Oregon Law Firm

Clients that are concerns about their legal matter in Oregon can be assured that with a few common sense steps and other precautions one can be assured that their experience with Oregon law firms work in their best interest. The priority for any client working with Oregon law firms is to ensure that their needs are communicated effectively and that they are entirely clear about what they seek from this legal action. Most importantly, being completely honest and objective about your current legal needs is also important to ensure that your case is evaluated properly. By having a plan for the initial consultation and doing adequate research on their legal issue, a client is assured that they will receive the best possible service from the Oregon law firm. Use this website to find Oregon law firms and conduct research into specific legal and lawyer issues.

Why choose Oregon law firms?

State laws are different and local laws, such as Portland municipal laws all differ however slightly. You do not want these differences to be a factor in your legal matter and need to prepare for them properly. One way to do so is to consult with the Oregon law firm that will have full knowledge of these differences in the laws and will be able to inform you best on how your legal matter will proceed.

Is there a mandatory bar association in the state?

The Oregon State Bar is an integrated bar all members of Oregon law firms must be members of the OSB. The OSB licenses and admits law students to the bar as reciprocity agreements allow all of the OSB’s 16,000 members to also practice law in Washington and Idaho. This helps if you have an issue that might factor regionally and guarantees that you Oregon law firm is well aware of the laws in state and in neighboring states as well. If the matter involves a legal issue across state lines, this diminishes the possibility of legal malpractice and other errors stemming from a lack of understanding when dealing with other state law.

There are a number of benefits for member lawyers, including professional assistance for young lawyers and ethics panels that take a dynamic view on ethical issues that affect the practice of law in the state.

Legal malpractice in Oregon

The potential for Oregon law firms to make mistakes when dealing with important legal clients necessitates action from the Oregon State Bar to maintain the quality of the practice of law in the state. To prevent the most basic errors, there are standards of professional and ethical behavior and violations of these codes will lead to attorney discipline ranging from reeducation classes to disbarment. Unlike most other states, attorney discipline records are available online for the public to access. This is important as you will be able to vet any Oregon law firm easily by looking up the lawyers involved in your case.

Victims that suffer actual financial damage as direct result of Oregon law firm malpractice are eligible for compensation from the Oregon Professional Liability Fund. Every Oregon lawyer contributes a premium of about $3,000 annually and this serves as liability insurance for many Oregon law firms.

Checking the records of Oregon law firms

Membership in mandatory in the integrated bar, which means that adherence to the codes of professional and ethical conduct set by this organization is also mandatory. You can check for a history of deviations from the codes of professionalism by checking the publically available disciplinary records for Oregon law firms. In most instances, you should note any actions taken, as noted on the record as well as continuing sanctions and other issues against a specific lawyer you are working with. Some ongoing disciplinary actions may prevent that lawyer from representing you adequately, if at all.

If you suspect the unauthorized practice of law, you must report that Oregon law firm to the OSB for investigation. Accepting unauthorized and unlicensed services is highly dangerous as the chances of legal malpractice are high, as well as the chances of outright fraud. Any legal work done by unlicensed lawyers is suspect and not likely to be legally admissible under state law.

Finding an Oregon law firm

There are both typical and low cost options to find a law firm to suit your needs. Criteria that will be considered include the type of legal issue, income of the client as well as the age, military status or other protected class served by specialized legal aid societies.

There is a state wide lawyer referral service maintained by the Oregon State Bar and all member lawyers in good standing with the organization may be vetted to accept referrals from the service. You will pay up to $35 for the initial consultation with the Oregon law firm that receives the referral from this system. This is an optional fee and is typically waived for litigation, worker’s compensation and other types of litigation.

Those with financial issues can search for pro bono lawyers and free legal advice through legal clinics and legal aid society. There is also a state sponsored “Modest Means” program for low income residents in Oregon. This is a limited program that will help the indigent with finding legal representation for family law, landlord disputes and criminal defense. All Oregon law firms participating in this program will charged reduced rates, but this is not a pro bono service. Clients in the modest means program will set up a small retainer that will be billed for the low cost legal services provided by this program.

Payment plans

Most conventional payment plans involve hourly billing for legal services rendered while working on a case. This includes pretrial preparation as well as the actual legal matter. Hourly fees are combined with fees for the use of Oregon law firm paralegals, associated staff and specific services, such as organizing and copying legal documents.

Litigation has a different fee arrangement, with the Oregon law firm collecting a percentage of the final jury award for all legal services rendered.