Title 1, Courts of Record; Court Officers; Juries

As used in ORS 9.005 to 9.757, unless the context or subject matter requires otherwise: (1) “Attorney” means an attorney licensee of the Oregon State Bar. (2) “Board” and “board of governors” mean the board of governors of the bar. (3) “Delegate” means a delegate of the house of …

Nothing in ORS 9.005 to 9.757 affects the inherent authority of the Supreme Court to adopt rules for the operation of the courts, including any rules relating to the regulation of the practice of law, that are deemed necessary by the court. [2019 c.248 §6]

(1) A licensee, admitted to practice in this state, is an officer of the court. (2) The Oregon State Bar is a public corporation and an instrumentality of the Judicial Department of the government of the State of Oregon. The bar is authorized to carry out the provisions of ORS 9.…

(1)(a) The Oregon State Bar shall be governed by a board of governors consisting of 19 members: (A) Fourteen of the members shall be active licensees of the Oregon State Bar elected from the regions established under subsection (2)(a) of this section. A member elected under this …

(1) An active licensee of the Oregon State Bar shall vote for members of the board of governors and house of delegates representing the region in which the licensee maintains the licensee’s principal office. (2) An active licensee of the Oregon State Bar is eligible to be a candi…

(1) The election of governors shall be held annually on a date set by the board of governors. Any licensee of the Oregon State Bar who is eligible to serve as a governor for a region may file a signed statement of candidacy for the region. Statements of candidacy must be filed wi…

(1) Upon the written request of any licensee of the Oregon State Bar, or upon the board’s own motion, the board of governors shall determine the eligibility of a candidate for the board. A request under this section must be filed with the chief executive officer of the bar within…

(1)(a) On petition signed by 25 percent of the licensees in any region for the recall of any governor elected from that region, the chief executive officer of the Oregon State Bar shall serve notice as soon as possible on the governor informing the governor that the petition has …

The board of governors shall appoint a chief executive officer of the Oregon State Bar. The chief executive officer is the chief administrative employee of the bar. The chief executive officer may, but need not, be a licensee of the bar. The chief executive officer serves at the …

A president and president-elect shall be elected by the governors each year immediately following the annual election of governors and before the newly elected governors have qualified. The president and president-elect shall be elected from among the board members. All officers …

(1) The president shall preside at all meetings of the house of delegates and of the board of governors, and in the president’s absence or inability to act, the president shall designate another officer to preside. The board of governors may prescribe other duties of the presiden…

(1) The state bar shall be governed by the board of governors, except as provided in ORS 9.136 to 9.155. The state bar has the authority to adopt, alter, amend and repeal bylaws and to adopt new bylaws containing provisions for the regulation and management of the affairs of the …

The board may make appropriations and disbursements from the funds of the bar and pay all necessary expenses. [Amended by 1969 c.314 §5; 1979 c.252 §17]

The board shall have prepared annually a statement explaining the financial condition of the Oregon State Bar for the 12 months preceding. The chief executive officer of the bar shall promptly submit the statement to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. [Amended by 1991 c.726 …

The board of governors may formulate and declare rules for carrying out the functions of the state bar. [Amended by 1975 c.641 §4; 1981 c.193 §5; 1995 c.302 §5]

The board of governors shall by rule establish minimum continuing legal education requirements for all active licensees of the Oregon State Bar. Rules adopted by the board of governors are subject to review by the Supreme Court. [1999 c.953 §3; 2025 c.32 §11]

The Oregon State Bar shall adopt rules to establish minimum training requirements for all active attorney licensees of the bar relating to the duties of attorneys under ORS 124.060 and 419B.010. Rules adopted under this section are subject to review and approval by the Supreme Co…

(1) The house of delegates of the Oregon State Bar is created. The house consists of elected and ex officio voting delegates. All delegates must be active licensees of the state bar except for the public members of the board of governors and the public members appointed by the bo…

(1) The delegates at a meeting of the house of delegates may, by a vote of the majority of the delegates attending the meeting, do either of the following: (a) Modify or rescind an action or decision of the board of governors. (b) Direct the board of governors as to future action…

(1) The board of governors shall formulate rules for the conduct of the business of the house of delegates. Rules adopted by the board become effective upon the adoption of the rules by the house of delegates. The president of the Oregon State Bar may call special meetings of the…

The board of governors shall appoint a public member delegate for each region in the State of Oregon established by ORS 9.025 (2)(a). A public member delegate shall serve a three-year term. A vacant public member delegate position shall be filled for the remainder of the term by …

(1) Active licensees of the Oregon State Bar may participate in the discussion of matters before the house of delegates, but only delegates may vote. The house of delegates may by rule impose restrictions on participation by licensees of the state bar who are not delegates. (2) T…

The term of service of any delegate shall end upon the death or resignation of the delegate. If the delegate is an attorney delegate, the term of service shall end on the date that the delegate: (1) Terminates the delegate’s active licensure by the Oregon State Bar for any reason…

(1) The election of delegates to the house of delegates shall be held annually on a date set by the board of governors. The election shall be by ballot. Any licensee of the Oregon State Bar who is eligible to serve as a delegate for a region may file a signed statement of candida…

Upon the filing of a petition with the Oregon State Bar signed by 25 percent of the licensees of the bar from a region for the recall of a delegate elected from that region, the chief executive officer of the bar shall serve notice on the delegate of the filing of the petition. I…

