Legal Aid Services of Oregon (LASO) – Appellate Referral Opportunities!

Legal Aid Services of Oregon (LASO) provides free legal services for eligible low-income clients.  The LASO Salem Regional Office has a statewide appellate referral program for cases likely to have a broad impact on access to justice issues, or cases that are likely to broadly affect low-income Oregonians, survivors of domestic violence, tenants, or other clients typically served by LASO.  Appellate services include consultations with experienced attorneys and possible representation in civil and administrative appeals before the Oregon Court of Appeals and Oregon Supreme Court.  You may also request LASO to appear as amicus curiae on behalf of the organization.  To make an appellate referral, please use the LASO Appellate Outreach Instructions and Form.  For more information about appellate referrals, please contact Rachael Federico at [email protected].

Now Recruiting OSB Members for Appellate Practice Section Executive Committee!

The OSB Appellate Practice Section is currently recruiting OSB members to serve as members-at-large on our 2022 Executive Committee.

The Appellate Practice Section Executive Committee manages the activities of the section. Executive Committee work ranges from planning CLE programs and networking events, producing informational newsletters and other publications, tracking relevant legislation, and developing ways to increase diversity and promote inclusion to improve the practice of law and our ability to serve our community. We work closely with members of the appellate courts and Appellate Commissioner’s Office to bring opportunities for engagement between the bench and bar, assist in the management of the Oregon Appellate Court Pro Bono Program, and publish the Oregon Appellate Almanac.

Member-at-large terms are two years. They begin on January 1, 2023.

If you are interested in serving, please email a 1-2 paragraph statement of interest, including information about your experience and your particular interest in contributing to the Section, to [email protected]. Statements of interest are due by Thursday, December 1.

Call for Oregon Appellate Almanac submissions!

Enjoyed our 2021 edition (or think it was missing something)? We’re now accepting submissions for the 2022 Oregon Appellate Almanac!  The Almanac welcomes submissions of roughly 500 to 2000 words in the following areas:

  • Analysis of intriguing or obscure issues in Oregon appellate law and procedure
  • Biographies, interviews, and profiles of current and past figures in Oregon law and history
  • Court history, statistics, and trivia
  • Humor, wit, poetry, and puzzles

The annual submission deadline is June 1, though our deadlines are notoriously flexible.  You can see all our past issues on the “Almanac” page of this website.  If you have a pet issue but don’t want to write a lengthy article about it, this is your time to shine!

If you have questions or would like to submit a piece, please email the editor, Nora Coon, at [email protected].  

Draft ORAP Amendments for comment and new Appellate Almanac!

The Oregon Court of Appeals has provided this draft of its proposed temporary ORAP amendment for practitioner commentary.  All comments are due March 31, 2022, so don’t miss your chance for feedback!

In other news, the 2021 Appellate Almanac is now live!  It contains lots of great content (the results of the Great Oregon Space Debate and more!) and a copy of the proposed rules too.

Coming Soon – A New Temporary ORAP

At our recent Oregon Court of Appeals Update CLE, the court alerted all attendees to a proposed temporary ORAP related to unpublished or non-precedential opinions that is currently being drafted. It will be made available for public comment in the next few months. We will post a link to the proposed text when it becomes available