BULLETINS FROM ALOHA

The Current Bar Center in Lake Oswego  --  Unless one is involved in Section, Committee or other Bar work, there is not much reason to visit the Oregon State Bar Center in Lake Oswego.  A visit inside the Bar center is reserved to the anointed few.  The doors are locked to the inner sanctum of the office beyond the lobby.  Even Board of Governors members are not allowed a key. 

Two salient features of the Lake Oswego facility are apparent upon a visit.  All the office buildings on the Kruse Way campus are elegantly built of brick.  The comely and convenient setting in Lake Oswego is one of the reasons why the vacancy rate is the lowest in the State.   By the same token, the values of the land and buildings in this area have grown among the fastest of any office real estate in Oregon.  So why would we sell?  Our present building was built in 1986 for $2 million and it is almost paid off. 

The other thing that strikes one about the present Bar center is that there are meeting rooms everywhere.  There are multiple meeting rooms in the basement.  There are two huge meeting rooms on the main floor right behind the receptionist area where BOG meets.  There are multiple meeting rooms on the second floor including a huge meeting room in the center of the building on the second floor.

So, one must ask the question, why must we move?   As a responsible shareholder of the Oregon State Bar has our leadership provided you with an explanation?  In 2002 the Bar had 84 full time (equivalent) employees.  In 2004 only 82 employees worked at the Oregon State Bar, so we were reducing employees instead of needing more office space for more employees.  We haven't added any programs which required new space.  The Client Assistance Office commenced in 2003 was supposed to reduce the number of employees needed in the Disciplinary Counsel's office. 

We are going to pay $19 million for the "new building".  Albert Menasche is your current President and the driver of this venture.  He promises you no new dues.   There is much information not generally known to the Oregon State Bar membership about this venture.  More will be found here in the ensuing weeks.