2020-21
Annual Report
CEJ is created
CEJ meets Meyer Memorial Trust challenge grant
CEJ is incorporated as a private 501(c)(3).
Regional Steering Committee in Marion-Polk region is formed.
Oregon Legal Needs Study Published.
CEJ celebrates its 10th Anniversary!
Smith and Wyden jointly win an award
Legal services funding increases by $10 million per year.
Oregon’s 2003 Federal Delegation supports increased funding
First LAF-OFF Lawyer Comedy Competition Event Held
CEJ Associates Committee is formed
Oregon receives ABA Grass Roots Lobbying award
CEJ begins offering continuing legal education seminars
Regional Steering Committees are formed
OSB & CEJ begin a regional competition for the Justice Cup and Equity Cup
CEJ spearheads the Task Force on Legal Aid Funding
Class action funding bill passes the legislature
CEJ celebrates its 25th Anniversary!
CEJ Endowment Fund surpasses $1 million
The Lara Skidmore Fund is created
CEJ raises 1.8 million dollars!
CEJ’s 30th Anniversary year
What is CEJ?
Oregon lawyers created the Campaign for Equal Justice in 1991 to help make equal justice a reality for all Oregonians. Your support helps the Campaign:
- operate an annual fund drive powered by nearly 300 volunteers
- educate lawyers and communities about the importance of access to justice
- work with lawyer volunteers and bar organizations to increase state and federal funding for legal aid, and
- operate an endowment fund to preserve the future of legal aid.
Since 1991, the Oregon legal community has raised more than $32 million for legal aid in our annual fund drive. The legal community will be coming together again this fall to focus on access to justice. Please join us.
If you would like to get involved, please contact CEJ at [email protected]. Thank you for your help!
Legal Aid at a Glance
0%
of legal aid's cases involved safety and/or shelter0
Clients served directly in 20210
Clients served through impact litigation in 20210
Counties Served. (Thats all of them)0s
communities with legal aid officesLocations of Legal Aid Offices in Oregon
Each marker indicates a location of a legal aid office with the topmost two being statewide (NAPOLS) and regional (Farmworker Program) respectively.
Hillsboro
HillsboroHillsboro
• Replaced multiple in-person legal
clinics with attorney-staffed family
law and tenant hotlines
• Co-founded the Eviction Court
Intervention Collaboration to
reduce post-moratoria evictions
Farmworker Programs
Farmworker ProgramsFarmworker Programs (Gresham, Woodburn, Hillsboro)
• Developed a weekly radio show on Radio Poder for Latino listeners in the Willamette Valley
• Won back wages for client unable to work during medically ordered COVID quarantine
• Distributed 750+ packets on COVID-related law to community partners and testing sites
Portland
PortlandPortland (Portland LASO + Portland OLC)
• Helped domestic violence survivors navigate restraining order process with reduced court access
• Advocated for seniors who lost access to legal support at senior centers due to COVID closures
• Supported non-English speaking clients struggling to engage with unemployment resources
NAPOLS
NAPOLSNAPOLS (Native American Program of Legal Aid) - Statewide
• Assisted Burns Paiute Tribe
with COVID issues in elections,
policies, and workplace safety
• Helped reunite siblings in
Confederated Tribes of the
Grand Ronde Tribal Court case
Pendleton
PendletonPendelton
• Obtained restraining
order for young single
mother being abused
by child's father
• Settled eviction
in which landlord
baselessly alleged
drug use, likely to
circumvent moratoria
Lincoln County
Lincoln CountyLincoln County
• Conducted extensive public
education for wildfire survivors
on tenants' rights and resources
• Honored with Newport's
Community Vision Award for
work on pervasive homelessness
Salem
SalemSalem (Salem OLC + Marion-Polk LASO)
• Launched statewide wildfire relief program offering advice, representation, and referrals
• Established hotline for tenants served with eviction notices in violation of moratoria
• Organized new know-your-rights presentations via remote platforms and social media
Albany
AlbanyAlbany
• Secured payment for client whose unemployment benefits were delayed for 13 months
• Restored housing for CNA facing eviction after she contracted COVID and lost her income
• Reversed elderly woman's unlawful ouster from care facility; changed policy to prevent similar ousters
Lane County
Lane CountyLane County
• The office established new work-from-home practices, yielding a more responsive intake system
