Legal Research

Oregon Attorney CLE: Divorce and the Family Silver, 1/15/13

Posted on January 15, 2013
The Lawyers? Association of Washington County (LAWC) present a CLE: Intel Issues in Divorce Cases: Dissolution And Division Of Stock OptionsSpeaker: Oregon Attorney Doug Peterson1 General MCLE Credit Applied For  WHEN: Tuesday, January 15, 2013, 11:45 Am To 1:00 p...

Oregon State Government Furlough Days in 2013 (first half)

Posted on January 15, 2013
This information is for the Fiscal Year 2012-2013 (that ends June 30, 2013). Oregon State Courts and State Government Offices will be closed for employee furloughs on Friday, January 18, 2013, Friday, Apr. 19, 2013, and Friday, May 24, 2013.

Handbook for Oregon Jurors

Posted on January 08, 2013
Do you have to write a research report on jury service? Were you or a family member summoned for jury duty? Are you just curious about jury duty and not sure where to begin reading about it? The Oregon State Bar has a Handbook for Jurors and it?s a good place to begin...

Law of Elvis on His Birthday, January 8th

Posted on January 08, 2013
According to some reports, Elvis was one of the least litigious superstars in the U.S. and maybe the world, and that most Elvis litigation occurred after his death. Whether or not that is so, we still have to say to the King of Kings (ur, sorry, Bruce):Happy Birthday, Elvis! In 2011, Legal Aid of East Tennessee held a CLE on "Elvis Law...

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Should the U.S. Constitution be Untouchable?

Posted on January 04, 2013
Is rewriting the U.S. Constitution really that much of a "dangerous idea?" See, e.g. Op-Ed Contributor, Louis Michael Seidman, "Let?s Give Up on the Constitution," New York Times, December 30, 2012. If business and labor models are changing, why aren't government models? See also, from the Institute for the Future website: Aligning Business and Community Interests: A Recipe for Hope in Volatile Times," Aug 13, 2012, by Tracey Grose, who reviews Robert H...

Justice Bedsworth Fishes for a Bond with OR-7 (Oregon's favorite wolf)

Posted on January 02, 2013
While lamenting 1,600 pounds of fish who lost their lives in a motor vehicle accident, Justice Bedsworth tries valiantly to wrap his mind around Oregon?s favorite lone wolf, OR-7, who may or may not have wandered into California for the same reason others have, i...

New Year?s Resolution: Understand Oregon?s Property Tax System

Posted on January 01, 2013
This year (2013), the City Club of Portland will be studying "Oregon's Property Tax System."  The bibliography to that future report will be useful indeed. (City Club of Portland has produced many excellent, readable, and debatable (in the best sense of the word), reports...

Emancipation Proclamation, January 1, 1863

Posted on January 01, 2013
President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. "The Emancipation ProclamationJanuary 1, 1863A Transcription By the President of the United States of America: A Proclamation. Whereas, on the twenty-second day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, a proclamation was issued by the President of the United States, containing, among other things, the following, to wit: "That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom...

Oregon Judicial DEPARTMENT is now the Oregon Judicial BRANCH

Posted on January 01, 2013
Remember Measure 78 (2011 HJR 44) in the November 2012 election? No? Here is the vote count: yes: 1,165,963 to no: 458,509 and here is a Measure 78 summary: ?Amends Constitution: Changes constitutional language describing governmental system of separation of powers; makes grammatical and spelling changes...

Oregon Courts: 2013 Holiday and Furlough Closures

Posted on December 28, 2012
Visit the Oregon Judicial Department (soon to be the Oregon Judicial Branch) for updates on court holidays and closures.

Post or Perish: A Cloudy Legal Environment

Posted on December 27, 2012
The blog Post or Perish gives the reader a tantalizing snapshot of some of the social-media legal issues that occur in our digital (zeros and ones) world. Read About Post or Perish. Thank you to Inter-alia?s Blog of the Day tip (from 12/11/12)

89 Practice Tips for the Oregon Lawyer

Posted on December 27, 2012
The Oregon Law Practice Management blog has a 2012 Year in Review list of the year's tips. This is painless continuing legal education - and stay tuned for the 2013 tips.

2013 Library Values Report for Oregon Lawyers and Law Firms

Posted on December 27, 2012
You can find the Oregon Department of Revenue's "Law Libraries: Suggested values for January 1, 2013" report at the Oregon State Bar (OSB) website. Direct link to the report's PDF at the OSB. You might also be able to dig through the Property Tax Division of the Oregon Department of Revenue webpages and find the 2013 report there, but lots of luck with that...

Law eBooks are not pBooks: Sharing, Privacy, and Cost

Posted on December 26, 2012
Lawyers, law firms, and law libraries have historically shared books with each other. We now have some important eBook purchsing, borrowing, lending, and licensing issues to catch up on. This will cost time and money to learn, prepare, monitor, and audit...

2013 Oregon House and Senate Committee Assignments Announced

Posted on December 24, 2012
You can find lists of House and Senate committee assignments in Current Press Releases, starting Dec. 21, 2012, although some leadership appointments were announced earlier. These appointments can change so make sure you also follow the Legislature's website, which will soon reflect these appointments and other preparations for the new session as Legislators (and espcially their expert design, layout, and content specialists) build the 2013 session webpages.

Your Congress and Tax Dollars at Work: 2012 CRS Report on Gun Legislation

Posted on December 24, 2012
Link to report from FGI: "Gun Control Legislation," by William J. Krouse, Specialist in Domestic Security and Crime Policy, Congressional Research Service, RL32842 (November 14, 2012) How does your member of Congress know what to think about complex issues? Members of Congress, and their staff members, have access to CRS Reports and many, many other sources of information, thanks to the expert research services of the Library of Congress...