(1) Except as provided in this section, a person may not practice law in this state, or represent that the person is qualified to practice law in this state, unless the person is an active licensee of the Oregon State Bar. (2) Subsection (1) of this section does not affect the ri…

As used in ORS 9.160 to 9.166 and 9.280, unless the context or subject matter requires otherwise: (1) “Person” means a human being, a public body as defined by ORS 174.109, a public or private corporation, an unincorporated association, a partnership, a limited liability company …

Upon written complaint of any person or upon its own initiative, the Board of Governors of the Oregon State Bar shall investigate any alleged violation of ORS 9.160. [1987 c.860 §3]

If the board has reason to believe that a person is practicing law without a license, the board may maintain a suit for injunctive relief in the name of the Oregon State Bar against any person violating ORS 9.160. The court shall enjoin any person violating ORS 9.160 from practic…

All persons admitted to practice law in this state thereby shall become active licensees of the bar. Every licensee shall be an active licensee unless, at the licensee’s request, or for reasons prescribed by statute, the rules of the Supreme Court, or the rules of procedure, the …

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, the annual licensure fees to be paid by licensees of the Oregon State Bar shall be established by the Board of Governors of the Oregon State Bar, and each year notice of the proposed fees for the coming year shall be publi…

(1) Any licensee in default in payment of licensure fees established under ORS 9.191 (1) or any licensee in default in payment of assessed contributions to a professional liability fund established under ORS 9.080 (2) shall be given written notice of delinquency and a reasonable …

(1) The Supreme Court shall appoint a board of bar examiners to carry out the admissions functions of the Oregon State Bar as set forth in the bar bylaws and the rules of the Supreme Court. The composition of the board of bar examiners shall be as provided in the rules of the Sup…

An applicant for admission as a licensee of the bar must apply to the Supreme Court and show that the applicant: (1) Is at least 18 years old, which proof may be made by the applicant’s affidavit. (2)(a) Is a person of good moral character and fit to practice law. (b) For purpose…

(1) Notwithstanding ORS 9.160, the Supreme Court may adopt rules to govern the appearance in judicial and administrative proceedings by attorneys who have not been admitted to practice law in this state. Subject to those rules, an attorney who has not been admitted to practice la…

(1) The Supreme Court may adopt rules permitting a person licensed to practice law in a foreign jurisdiction to advise on the law of that foreign jurisdiction in Oregon without the necessity of compliance with ORS 9.160. (2) As used in this section, “foreign jurisdiction” means a…

(1) If the Supreme Court finds that an applicant for admission as a licensee of the bar is 18 years of age or more, is of good moral character and fit to practice law, and possesses the requisite learning and ability to practice as a licensee, the court shall enter an order that …

(1) A licensee may resign from licensure by the bar pursuant to rules adopted by the board under ORS 9.542. After acceptance of the resignation by the Supreme Court, the licensee shall not be entitled to the rights nor subject to the disabilities or prohibitions incident to licen…

(1) It shall be a violation of ORS 9.160 for any person to engage in the business or act in the capacity of an immigration consultant in this state, for compensation, unless the person is an active licensee of the Oregon State Bar. (2) As used in this section, unless the context …

An attorney is a person authorized to represent a party in the written proceedings in any action, suit or proceeding, in any stage thereof. An attorney, other than the one who represents the party in the written proceedings, may also represent a party in court, or before a judici…

Any action, suit, or proceeding may be prosecuted or defended by a party in person, or by attorney, except that the state or a party that is not a natural person appears by attorney in all cases, unless otherwise specifically provided by law. Where a party appears by attorney, th…

An attorney has authority to bind the attorney’s client in any of the proceedings in an action, suit or proceeding, by the attorney and client agreement, filed with the clerk or entered in the appropriate record of the court. The attorney also has authority to receive money or pr…

If it is alleged by a party for whom an attorney appears that the attorney does so without authority, and the allegation is verified by the affidavit of the party, the court may, if it finds the allegation true, at any stage of the proceedings relieve the party for whom the attor…

The court or judge thereof may, on motion of either party and on showing reasonable grounds therefor, require the attorney for an adverse party to prove the authority under which the attorney appears, and until the attorney does so, may stay all proceedings by the attorney on beh…

When an attorney refuses to deliver over money or papers to a person from whom or for whom the attorney has received them in the course of professional employment, the attorney may be required by an order of the court in which a judicial proceeding was prosecuted or defended, or …

If an attorney claims a lien, under the provisions of ORS 87.430, upon the money or papers subject to delivery under ORS 9.360, the court shall: (1) Impose, as a condition of making the order, the requirement that the client give security, in form and amount to be directed, to sa…

(1) The attorney in an action or proceeding may be changed, or the relationship of attorney and client terminated, as follows: (a) Before judgment or final determination, upon the consent of the attorney filed with the clerk or entered in the appropriate record of the court; or (…

When an attorney is changed, or the relationship of attorney and client is terminated, as provided in ORS 9.380, written notice of the change or termination shall be given to the adverse party. Until the notice is given, the adverse party is bound to recognize the former attorney…

An attorney shall: (1) Support the Constitution and laws of the United States and of this state; (2) Employ, for the purpose of maintaining the causes confided to the attorney, such means only as are consistent with truth, and never seek to mislead the court or jury by any artifi…

(1) The board of governors, with the approval of the house of delegates given at any regular or special meeting, shall formulate rules of professional conduct for attorneys, and when such rules are adopted by the Supreme Court, shall have power to enforce the same. Such rules sha…