• Secured unemployment for low-income client fired for opposing unsafe COVID practices
Central Oregon
Central OregonCentral Oregon
• Hosted information sessions about new eviction moratoria for community partners
• Pivoted to remote platforms and scattered sites to allow safe appearances at trial
Ontario
OntarioOntario
• Teamed up with
Davis Wright
Tremaine's Rural
Pro Bono Project to
expand legal services
• Won employee
pay for required
meetings and testing
following workplace
COVID exposure
Coos Bay
Coos BayCoos Bay
• Developed new remote outreach
presentations on local community
legal issues
• Represented veterans facing
eviction notices that lacked
veterans' services information
Roseburg
RoseburgRoseburg
• Advocated for low-income RV park residents facing safety issues following wildfires
• Increased fee-generating cases referred to private bar, expanding service capacity
Grants Pass
Grants PassGrants Pass
• Advocated for clients facing unlawful
evictions in violation of the moratoria
• Provided expanded telephone support for clients to replace reduced in-office services
Southern Oregon/CNPLS
Southern Oregon/CNPLSSouthern Oregon/CNPLS
• Provided in-person support at Jackson Co. Evacuation Center and FEMA Resource Center
• Helped wildfire survivors restore legal documentation, including support for agency fees
• Participated in long-term wildfire recovery efforts and wraparound services for survivors
Klamath Falls
Klamath FallsKlamath Falls
• Reinstated housing for grandmother and grandchildren unlawfully evicted on 20 minutes' notice
• Joined Early Aid for Families coalition to help stabilize families at risk of intervention
What is Legal Aid?
Civil legal aid ensures fairness in the justice system. It provides essential services to low-income and vulnerable Oregonians who are faced with legal emergencies. When low-income Oregonians lack the resources for needed legal help, they are effectively shut out of the justice system. To the average person, our legal system is a maze. That's why lawyers are trained to guide their clients through the system.
Legal Aid Provides:
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Free civil legal services to low-income and elderly Oregonians.
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Brochures, court forms, and self-help materials to help people navigate our justice system.
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A website with accessible legal information available to all Oregonians.
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Resources to help stabilize families and prevent a further slide into poverty.
Pro Bono Opportunities
Legal aid needs your help! To learn more about opportunities in your area, contact legal aid's Statewide Pro Bono Manager, Jill Mallery at: [email protected]
Legal Aid Case Types
Legal Aid Funding Sources
Rose
In 2018, Rose escaped a violent relationship when her abuser, Jon, was sent to prison for attempting to kidnap her. But Rose couldn't fully escape Jon. He continued to harass her through his family members, one of whom tried to intervene in the custody case she was fighting to get full custody of Emma, the child she shared with Jon.
Rose fled out of state for safety, but she needed help. She needed legal aid.
Legal aid represented Rose in her custody modification case. They also helped her apply for a stalking order against Jon and a protective order to prevent him and his family from finding out where she and her children lived. Rose was awarded sole custody of Emma and a permanent stalking protective order against Jon. With the help of legal aid, Rose and her family are now safe and the thriving in their new community.
Donations from Individuals
Individual contributions, listed alphabetically
✹Visionary donations of $5,000 and above
♦Benefactor donations of $2,000 to $4,999
●Champion donations of $1,000 to $1,999
■Advocate donations of $500 to $999
▲Sustainer donations of $301 to $499
Donations
Over 2,200 Oregon lawyers donated over 1.5 million to the CEJ last year.
Pre-Pandemic Funding
Prior to the pandemic and resulting economic crisis, Oregon legal aid programs only had funding to meet 15% of the civil legal needs of the poor. The poverty population is rapidly growing, as is the need for help.
Legal Aid Funding Sources
Oregon's legal aid programs balance over 80 different sources of funding.
Wildfire and Disaster Relief
Legal aid created a website to help wildfire and other disaster victims: https://oregondisasterlegalservices.org/.