OJD study of historical funding for programs formerly paid for through court fees

Posted on December 21, 2012
Report to the Oregon Legislature: "OJD study of historical funding for programs formerly paid for through court fees" Full title: Report to the Legislature: HB 4168 (ch 48, Or Laws 2012): OJD study of historical funding for programs formerly paid for through court fees: county mediation/conciliation and law library programs, December 2012, Oregon Judicial Department...

Grandparent Visitation Rights in Oregon

Posted on December 21, 2012
FACT: There are no fill-in-the-blank forms to submit to the court for grandparent visitation rights! I repeat: THERE ARE NO OFFICIAL FORMS, NO UNOFFICIAL FORMS, and NO FILL-in-the-BLANK FORMS for petitioning the court for third-party or grandparent visitation rights...

Schedules for 50 State Legislatures: In Session, Special Session, and Adjourned

Posted on December 19, 2012
The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) has posted their 2013 Legislative Session calendar for each state.

Permission Granted: Stop Being Nice: Say No to Scammers

Posted on December 19, 2012
An awful lot of people have a hard time saying "no, thank you.?Unless you have a burning desire to be scammed, I recommend you practice, practice, practice.If you want another really good reason for saying, "no, thank you," here's a story for you, from the 11/6/12, Law for Real People Blog: Every Season is "Attempt to Scam the Elderly Season"If you need more practice saying "no, thank you," try this simple exercise on a busy downtown street:Put your hands in your pockets and KEEP THEM THERE when someone tries to hand you a flyer:With your hands in your pockets, look at the flyer (or not, if you really don't want to be delayed)...

Let it Snow, Let it Snow: Elevations of Oregon Cities and Places

Posted on December 19, 2012
Maps-n-stats Oregon Maps Portland Metro Areas Elevations (from NOAA, NWSFO)For a bird's eye view of the country, try the USGS maps:Elevations and Distances in the United States and other USGS data.

HAL, You?re No Shakespeare: Legal Document Editing Software

Posted on December 19, 2012
But (Arthur Clarke's 2001, a Space Odysey) HAL may still be your friend. Read on:Robert Ambrogi's LawSites, Dec. 17, 2012, blog post:The WordRake Editing Program Takes on Scalia, Kagen and El Pollo Loco

Look Out Chicken Little: Backyard Tilapia Farming may be the Next Big Urban Thing

Posted on December 19, 2012
From Audubon Magazine, "Raising Fish in Urban Areas," by Rachel Nuwer, 09/17/2012.More on aquaculture or aquaponics from City Farmer News.Last, but not least:If you want to know if your city or town permits "backyard" chickens, or tilapia, check with your city or county code enforcement department and with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

A Broken Heart Still Beats

Posted on December 17, 2012
"A Broken Heart Still Beats: After Your Child Dies," by Anne McCracken and Mary Semel, 1998.Two women who lost their children turned to literature when self-help, memoir, and other sources of solace didn't fill void.This is a heartbreaking, but beautiful collection of writings, annotated by the editors, including this one by William Wordsworth, whose daughter Catherine died at age 4: Surprised by Joy "Surprised by joy?impatient as the WindI turned to share the transport?Oh! with whomBut Thee, long buried in the silent Tomb,That spot which no vicissitude can find?Love, faithful love, recalled thee to my mind?But how could I forget thee??Through what power,Even for the least division of an hour,Have I been so beguiled as to be blindTo my most grievous loss!?That thought?s returnWas the worst pang that sorrow ever bore,Save one, one only, when I stood forlorn,Knowing my heart?s best treasure was no more;That neither present time, nor years unbornCould to my sight that heavenly face restore...

Status of the Oregon eCourt Program

Posted on December 14, 2012
Read the Status of the Oregon eCourt Program report.You can find the report and more at the State Library's Reports to the Oregon State LegislatureTo read more about eCourt, visit the OJD e-Court website.

Organic Business Customer Service Pressure Valve: Get Human, Get Help

Posted on December 14, 2012
GetHuman has been around for a long time, but it never hurts to remind people that some businesses, some companies really do "get" customer service and there are ways to contact inside representatives, without blowing your top. Not every problem can be fixed online and sometimes you really do need to talk to an organic human being:Visit GetHuman, read About GetHuman, and visit the GetHuman Blog for business and customer Customer Service tips...

Criminal Records Verification in Oregon - a Legislative Report

Posted on December 12, 2012
You can now read:HB 4091: Workgroup Report: Recommendations Regarding Criminal Records Verification in OregonExcerpt from Executive Summary: "Criminal Background Checks?Verifying Eligibility for Licensure or EmploymentCriminal background verification is an essential component of consumer protection in the licensing and employment of individuals in many professions, including but not limited to medical practitioners, educators, law enforcement officers, etc...

Oregon Notary Public 2012-2013 Winter and Spring Training

Posted on November 15, 2012
Oregon Notary Public 2012-2013 Winter and Spring TrainingI'm a self-proclaimed cheerleader for the Oregon Secretary of State's Notary Training seminars. I insist notaries under my care attend training whenever they renew their commissions - and that includes me...

National Inventory of the Collateral Consequences of Conviction

Posted on November 15, 2012
beSpacific has links to: "National Inventory of the Collateral Consequences of Conviction" and links to lots and lots of other great stuff for the policy wonk.

Free and Low Cost iPad Apps for Attorneys and Paralegals

Posted on November 09, 2012
A fellow law librarian sent us a link to the article "Apps, Apps, and More Apps: An Annotated List of Free and Low Cost iPad Apps for Attorneys and Paralegals," which appears in the September 2012 issue of Res Gestae.

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