3 Trial Lawyer • Summer 2023 impactful. We learned we must do the work and not rely on our members from the impacted communities to do the heavy lifting. If change begins at the top, OTLA leadership must continue to champion its commitment to DEI, assess our biases and structures, and take actions to course correct and implement strategies for organizational change. OTLA’s DEI Committee is a shining star that has accomplished so much in a very short amount of time. Starting as a task force that identified ways OTLA could be better, it has also blossomed into an incredibly active committee that has fostered community, while accomplishing most of the goals set out in the original DEI action plan. The committee, chaired by Past President Hala Gores and Board member Thanh Tran, created a Listserv and organized meetings and lectures on DEI issues including the 21day racial equity and habit building challenges. As for OTLA’s political year, frankly, I feel selfish. While I certainly have political experience, your OTLA president did not lead the charge on this year’s state elections and legislative session. I listened and learned from OTLA’s PAC committee, our legislative committee, the incomparable Richard Lane who has since become Governor Kotek’s general counsel and our 7am Tuesday legislative brain trust work crew. I'm disappointed that we didn't pass everything on OTLA’s list, but remain convinced we are on the right course. Our legislative priorities are longterm quests for solutions requiring the confluence of the right legislators in the right political climate, plus the endurance, strategy and will of our members and, in particular, our Guardian members who fund our attempts at legislative change. A bright future Since I started practicing law in Oregon, I have been an OTLA member. When I became president, I already knew many of our members and counted many as friends. I’ve met so many more this year who have taught me about their particular practice areas, challenges and the generational and identity differences that bind but also diversify us as an organization. I am so damn grateful for this year, and the exposure and education I have received. As a relatively young president, I had some anxiety coming into the role, particularly when so many of my predecessors were already titans of their field when they started. That said, our membership is younger, the world is rapidly evolving, and we need more voices from new generations. The way we practice law has evolved. Attitudes about being in the office versus working remotely has changed. Relationships with authority and the legal system are being challenged. I hope we understand more about the structural inequities that are in place and our younger generations are active in upending them. With this comes communication breakdowns between generations. As president, I have observed the only way to bridge that gap is to come together with respect, an open mind and a mutual desire for understanding. We have so much to learn from each other. Isn’t our curiosity and love of lifelong learning an integral component of our attraction to this wild, uphill life of plaintiff's civil litigation? The OTLA of ten years from now will not look the same as the OTLA of today. I look forward to being part of that work. Thank you all for this opportunity for which I will always be grateful and appreciative. Blair Townsend specializes in personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice and business litigation. She contributes to the OTLA Guardians at the Guardians Club level. She practices at The Townsend Law Firm LLC, 50 Pine St. Ste. 400, Portland, OR 97204. She can be reached at blair@btownsendlaw.com or 503-7151896.
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