Tracy
Tracy is a Bend grandmother whose driver's license had been suspended for many years due to unpaid traffic fines. By the time she got in touch with legal aid, the fines and interest owing to several different Oregon courts totaled more than $15,000 and one court-the city of Phoenix Municipal Court-had closed and was only accepting payment in full in order to clear license suspensions.
The Oregon Law Center (OLC) helped Tracy work with the courts for payment plans, community service, and partial waiver of her debt.
They worked out an agreement with the city of Phoenix to forgive Tracy's debt and to create a process for hundreds of Oregonians in the same situation to resolve their outstanding judgements and license suspensions through the Jackson County Justice Court. With the help of her adult children, Tracy can now manage to make payments on her debt and will soon regain her license. She is grateful for everything that legal aid has done for her.
Donations from Law & Mediation/Arbitration Practices
Guardian of Justice Firms
Barran Liebman LLP
Corson & Johnson Law Firm
Crispin Employment Law PC
Esler Stephens & Buckley LLP
Frohnmayer Deatherage PC
Office of General Counsel Network
Grotefeld Hoffmann LLP
Leonard Law Group
Markowitz Herbold PC
McDowell Rackner & Gibson PC
Paulson Coletti Trial Attorneys PC
Piucci Law
Ring Bender LLP
Rogue Law Firm PC
Law Office of Justin Rosas
Shetterly Irick & Ozias
Stoll Berne
Swanson Lathen Prestwich
Tomasi Salyer Martin
Tonkon Torp LLP
Firms/Organizations of 2 or more attorneys that averaged $1,000 or more per attorney
Defender of Justice Firms
Brophy Schmor LLP
Buchanan Angeli Altschul & Sullivan LLP
Dorsay & Easton LLP
Dunn Carney LLP
Farleigh Wada Witt
Gleaves Swearingen LLP
Jacobson Thierolf & Dickey LLP
Karnopp Petersen LLP
Lane Powell PC
Murphy Law Group PC
Northwest Lawfirm
Oregon Law Group PC
Perkins Coie LLP
Pickett Dummigan McCall LLP
Precision Castparts Legal Department
Stoel Rives LLP
Tarlow Naito & Summers PC
Firms/Organizations of 2 or more attorneys that averaged $500 or more per attorney
Justice Council Firms
Bennett Hartman Attorneys at Law PC
Bodyfelt Mount
Brinich & Bertalan LLP
Cauble Selvig & Whittington LLP
Center for NonProfit Legal Services
Cosgrave Vergeer Kester LLP
Foster Garvey
Gaydos Churnside
Gazzola & Hull PC
Gillaspy & Rhode PLLC
Haglund Kelley Jones
Harrang Long Gary Rudnick PC
Hershner Hunter LLP
Jackson Lewis PC
Law Office of Alan W Karpinski PC
Keating Jones Hughes PC
Matthew D Longtin LLC
Miller Nash Graham & Dunn LLP
Employees of the Oregon Supreme Court
City of Springfield Legal Department
Two Spruce Law PC
Wildwood Law Group
Williams Kastner Greene & Markley
Firms/Organizations of 2 or more attorneys that averaged $300 or more per attorney
Donations from Other Groups
A Call to Action
LEARN. SPEAK UP. ACT.
We need help from all lawyers, bar groups, and the community in providing access to justice for low-income Oregonians. Please join us! For more information on how you can be involved, contact the Campaign for Equal Justice.
WWW.CEJ-OREGON.ORG
503.295.8442
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- Give to the Campaign for Equal Justice. The best way to increase access is to create more legal aid staff attorney positions.
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- Review your IOLTA account for abandoned client funds. The funds are paid to the Oregon State Bar for appropriation to legal aid through the Oregon State Bar's Legal Services Program.
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- Shop. Support legal aid when you shop at Fred Meyer by linking your rewards card to CEJ (ask at the customer service desk to set it up) and when you shop at Amazon through Amazon Smile. It costs you nothing, but supports legal aid.
