Oregon State Bar Continues to Fight For More Judicial Funding

Following “Day in the Capitol,” the Multnomah Bar Association hires Robeson Communications to spearhead the MBA Court Funding Committee’s public relations efforts

Learn more, visit: www.hs-legal.com

(PORTLAND, OR) - On May 1, 2013, the Oregon State Bar (OSB) and Citizen’s Campaign for Court Funding organized “Day in the Capitol.” It was an opportunity for members of the OSB to voice their displeasure and concern with the current court funding situation.

Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Balmer attended, and outlined the impact of Oregon’s inadequate judicial budget. For the past year, Chief Justice Balmer has researched the judicial budget and the negative effects of inadequate funding throughout the state, particularly in Multnomah County. The gathering provided a crucial opportunity for Bar members to appeal to the legislature for more funding.

Since the demonstration, the Multnomah Bar Association (MBA) has taken its own measures to educate citizens and the legislature alike about the pitfalls of judicial budget cuts. The MBA Court Funding Committee hired Greg Robeson of Robeson Communications to build an effective public relations campaign around four points that will be dramatically affected by the cuts: vulnerable citizens, family law, civil disputes, and public safety.

The lack of resources mean that the court system’s outdated technology will not be updated, there are not enough judges to address the people’s needs, and judges do not have sufficient help to properly handle their already heavy caseload. In short, everyone is being denied proper justice because the courts are receiving inadequate funding.

For 2013, the judicial department’s funding goals are to maintain the current funding levels and prevent further budget cuts. The MBA, however, is striving to improve Oregon’s court system by telling the story of how an inadequately funded judicial system affects every part of society.

As an MBA Board member, Martha Hodgkinson, a partner at Hodgkinson Street, LLC, is working to achieve the Bar’s goal of receiving the requisite judicial funding to properly run the Oregon courts.     

Source: Hodgkinson Street, LLC (www.hs-legal.com) is a Portland litigation defense law firm established in 2009. Recognized as a leader in medical malpractice defense, construction defect, catastrophic personal injury, and real estate litigation, the firm represents some of the top healthcare professionals, corporations and individuals in the Pacific Northwest. Hodgkinson Street attorneys have tried more than 200 jury trials and arbitrations in Oregon and Washington.