Nearly four out of five Oregonians don’t have the help of an attorney when navigating family law or landlord/tenant legal case, according to the Oregon State Bar.
The bar is trying to address this with a proposal to license paraprofessionals to provide some legal services currently only provided by lawyers.
“It’s a program that augments the tools available to people who can’t afford the full cost of a lawyer,” Eugene-based attorney Bryan Cox said. “But it’s limited by what’s appropriate.”
Cox, whose legal expertise is in the area of housing law and landlord-tenant law, serves on the Paraprofessional Licensure Implementation Committee, which brought the proposal forward. He said the proposal for licensing these paraprofessionals was designed by practicing lawyers who understand what kind of legal help could be provided by licensed paraprofessionals and when they would have to defer to a lawyer.
The court is asking for public comment on the proposal now until Feb. 11. Comment online at https://www.osbar.org/lp.
Licensed paralegals would be allowed to provide limited legal services only in family law cases such as divorces, custody and parenting time as well as landlord/tenant cases. These are two of the areas of law with the greatest need for legal assistance in the state, according to the Oregon State Bar. The scope of the licensure could grow in the future, Cox said.
This isn’t the only profession making adjustments to make up for shortages. The bar believes this would look similar to the introduction of nurse practitioners to the medical field. Also facing a qualified worker shortages, the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission made a temporary rule in October loosening the requirements for people to be a substitute teacher in the state.
More:Shortage of substitute teachers statewide prompts Oregon to change licensing requirement
The Paraprofessional Licensure Implementation Committee hopes this proposal will provide legal services to traditionally underserved communities.
“It’s just going to be one more layer of people within Oregon who are going to get help at a price point they can meet,” Cox said.
The licensed paralegals would have specific education and experience requirements and would have to adhere to many of the rules and requirements that already exist for lawyers. The court will make a decision on this proposal next year and the change would be permeant.
Oregon wouldn’t be the first state to implement a proposal like this. Arizona, California, Minnesota, Utah, Washington, British Columbia and Ontario are among the states and Canadian provinces that have implemented or are considering implementation of licensed paralegal programs, according to the committee workgroup’s progress report.
The hope is that this licensure would create a new professional route for people who want to help people navigate the court system but don’t want to go to law school.
“You won’t be their lawyer in court but you will be able to be their support person, their information source and their resource,” Cox said. “I think you’ll find that it’s a need that will be met that won’t displace lawyers, it will augment and compliment lawyers. It won’t displace paralegals, it will give them another career avenue.”
Family law
Landlord/tenant
Earning the licensure requires hundreds of hours of experience and specific qualifications. It does not require the bar exam. More details on the proposal are available on the Oregon State Bar’s website.
Contact reporter Tatiana Parafiniuk-Talesnick at Tatiana@registerguard.com or 541-521-7512, and follow her on Twitter @TatianaSophiaPT.
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