President’s Message OTLA’s Education Powerhouse Delivers by Rob Kline, OTLA Guardian As my term serving as your president comes to an end, I have been reflecting on the year and all the ways OTLA serves its members. What repeatedly comes to mind is OTLA’s stellar education program. While originally focused primarily on motor vehicle and workers’ compensation cases, our Education Committee has evolved and expanded the breadth and depth of its programming to meet the needs of a larger organization with a far more diversified base of practice areas. Today it plays an outsized role in providing value to members, generating critical revenue and accomplishing OTLA’s mission. The Education Committee is near and dear to my heart, serving as my point of entry into OTLA as a committee member in 2004 and then as co-chair with Brian Dretke in 2006. But first some history. When the late Chuck Paulson, a former OTLA President and giant of the plaintiff’s bar, passed the bar exam, he put his typewriter in the car and headed out to the coast to try back-to-back, often one-day workers’ compensation cases. In those days, workers’ compensation cases were resolved at a jury trial. Claimant-side workers’ compensation lawyers were a tight bunch who shared tips, ideas and information. When Paulson was almost done with a trial, he’d call the next OTLA member on the trial docket and let them know he was wrapping up. Unfortunately, in 1995, the Legislature passed devastating workers’ compensation “reforms” eliminating many rights of injured workers including the right to a jury trial. In the aughts, the Oregon Worker’s Compensation Attorneys (OWCA) folded into OTLA. The culture of colleagues helping colleagues — a quality even more remarkable when one considers they are business competitors — remains one of the key underpinnings of the Education Committee and OTLA in general. Initially, OTLA’s education programming was something of a big-tent affair. OTLA organized six or seven CLEs per year for all members focused on motor vehicle and workers’ compensation cases. There was a small number of practice-specific sections that did not host educational programs for their members. Sections like Civil Rights, Business Litigation and Consumer Protection didn’t even exist. Much has changed over the years. Following an expansion in the number of sections, educational offerings have become both broader and more specialized to support the needs of members across a far more diverse group of practice areas. Today the sections do the heavy lifting on specialized education, offering free lunch meetings with speakers most months except over the summer. The Education Committee focuses on three big paid events each year with broader appeal: the fall Motor Vehicles CLE (Oct. 25, 2024 at the Benson Hotel in Portland), the spring All Stars CLE (Portland) and Convention (August 14–16, 2025 in Sunriver). The fall Motor Vehicle CLE features cutting edge topics, often pulled from chatter on the listserv, presented by top experts in their field. In a surprise twist, there has been a remarkable number of defections from the defense bar in the last year, which continues to provide valuable opportunities to learn from insiders in the world of insurance defense. The spring All Stars CLE has a broader focus on all aspects of trial practice which is geared to all members and often includes national-caliber speakers. My personal favorite is our annual Convention in August. It is an unsurpassed opportunity to learn, network with your colleagues and recharge your batteries. Newer lawyers can walk right up to titans in their field, strike up a conversation and ask questions. The culture of experienced lawyers providing their time — with nothing expected in return — and helping newer lawyers find their way is one of the best qualities of OTLA and is on full display at Convention. It’s what sold me on OTLA and prompted me to co-chair the Education Committee ROB KLINE specializes in cases involving motor vehicle collisions, workplace injuries and sexual abuse. Kline practices as senior counsel at the Johnston Law Firm, 200 SW Market St., Ste. 1900, Portland, OR 97201. He contributes to OTLA Guardians as the Guardians Club level. He can be reached at rob@johnston-lawfirm.com or 503-546-3167. See President’s Message p. 6 5 Trial Lawyer | Summer 2024
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