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- Educate. Talk about the importance of access to justice. Let people know-civil legal aid is there for those who need help. Host a Campaign for Equal Justice CLE for one hour of Access to Justice credit for attorneys.
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- Endow. Take simple steps to endow your annual gift to the Campaign's endowment fund.
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- Volunteer through one of legal aid's many volunteer lawyer projects and clinics, or help the Campaign for Equal Justice raise money for legal aid.
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- Speak Up. Let state, federal, and private funders know that access to justice is important.
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- Learn how legal aid services are delivered in your community so that you can make appropriate referrals for low-income clients.
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- Move your IOLTA accounts to a financial institution that is an Oregon Law Foundation Leadership Bank or Credit Union. If all lawyers took this step, funding for legal aid could increase by as much as $1.7 million- enough to fund several small rural legal aid offices. Contact the OLF at www.oregonlawfoundation.org.
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- Connect. Ask your bar group to take action to support statewide legal aid programs in Oregon. Contact CEJ for ideas.
Has your bar group signed on to the Call to Action?
CEJ
FED BAR
Mult Bar
OAPABA
OR STATE BAR
OC-NBA
OFALA
Oregon Chapter
OHBA
OWLS
OR TRANS
OMLA
OPA
OR LAW
OCDLA
Ogalla
OADC
OTLA
Endow Now!
Helping to create a permanent, stable source of income for access to justice in Oregon through a planned gift honors your lifetime commitment to justice for all. When you Endow Now!, you make a planned gift pledge that will return the amount of your yearly annual gift to the Campaign for Equal Justice in perpetuity.
Imagine What it Would Look Like if Funding for Legal Aid Was Secure
Part of the beauty of the Endow Now! initiative is its simplicity. One of the easiest ways to participate is to name CEJ as a beneficiary or partial beneficiary of your IRA, retirement plan, or life insurance policy. In most cases all you need to do is fill out a simple form. Curious about what it would take to endow your annual gift? See the chart. For more information, contact: [email protected]
| Annual Gift | |
|---|---|
| $250 | $5,000 |
| $500 | $10,000 |
| $1,000 | $20,000 |
| $2,000 | $40,000 |
| $2,500 | $50,000 |
| $5,000 | $100,000 |
| $10,000 | $200,000 |
| $25,000 | $500,000 |
| $50,000 | $1,000,000 |
Where You Bank Matters!
If every Oregon lawyer moved to a Leadership Bank or Credit Union, nearly $1.7 million more would be available to help fund legal aid every year at current rates. That would more than double the projected 2021 income of the Oregon Law Foundation. 74% of Interest On Lawyer Trust Account (IOLTA) interest generated in Oregon comes from Leadership Banks and Credit Unions. Leadership Banks and Credit Unions pay an interest rate that is up to 100 times higher than some non-Leadership institutions. Some non-Leadership institutions pay as little as 0.01%.
Visionaries
Pay at least 1.00% interest and do not charge service fees against IOLTA interest.
Bank of Eastern Oregon
Beneficial State Bank
Craig Hill 503-200-5512
First Republic Bank
Pays 1.01% on balances over $250,000
Michael Kilgore 503-471-4917
Heritage Bank
Kristen Connor 503-306-5360
Roscinda Cruz 503-693-7500
Northwest Bank
Angela DeVita 503-905-3210
OnPoint Community Credit Union
John Palmeri 503-525-8737
Oregon Community Credit Union
Matt Hester 541-681-6389
Jamie Stoney 541-681-6349
Pacific West Bank
Stephanie Cannon 503-912-2097
Pioneer Trust Bank
New Accounts 503-363-3136, x208
Washington Trust Bank
Heejin Jung 503-778-7087
Alisa Johnston 503-778-7082
Wells Fargo Bank
Willamette Valley Bank
Kennedy Traeger 503-485-3784
Advocates
Pay between 0.75% and 1.00% interest and do not charge service fees against IOLTA interest.
