Robert Ambrogi’s column in the Oregon State Bar (OSB) Bulletin (click on the OSB Bulletin drop down menu for the table of contents) has a great list of lawyer-created wikis that demonstrate the range of talents these little critters have (the wikis and the wiki-makers).
His own excellent blog is here.
How much and for what services should the state pay private investigators in capital cases?
The May 10th Willamette Week has a very interesting story about how the state is or is not paying for adequate legal defense services in capital cases, specifically in this case with defendant Ricardo Serrano. The WW blog posting’s comments have additional information.
May 11th postscript: If the information I received today is correct, the decision was made in this particular case to pay the private investigator standard rate.
Did you know that there is a Family Law Facilitator in most Oregon counties and that s/he can help you with a wide range of family law questions on divorce, support, custody, etc. (Adoption questions usually are addressed to the Probate Court, but your Family Law Facilitator could advise you.
The Family Law Facilitator’s primary role is to assist pro se (self-represented) litigants, but the Facilitator is also an excellent source of information for local attorneys (who may also offer to volunteer their services to the Facilitator).
Contact your local county circuit court or the Oregon Judicial Department (OJD) to find out who and where your Family Law Facilitator is. Here’s a link to the OJD Family Law web pages, which has lots of additional information about family law matters.
The current issue of the Oregon Law Review, vol. 85, 2007, has an article (Comment) by Sarah Burgundy on Measure 37, “Charming the Eight-Hundred-Pound Gorilla: How Reconsideration of Home Rule in Oregon Can Help Metro Tame Measure 37.”
And, oh joyful day, the Oregon Law Review makes their articles available online to the public. This article is here.
Did you know you could find out online how much Powell’s might give you for your used books? You will need an ISBN, but most (though not all) books have one. Here’s the link. It’s less dangerous to do this online than going to one of their stores where it is almost impossible to walk out without buying something, though I remember doing that once – well, maybe almost did that once.
The Governor signed HB 2316 on May 9th, 2007 (previously blogged here). Effective January 1, 2008, the Small Claims Court limit is raised from $5,000 to $7,500.
This will be good for many, though not for all. If you do file a small claims case, be sure to do your homework. The other side most certainly will have done so. And, if you’ve been sued in Small Claims Court, be sure to do your homework too. Small Claims Court is more complex than it used to be. It is not unusual for parties to consult attorneys prior to appearing in court.
Your local public and law library will have more information. And, no matter how much research you do, there is no substitute for sitting in Small Claims Court to see what goes on. Call your local Justice or Circuit Court to find out how and when you can view the proceedings.
It’s time for your quarterly credit check. If you have parents or children, make sure you include them in your audit.
You can start with any of these, but do at least one of them. You can’t eliminate the risk, but you can minimize it:
1) Get one of your credit reports (you are entitled to one a year from each of the credit reporting companies, so order one from each company every three months). I use the FTC site as a starting point for accurate information.
Did you know you have to renew your “membership” on the Do Not Call List every 5 years? Well, now you do. Here’s how.
Posted at Library Journal:
“The Stanford University Libraries and Academic Information Resources (SULAIR) has launched the “Determinator” Copyright Renewal Database, an online resource to enable users to search copyright-renewal records for books published in the United States between 1923 and 1963, after which copyrights were automatically renewed by the 1976 Copyright Act. “
A new Bedsworth to amuse and signal the beginning of a brief blog-hiatus for me. It’s time to enjoy Spring’s and Portland’s sights and sounds, and get some work done too.
Oregon Legal Research Blog