The University of Oregon School of Law is proud to be the new home of the Oregon Law Commission.
Created in 1997 by the Oregon Legislative Assembly, the Law Commission is a legislatively supported venue for comprehensive law reform projects in the state. Composed of 15 leaders in the Oregon legal community (including judges, law school deans, and representatives of the Governor and Attorney General), the Law Commission reviews proposals submitted by the Oregon State Bar, individual practitioners, and the academic community, and carefully pursues the most compelling or meritorious projects.
The Law Commission forms work groups composed of experts in the applicable substantive law, which work alongside the Legislative Counsel’s Office to draft bills for consideration during a legislative session. The work groups also publish comprehensive reports that detail their work, and serve as legislative history moving forward.
The University of Oregon School of Law has a rich tradition of working on Law Commission projects, and faculty members have served, or are currently serving, as Commissioners, on Law Commission workgroups, and as Commission work group reporters. Over the past four years, Professor Susan Gary was the Reporter for a successful modernization of the Probate Code, and Professor Andrea Coles-Bjerre was the Reporter for a project that created the Oregon Receivership Code, now codified as Title 37 of the Oregon Revised Statutes. The Law Commission also completed a high-profile project on Workplace Harassment in the State Capitol that led to a comprehensive set of recommendations that is being used as a platform to positively change the workplace culture of the legislature.
The Law Commission is currently embarking on several new projects, including a limited liability company law modernization project.
The Law Commission is also in the process of forming a fellowship program that will allow current UO Law students to engage in the law reform process, including legal research and other direct participation in the development and enactment of legislation.