 252 (2002); In re Gear, 16 DB Rptr 390 (2002). He hopes to return to his previous employment at the Intermountain Public Defender’s Office.

David B. Kahng of Illinois, OSB #97117, was admitted to the OSB on April 17, 1997. He transferred to inactive status the following year, then submitted a Form A resignation effective Jan. 14, 2004. Kahng is a member of the Illinois bar, practicing with the Chicago firm of Seyfarth Shaw, LLP. Kahng will continue to work and reside in Chicago, but seeks reinstatement to assist an Oregon client of the firm.

Gwendolyn C. Knoll (fka Stanny) of California, OSB #95503, was admitted to the OSB on Oct. 6, 1995. She transferred to inactive status on Dec. 18, 1996, to relocate to California where she was admitted to practice in 1998. Since 1998, Knoll has been employed with Franklin Templeton Investments in San Mateo, Calif. She plans to return to Oregon and seek employment.

Susan K. Lourne of Arkansas, OSB #88071, was admitted to the OSB on April 15, 1988. She was suspended for failure to pay bar dues on July 2, 1998. Lourne was admitted to the Washington bar in 1987, and suspended there for failure to pay dues in 2000. She was recently reinstated in Washington. She also is seeking admission to the Arkansas bar.

Emily Rae Swensen of Portland, OSB #97175, was admitted to the OSB on July 23, 1997. In November of that year, she was suspended for failure to pay bar dues. Since that time, she has worked for various law firms as a temporary or contract employee. She plans to join attorney Steven C. Smith as an associate in his law firm.

The Rules of Procedure require the Board of Governors to conduct an investigation of BR 8.1 reinstatement applications to determine whether applicants possess the good moral character and general fitness to practice law and that the resumption of the practice of law in this state by applicants will not be detrimental to the administration of justice or the public interest. Any person with information relevant to these applicants is asked to contact promptly the OSB Regulatory Services Division, P.O. Box 1689, Lake Oswego, OR 97035; (503) 620-0222 or (800) 452-8260, ext. 343.

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Spotlight on volunteers

Volunteer (pro bono) defense counsel for bar disciplinary proceedings

The OSB is looking for members who are willing to volunteer their time to assist lawyers who are being investigated or prosecuted for disciplinary violations. The OSB Board of Governors believes that offering lawyers accused of professional misconduct an opportunity to obtain professional assistance would greatly benefit, not only individual lawyers, but the disciplinary system as a whole. And like many citizens, lawyers are often unable to afford counsel, leaving them no alternative but to proceed pro se.

Volunteers on this panel will provide pro bono representation for accused lawyers in disciplinary matters, as their time and availability permit. Accused lawyers are not guaranteed that a volunteer on the panel will be available or will take every case. Volunteer defense counsel are not screened, but are expected to be familiar with the disciplinary rules and the disciplinary process. The OSB does not require the volunteer defense counsel to provide any particular level of services. It is anticipated that most of the volunteer services will be of a consultative nature in the early stages of an investigation or prosecution. Volunteer defense counsel and their clients will determine by agreement the scope, nature, and charges for defense services to be provided. Volunteers are not prohibited from requesting or accepting compensation for extended representation in contested disciplinary trials or appeals.

If you are interested in volunteering to assist lawyers in disciplinary proceedings, please contact Sylvia Stevens at (503) 620-0222, ext. 359, or toll-free in Oregon at (800) 452-8260, ext. 359, or by e-mail sstevens@osbar.org. If you would like to obtain a copy of a list of Oregon lawyers who have expressed an interest in serving, contact Jane Gillespie, ext. 308.

Just getting started
in private practice?
The Professional Liability Fund is sponsoring a practical skills seminar, "Learning the Ropes," for new admittees and lawyers entering private practice. The workshop includes information on developing a successful practice and avoiding legal malpractice, professionalism/ethics workshop, practical tips from judges and lawyers, and presentations on setting up effective office systems.

Attendance at the full program will satisfy MCLE requirements for new admittees’ first reporting period. The workshop will be held Nov. 10-12 at the DoubleTree Hotel Lloyd Center in Portland. The $50 registration fee includes the entire workshop and lunch on Nov. 10 and 11.

Registration deadline is Nov. 1. You may print a flyer from the PLF website www.osbplf.org. If you do not have Internet access, write, fax or e-mail Karen Neese, Professional Liability Fund, P.O. Box 1600, Lake Oswego, OR 97035; fax: (503) 684-7250; or e-mail: karenn@osbplf.org.

Take control of your career
On Sept. 20, the Oregon Attorney Assistance Program will present a half-day seminar to help you focus and direct your career. The program will be held in the Mayfair Ballroom at the Benson Hotel from 1 to 5 p.m. Registration will begin at 12:15 p.m.

The program will feature Kathy Morris, a nationally known speaker, author, career counselor and the director of the ABA Career Resource Center. The workshop topics will include: assessing your strengths and applying them to your career transition, mastering the job search process, and paths to job satisfaction. The cost for the seminar is $25.

To view the registration information online, visit the Oregon Attorney Assistance Program website, www.oaap.org, and click on the seminar tab. For additional information about registration, call the OAAP at (503) 226-1057 or (800) 321-OAAP. Application for MCLE credit is pending.