Chase Bank
Columbia Bank
Elise Bouneff 503-542-8560
Gwyn Hilden 503-736-6034
Lewis & Clark Bank
Christa Hiles 503-212-3131
Oregon Pacific Bank
Vicki Gray 458-210-2022
Summit Bank
Pays 0.75% on balances over $50,000
Eugene
Piotrek Buciarski 541-684-7562
Central Oregon
Jill Cummings 541-317-8019
Portland
Steve Watts 503-310-3604
Awards
Associate Award
CEJ Associates Committee
Throughout this campaign year, the CEJ Associates Committee has set numerous CEJ records for their outreach and education efforts and worked together as a team every step of the way. The Committee held a virtual "Party-on-the-Screens" in lieu of the annual in-person event, "Party Under the Stars." All the Associates participated, and 100% of their firms donated raffle prizes. A new record was set for money raised at the event. The collective outreach efforts of the Associates have been steadfast and stellar during this strange and difficult year. We celebrate and recognize every member of our Associates Committee for their amazing work during the campaign. They are the stars that will help keep CEJ strong for the next 30 years.
Midsize Firm Award
Holland & Knight and Bennett Harman Morris
The firms of Holland & Knight and Bennett Hartman Morris went above and beyond this year in their support of CEJ. Both firms had over 100% giving, meaning that all attorneys and some staff donated. With an effort spearheaded by partner Sara Heskett and associate Nellie Barnard, Holland & Knight increased their giving over last year by 11%. Bennett Hartman Morris had a significant increase in their number of donors, overall giving, and per capita giving rate.
Large Firm Award
Tonkon Torp
Tonkon Torp has been actively involved with CEJ since the Campaign was created back in 1991. This year, 94% of the firm's attorneys donated to CEJ, and they are a Defender of Justice firm with an average gift of $980 per attorney. This is a substantial increase in per capita giving over last year. The CEJ would like to specially recognize Associate Committee Member Mick Harris, Partner Committee Co-Chair Kristen Bremer Moore, and CEJ Board Members Darcy Norville and Ron Greenman for leading the fundraising efforts at Tonkon Torp. Thank you to them and to the entire firm for their outstanding efforts.
The Justice and Equity Cups
The CEJ is fortunate to have four hardworking regional steering committees across the state. They are located in Central Oregon, Lane County, the Marion-Polk region, and the Southern Oregon region. These committees plan events and reach out to lawyers across their regions to encourage support of the CEJ. These non-Portland area regions together raised nearly $314,000 for legal aid!
Because we are competitive lawyers, we recognize these regional efforts with a friendly competition for two trophies: the Equity Cup and the Justice Cup. These trophies recognize regions for the percentage of attorneys contributing to the CEJ.
This year, the Equity Cup went to the region of the state with the second highest percentage of lawyers giving to the CEJ. Throughout the year, it was a tight race between Central Oregon, Jackson County, Lane County, and Portland. But with 25% of their attorneys donating $26,000, Jackson County lawyers were the Equity Cup winners! Congratulations, Jackson County!
The Justice Cup goes to the region of the state with the highest percentage of lawyers giving to the Campaign. For the past seven years, the trophy has been on display in the Jackson County Courthouse. As mentioned, the Lane County, Central Oregon, and Portland regions made serious efforts to win the trophy, ranging from 19-26% giving. At the end of the contest, Lane County took the lead and won the cup. 26% of Lane County lawyers donated over $73,000 to support legal aid. Congratulations Lane County!
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Oregon
Legal Aid Programs
Oregon's three legal aid programs have a combined revenue of $22 million dollars a year. The Task Force on Legal Aid Funding, which included elected officials and leaders in the legal community, concluded that legal aid needs at least $30 million a year in revenue in order to have minimally adequate funding to serve those who are in need.
Federal and State Level
Bipartisanship
Oregon has broad bipartisan support for legal aid at both the federal and state levels. The Legal Services Corporation (the federal agency that funds and regulates legal aid programs) received $465 million dollars for the 2021 federal fiscal year. This is a $25-million-dollar increase over 2020. Negotiations over the 2022 budget continue.
Legal Aid
Economic Impact
According to a recent Economic Impact Study conducted by the Oregon Law Foundation, for every $1 spent on legal aid, Oregon receives $3.43 in financial benefit to individuals and to the community