Tag Archives: Restraining Order

Your Forms Library is Your Most Important Asset

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Forms and templates are the most important intellectual property owned by a law firm. We rely on them to be efficient, effective, and productive. But is that reliance misplaced?

The answer is yes, if we fail to devote the necessary time and resources to maintaining our most valuable asset.

Here are some suggestions for keeping your forms library in tip-top shape:

  • Update your forms in accordance with the annual rules cycle. Proposed changes to the UTCRs are effective on August 1 of each year. Supplementary Local Rules (SLRs) are effective February 1 unless disapproved. Set task reminders accordingly!
  • Monitor and flag out-of-cycle rule amendments by subscribing to OJD News and Media Releases.
  • Watch for Oregon State Bar CLEs and publications discussing pertinent legislative changes.
  • Use Professional Liability Fund (PLF) resources. The PLF publishes legislation alerts on the most significant changes made by the Oregon legislature. The December 2019 issue of In Brief covers updates in 13 practice areas. The PLF also offers forms, which it strives to update in accordance with the legislative cycle. Visit the PLF Forms page for more information and to view revision dates for documents pertinent to your practice. Also of interest are “Cases of Note,” included in each issue of the PLF In Brief.
  • Create a centralized forms library that limits editing rights, but grants access to all users. Capture the library as part of your backup and regularly test backup integrity.
  • Consider appointing a forms czar or committee. Establish a process for adding, updating, and dumping forms.
  • Ensure that form content is scrubbed of metadata and does not contain confidential client information. Variables – the client-specific information you will be inserting into the form to customize it – should be readily apparent. Using document assembly software like The Form Tool is the way to go.
  • Push notifications to firm members when forms in their area of practice change.
  • Ask firm leadership to stress the importance of using the centralized library versus hoarding resources on individual desktops or copying and pasting content from one client document to the next.

Start by Downloading the latest UTCR Forms

The latest forms adopted by the Uniform Trial Court Rules (UTCR) Committee and approved by the Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court can be downloaded in Zip, PDF, or Word format on the Oregon Judicial Department UTCR page. These include the following, which were revised in 2019:

Request to Segregate Protected Personal Information
Request to Inspect UTCR 2.100 Segregated Information Sheet
Request to Redact Protected Personal Information from Existing Case
Motion for an Expedited Civil Jury Case Designation
Order Designating an Expedited Civil Jury Case
Request for Hearing re: Statutory Restraining Order

All Rights Reserved 2020 Beverly Michaelis

For the latest out-of-cycle UTCR amendments – effective November 2019 and January 2020, visit the Current Rules page on the OJD website.

OJD iForms – Interactive Court Forms for the Public

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In keeping with eCourt’s goal to simplify court access, the Oregon Judicial Department has created iForms – interactive interview-based forms that can be completed online. Here is what you need to know:

Who Can Use iForms?

iForms are designed for “self-represented filers” (the public).  Using Tyler Technology’s Guide & File system, the user proceeds through a self-guided interview process to generate a completed court form.

Are iForms Available for all Case Types?

No.  At this time, forms are limited to the following:

  • Small Claims – file a small claim or respond to a small claim
  • Residential FED-Eviction – file a residential eviction
  • Satisfaction of Money Award – court documentation of debt paid
  • Renew a FAPA Restraining Order – must have a current Restraining Order

Will Additional iForms be Added in the Future?

Yes.  The OJD press release states: “Our next step will be expanding use of these forms into dissolution, child custody, and other family law cases.”

Is There a Fee to Use OJD iForms?

There is no fee to use the forms.  Normal circuit court filing fees still apply.

Are iForms Available Now?

Yes – the iForm system is up and running at the Tyler Techology/Odyssey Guide & File site.  Originally iForms were scheduled to launch September 21, 2016.

What Languages Are Supported by iForms?

At this time, OJD iForms are only provided in English. To see forms in other languages, the court directs self-represented filers to visit OJD Forms.  Information about interpreters is provided on the iForms home page.

Are iForms Restricted to Electronic Filing?

No.  Since the forms are designed for self-represented filers (the public), eFiling is voluntary.  Once a form is completed, filers can (depending on the form) either eFile the form or print the form and file it themselves at any Oregon circuit court.

Are iForms Really User Friendly?

Filers must have access to a computer, the ability to download and save a personal copy of the iForm, a credit card (for eFiling), or access to a printer (if filing conventionally).

The interview process follows a straightforward format.  For each case type, the filer is provided with:

  • A statement of purpose or background information about the form.
  • A list of the documents and information the filer will need to complete the form.
  • Identification of the filer’s party status (For example: “If you are filing the request to renew the restraining order, you are the Petitioner; the person you are asking to restrain is the Respondent. This does not change throughout the case.”)

Filers are also told that court staff cannot give legal advice.

A quick readability check of the small claims complaint page reveals a score of 72.9 on the Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease Scale.  (Text which scores 60 to 80 is considered easy to read.)

