One Reason Oregon Lawyer Bills are Higher Than They Should Be: Superseded ORSs and Wonky Websites

I have about 150 draft blog posts and no time to prep them for viewing, but some info just has to rise to the top:

A(nother) frustrated librarian has created this quick and dirty website to superseded ORS, Historical ORS, which can supplement the info on our Where are Superseded (Archived) Oregon Revised Statutes?

You see, lawyers (and their clients) NEED old ORSs and old ORCPs. You don’t even need to know what those are to understand that if your lawyer can’t find those and other similar types of resources easily and quickly, well, your bill goes up, for example:

Your lawyer needs a 1985 ORS (or a legislative report or a full legislative history):
1) Finds it in 3 minutes: that costs you nothing or it maybe a few bucks
2) Finds it in 30 minutes: what is half your attorney’s hourly billing rate? $60, $100, $300
3) Takes 60 minutes or more to find it: YIKES
4) Multiply by however many times your lawyer has to find another elusive document.

(You can apply this simple formula to a lot of research your lawyer needs to do. The costs can go up especially high if your lawyer doesn’t have access to a law librarian or a paralegal or other legal assistant who probably bills less than the lawyer does, or who might find the resource in a fraction of the time. And imagine how high the cost is if your lawyer doesn’t even find what opposing counsel finds. Hmmm?)

The Oregon Legislature’s website upgrade is making a lot of people crazy, for good reason. And even though we do sympathize (upgrades can be brutal), and know it will be terrific in the end, especially OLIS, it has been beyond aggravating, to the point that people’s legal bills are reflecting the problem.

If you care, let your legislators know. Please don’t complain to me. I’m part of the solution, and I’ve done my part: Gutbusters

If you want to Find Your Legislator, use the Find Your Legislator link on the Oregon Legislature’s homepage, not the Citizen Engagement webpage. (It might show up there eventually, but for now, use the homepage.)

And use Historical ORS