BarBooks™ Wins International Award

The Road to Relaunch

ACLEA Award of Professional Excellence in the Technology Category for BarBooks RelaunchOn June 8, 2022, the BarBooks™ online library relaunched on a new, more user-friendly platform called Qweri by Lexum, Inc. The relaunch was the culmination of several years of work by the Legal Publications Department.

Lexum, Inc. was among the exhibitors at the 2018 ACLEA (Association for Continuing Legal Education) Annual Meeting in Portland, Oregon. After viewing the demo offered, Linda Kruschke, the OSB Legal Publications Manager, began the process of exploring whether Lexum’s Qweri product was the best option for a new BarBooks platform. Lexum provided links to other resources that were offered on Qweri, answered a myriad of questions, and even set up a test site for OSB to upload books to Qweri to determine if it was a good fit.

In August 2021, the OSB signed a contract to move forward with the project with a tentative launch date of 2Q 2022. BarBooks was relaunched on June 8, 2022, on time and in budget, on the Qweri platform. Continue reading

Workers’ Compensation in Oregon 2023 eBook and Individual Chapters Now Available

The first revision of this important publication since 2008, the 2023 edition of Workers’ Compensation in Oregon has been reorganized, updated with new case law and statutes, and includes three brand new chapters. The complete eBook is 2 volumes and is now available at the online bookstore. In addition, every individual chapter is also available in PDF format. These chapters include: Continue reading

Combined Conditions in Workers’ Compensation

The 2023 edition of Workers’ Compensation in Oregon is due out in June. It includes a new chapter on combined conditions. This useful, 22-page chapter was written by Daniel Walker with SAIF Corporation in Salem.

This post is an excerpt from the introduction to that chapter. The full chapter can be accessed via the full print book available for pre-order here, purchased as a stand-alone eBook here, or viewed on the BarBooks™ online library. Continue reading

Longshore Added to Workers’ Compensation Book

The 2023 edition of Workers’ Compensation in Oregon is due out in June. The first revision of this important volume since 2008, the 2023 edition has been reorganized, updated with new case law, and includes two brand new chapters. One of those new chapters is on the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act. This comprehensive, 70-page chapter was written by Norman Cole, who is Of Counsel with Brownstein Rask LLP in Portland. Because this is such a specialized area of practice, the editorial review board brought in guest editorial reviewer James R. Babcock with Babcock Holloway Caldwell & Stires PC in Lake Oswego to peer review the chapter before in-house editing.

This post is an excerpt from the introduction to that chapter. The full chapter can be accessed via the full print book available for pre-order here, purchased as a stand-alone eBook here, or viewed on the BarBooks™ online library. Continue reading

Oregon Evidence Code—A Brief History

Adoption of the Oregon Evidence Code

The current Oregon Evidence Code was adopted in 1981. See Or Laws 1981, ch 892. Prior to 1981, the evidence rules in Oregon had not seen a major overhaul since 1862. For a thorough history of the law of evidence in Oregon, culminating in the Oregon Evidence Code, see Laird C. Kirkpatrick, Reforming Evidence Law in Oregon, 59 Or L Rev 43 (1980), and Robert E. Jones, An Overview of the Oregon Evidence Code, 19 Willamette L Rev 343 (1983). Continue reading

Making the Most of BarBooks Notes

The BarBooks™ online library provides Oregon State Bar members, law students, and libraries with a wealth of information. It comprises 48 legal treatises, most of which are published by the OSB Legal Publications Department in conjunction with a myriad of volunteer authors and editorial review boards.

We can revise our treatises only as often as Bar staff resources allow. However, the new BarBooks platform has given us a tool to provide more frequent updates to our books: the Notes feature. Continue reading

Important Updates to Criminal Jury Instructions

The 2022 supplement to the Uniform Criminal Jury Instructions is now available for preorder. The Uniform Criminal Jury Instructions Committee had its work cut out for it in 2022, resulting in 35 amended instructions and two new instructions. Culpable mental states and delivery of controlled substances were just two of the topics the Committee tackled in response to appellate case law. Legal Publications Attorney Editor Dean Land, who is OSB’s liaison to the Committee, has provided the following insight into the Committee’s work. Continue reading

NEW! Criminal Law in Oregon 2022 eBook and Individual Chapters

The ninth edition of Criminal Law in Oregon incorporates new material on sentencing and a variety of other topics in light of major court decisions and new legislation. This deskbook is essential for Oregon lawyers who practice criminal law. Topics covered in this comprehensive resource range from search and seizure to postconviction proceedings, plus a chapter on victims’ rights. Drawing on the wisdom of the experts in criminal law in Oregon, this book will save you time and resources. In addition to serving as the chief reference guide on criminal law for Oregon judges, defense lawyers, and prosecutors, Criminal Law in Oregon is also an invaluable resource for civil practitioners who handle the occasional criminal law case. Continue reading

BarBooks by the Numbers

BarBooks graphic of tablet screen and books.The BarBooks™ online library is one of the highest rated member benefits that the Oregon State Bar offers to its membership. Members can also purchase subscriptions for their support staff. Continue reading

Fee Agreement Compendium Available as Chapter PDFs

Most lawyer-client disputes involve fees. A clear, written agreement between lawyer and client can help prevent misunderstandings, fee disputes, and malpractice claims. The fifth edition of Fee Agreement Compendium is an essential practice tool that covers important information Oregon lawyers need regarding ethics issues, billing costs, credit issues, retainer letters, and IOLTA. In addition to the entire volume being available at our  OSB online store, now there are also convenient PDF versions of each chapter that can be purchased separately–including the forms that go with each one.

Click on a link below to purchase one of these eBooks! Continue reading