Is Technical Support Available for iForm users?

Before entering an interview, filers can access links to FAQs, a quick reference guide, self-help, and a how-to video from the Tyler Technology Guide & File home page.

Do Filers Receive any Form-Specific Help or Guidance on Next Steps?

Form-specific help is provided once the interview process begins.  A help panel on the right side of the page gives general guidance, information on where to file, etc.

Instructions for next steps are available to download or print at the end of the interview or on the OJD iForms home page.  See the heading “What to do after you file an iForm” on the bottom right.

Can a Filer Start an iForm and Finish it Later?

Yes, but the filer must create a profile first.  The filer’s information is saved in “My Interviews.”

A profile can be created before starting an interview by clicking “Welcome” in the top right corner of the iForms home page.  From the pull-down menu, select “Register.”

Once the filer has started an interview, two prompts appear above the help panel on the right side of the page:  “Sign up to save your work,” and “Already signed up? Log in.”

UTCR Amendments

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2016 features a host of normal cycle and out-of-cycle amendments to the Uniform Trial Court Rules.  All are effective August 1, 2016.  For a complete list, see the summary provided here, pages 1-5.  Key changes, including several to eCourt, are summarized below.

 eCourt

Confidential Attachments in Filings that are not Otherwise Confidential

  • If a filing is not confidential, but includes an attachment that is, file the attachment separately.  UTCR 21.040(2)(b), amended out-of-cycle on June 15, 2016 pursuant to CJO 16-027.
  • Filers must designate the attachment as confidential in the eFiling system and include an appropriate description in the filing comments field. UTCR 21.040(2)(b), amended out-of-cycle on June 15, 2016 pursuant to CJO 16-027.

Filings in Confidential Cases

  • If a case is confidential by statute or rule, documents filed in the case must not be designated as confidential.
  • However, if a particular document within a confidential case is itself confidential by statute or rule, it must be designated as such when filed.
  • For rules pertaining to Adoption Cases, see new UTCR 21.070(7).

UTCR 21.070(6), amended out-of-cycle; UTCR 21.070(7), newly added on June 15, 2016 pursuant to CJO 16-027.

Certificates of Service Incorporated with a Document Must Be Filed as a Single, Unified PDF

Certificates of Service are now part of the “single, unified PDF” requirement.  UTCR 21.040(2), amended out-of-cycle on June 15, 2016 pursuant to CJO 16-027.

Proof of Electronic Service

The amended rule requires a dated and signed certificate of service to be incorporated at the end of any document submitted electronically.

  • If the opposing party was electronically served by the eFiling system, the certificate must state that service was accomplished at the party’s email address as recorded on the date of service in the eFiling system and need not include the party’s email address or postal address.
  • If the opposing party was not electronically served by the eFiling system, the certificate must include the postal address at which the opposing party was served or, if served by email or facsimile.

UTCR 21.100(6), amended out-of-cycle on June 15, 2016 pursuant to CJO 16-027.

Electronic Service to Remain an Additional, Affirmative Step

The UTCR committee declined to amend UTCR 21.100 to make electronic service mandatory or to require simultaneous service by email.  See discussion, UTCRs effective August 1, 2016, pages 55-56.

Expedited Filings

A filer who submits an expedited filing must include the words “EXPEDITED CONSIDERATION REQUESTED” in the filing comments field.  The filer may “notify the court by email or telephone, as designated on the court’s judicial district website, that an expedited filing has been eFiled in the case.”  UTCR 21.070(5), amended out-of-cycle on June 15, 2016 pursuant to CJO 16-027.

Submission of Proposed Orders and Judgments

The out-of-cycle changes to UTCR 5.100 are described in the official explanation as follows:

  • The revision to UTCR 5.100 breaks the current rule into three parts: service, objection, and submission.
  • Subsection 1 requires service on the opposing party, and an opportunity for objection, as to any proposed order or judgment unless an exception applies. The rule is no longer limited to only those proposed orders and judgments submitted “in response to a ruling of the court.”
  • The service component also sets out specific notice requirements and lengthens the time between service and submission to 10 days from 3 days (current, if opposing party represented) or from 7 days (current, if opposing party not represented).  The notice requirement specifies that an opposing party has 7 days to object, with an additional 3 days for mailing, consistently with ORCP 10 C.
  • Subsection 2 relates to objections and is new.  It requires service of a written, dated, and signed objection within 7 days of the date that the proposed order or judgment was sent to the opposing party.  The drafting party may submit the opposing party’s objection to the court or the opposing party may file an objection by an identified date.
  • The submission part (subsection (3)) retains the current certificate of service requirement and also clarifies that a proposed order or judgment subject to subsection (1) may be submitted sooner than the 7-day period for objection, if the opposing party has stipulated to or approved the order or judgment, or the opposing party has objected and the objections are resolved or ready for resolution.  Additionally, proposed orders or judgments must include a “certificate of readiness,” certifying that the proposed order or judgment is ready for judicial signature or that objections are ready for resolution, and also stating the “readiness” reason.

