Articles Posted in State Government & Legal Resources

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OJD iForms is an easy way for self-represented litigants to produce court documents in a variety of case types including Family Law, Landlord/Tenant, and Small Claims. According to the OJD brochure, iForms “generates a correctly completed form that you can either eFile, deliver by hand, or mail to the court.”

The process is a simple one, called Guide and File. With Guide and File, the user logs in to the site, chooses the form they want to file and answers a series of interview questions, after which iForms generates a form.

There are some interviews within Guide and File that have Spanish translations. The OJD website cautions that court documents must be filed in English, or the court may reject your filing.

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How did we answer that? Identity Theft and Freezing Credit

We had a librarian reach out to us for guidance in helping their patron with a question. Their patron asked for assistance with freezing credit and the librarian was unsure where to direct them.

As we were working with the librarian and not the patron directly, we were unable to ask follow-up questions. However, from what the librarian sent us, there were two questions/directions for information and resources that we wanted to share. The first being how to find information about if there had been a breach/identity theft and the second being information on freezing credit.

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The recent wildfires in Oregon, and tragic fire in Maui, are salient reminders that such disasters can affect any of us. They also have legal implications after the fact. Here are some resources in Oregon for those affected by natural disasters, and for those who want to prepare for such possibilities.

Preparation for Disasters

Preparedness Resources, Oregon Disaster Legal Services

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How did we answer that? Guardianship of a Minor

I had a patron come in looking for information about becoming the legal guardian of their grandchildren. The parents were no longer available and the grandmother was looking to get legal guardianship of the children, to be able to make legal and medical decisions, and to enroll them into the local school.

In Oregon, the Oregon Judicial Department puts out some forms. The OJD forms are accepted at any circuit (county) court. Additional forms may be available depending on the county/local court. For Guardianship, the state has extremely limited form options. Every county has the option of providing additional forms, guidance, or instructions. As we are in Washington County, our circuit court’s guardianship (called probate guardianship) options are pretty much the same as the state.

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How did we answer that?

By Paula Simon

We had a younger patron come into the library who was interested in the process to become emancipated from their parents. What is emancipation? According to the Washington County Juvenile department, emancipation means “that a 16- or 17-year-old person can be given certain rights and responsibilities of an adult or 18-year-old person.”

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We were recently asked about finding previous versions of the Oregon Administrative Rules and the Oregon Bulletin.

The Oregon Administrative Rules Compilation is an annual online publication containing complete text of Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR) effective January 1 of the compilation year. The Secretary of State ceased print publication after 2017.

The Oregon Bulletin is a monthly online supplement containing rule text adopted or amended as well as Notices of Proposed Rule­making and Rulemaking Hearing. The Bulletin also includes certain non-OAR items when they are submitted, such as Executive Orders of the Governor and Opinions of the Attorney General (Oregon Bulletin, 2017).

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Our matchless Oregon Classroom Law Project (CLP) has a handout on how to link remotely to live courtroom hearings. The document was written in 2020 (and may be updated as CLP prepares for 2022, so check the Classroom Law Project website regularly, from their homepage and from their Courthouse Experience Teacher Resource page.

You may also need to link directly to the specific courthouse website for updated information. Use a search engine for those URLs.

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You can read the enrolled bill and some of its legislative history at the LegiScan Texas website, which can also link you directly to the Texas legislature’s website.

As you read the law, do not confuse these two legal actions:

1) Private civil right of action

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The Reading of the Bills in the Oregon Senate reminded me of the Running of the Bulls, but instead of trying to speed up the bull, so to speak, legislators try to slow down the bill.

See this news story (among others) for example: “Oregon Senate Republicans protest COVID restrictions with delay tactics,” by Dirk VanderHart (OPB), April 28, 2021.

So, a little Oregon history, in Three Parts (the last being the most interesting one):

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