PDX-TIE.ORG: Self Representation in the U.S. Oregon District Courts

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Self Representation in the U.S. Oregon District Courts

General Disclaimer: This information was collected from public sources and is not intended to replace professional legal advice, given by a licensed attorney.

In some cases you may find difficulty finding attorney who will commit to taking your case to court. The reason for this situation can be as simple as:

An attorney is not available to take your case before your filing deadline approaches
You cannot afford pay your attorney fees and/or retainer out of pocket
An attorney believes that your case is going to consume too much of their time
An attorney does not understand the merit of your case and is not interested in spending more time listening to you
An attorneys office liability insurance does not provide enough coverage to protect them in case that you do not prevail in a civil litigation suit (does not directly apply to employment discrimination suits) .

There are of course other, simple and more complex cases, which we do not intend to discuss here.

in cases where you cannot find a suitable attorney for hire, apparently the courts allow for self-representation (Pro Se in legaleeze).

Click on the link below to discover more details about the process:

Representing Yourself

Among other things there is a special repository of legal forms that you can choose form and fill according to your needs. Click on this link: Pro Se Forms to see the appropriate list of forms.

Here is a sample content, copied from the Representing Yourself web site:

Pro Se Resources

The United States District Court for the District of Oregon uses the federal judiciary’s Case Management/Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF) system to support electronic filing, service, and access to court records. The CM/ECF system contains the official court records of proceedings. (See Local Rule [LR] 5-3(a). The Court no longer maintains paper files.

As a self-represented party, non-prisoner, you may (1) apply for a user account which will allow you to file documents electronically with the Court through the CM/ECF system or (2) consent to electronic service of documents upon you via e-mail from the CM/ECF system when documents are filed in your case. Each option is explained on the following pages, and you must mark on the application form on the next page the option for which you are applying. ANY REQUEST MUST BE APPROVED BY THE COURT BEFORE IT BECOMES EFFECTIVE. You will be notified by an order whether your application is approved.