UTCRs effective August 1, 2016, pages 58-61.

Register of Actions – Entry Date of a Document

The following apply whether or not a document is electronically filed with the court:

  • The filing date is the date that appears in the “date column” of the Register of Actions:  “For the purpose of ORS 7.020(1) and (2), the date that a document was filed displays in the date column of the register of actions for the case in the court’s electronic case management system.”
  • The “entry date” is the date when the event is created in the Register of Actions. “For the purpose of ORS 7.020(2), entry occurs on the date an event is created in the register of actions.”

UTCR 21.060(3), amended out-of-cycle on June 15, 2016 pursuant to CJO 16-027.

Staples and Backing Sheets Prohibited in Conventional Filings;
One Inch Margins Required

  • Pleadings and other documents submitted conventionally must be bound by paperclip or binder clip and must not contain staples.  Amended UTCR 2.010(3)(b).
  • If your document includes an attachment, the attachment must be bound in one packet to the document being filed using a paperclip or binder clip only.  Amended UTCR 2.010(3)(b).
  • The use of backing sheets is prohibited.  Amended UTCR 2.010(5).
  • All documents must have a one-inch margin on each side (except Wills and exhibits).  Amended UTCR 2.010(4)(d).

Consolidated Filings

A party filing any document applicable to more than one case must file the document in each case using existing case numbers and captions, unless otherwise ordered by the court or provided by SLR.  If filing conventionally into cases consolidated for hearing or trial, it is the filer’s responsibility to provide the trial court administrator with sufficient copies.  Amended UTCR 2.090(1).

CIFS

Access to Confidential Information Forms (CIFs) by Non-Parties

Non parties may inspect a CIF upon filing an affidavit of consent, signed and dated by the party whose information is to be inspected. The consent must state the dates during which the consent is effective.  Amended UTCR 2.130(6)(c).  Declarations under penalty of perjury may not be used in lieu of an Affidavit.  Amended UTCR 2.130(6)(d).

Use of CIFs in Additional Proceedings

Use of a CIF is now required in proceedings that are subject to the federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Specifically, the amended rule adds citations to proceedings initiated under ORS 24.190, ORS 30.866, ORS 124.010, or ORS 163.763. Amended UTCR 2.130(2).

Notice of Termination, Substitution of Counsel, Application to Resign

Must now include “court contact information,” as defined in UTCR 1.110.  Amended UTCR 3.140(1).

Stipulated and Ex Parte Matters

Local judicial districts are expressly allowed to adopt an SLR designating when stipulated or ex parte matters must be filed conventionally.  Amended UTCR 5.060(1).

Trial Memoranda and Exhibits

Trial memoranda must be filed and served on the opposing party; the court may require parties to submit copies in a time and manner specified. Trial exhibits must be submitted as ordered by the court and not filed with the court.  Amended UTCR 6.050.

Jury Instructions and Verdict Forms Must Be Filed and Served

Jury instructions and verdict forms must be filed and served on the opposing party; the court may require parties to submit copies in a time and manner specified. Amended UTCR 6.060.

Dissolution of Marriage – Notices and Judgments

The notice of dissolution form required under ORS 107.092 is now available on the OJD website; filing multiple copies of the General Judgment of Dissolution is no longer required.  Amended UTCR 8.010.

Uniform Support Declarations/Affidavits Filed by DCS or DA

Uniform Support Declarations or DCS/DA affidavits must be filed and served within 30 days of service of a petition or other pleading that seeks child support or spousal support on other than a temporary basis, subject to the requirements of UTCR 8.040 or UTCR 8.050, when applicable, and in the absence of an SLR to the contrary.  Amended UTCR 8.010(6).  Also see amended UTCR 8.050(3) relating to judgment modification proceedings and amended UTCR 8.040(4) relating to Uniform Support Declarations accompanying a Motion for Temporary Support.

Limited Scope Representation in Domestic Relations Cases [New]

  • Requires attorneys who intend to appear on a limited scope basis to file and serve a Notice of Limited Scope Representation in substantially the same form as set out on the OJD website.  UTCR 8.110(2).
  • Requires attorneys who have completed all services under the Limited Scope Representation to file a Notice of Termination of Limited Scope Representation in substantially the form as set out on the Oregon Judicial Department website. UTCR 8.110(3).
  • Service in limited scope cases shall be made upon the attorney and the party represented on a limited scope basis.  [Service on the attorney ends when a Notice of Termination is filed.]  UTCR 8.110(4).

Arbitration Awards – Submission and Filing Time Extended

The time for submitting an Arbitration Award to the parties is extended from 7 to 28 days. Amended UTCR 13.210(5) and (6).  Amended UTCR 13.220 now allows for an extended filing time with the court of 42 days.

Amended Forms

The following forms were also amended:

All Rights Reserved Beverly Michaelis – 2016.