OTLA cares

Trial lawyers are active volunteer members in their communities and are generous in giving back outside of practicing law to keep Oregonians safe, secure and healthy. 

OTLA Cares is administered through our non-profit arm, the Oregon Jury Project, with funding from our individual, generous members. Grants from OTLA Cares are distributed to like-minded non-profits who believe in access to justice for all Oregonians and provide services to make our communities safer and healthier.

For example, over the past 7 years, OTLA Cares has been a major donor to the Legacy Trauma Nurses Bike Helmet program offering reduced cost ($5) or FREE bike helmets to those in need. OTLA members, alongside trauma nurses, attend weekend community events and properly fit bikers with new helmets.  OTLA Cares has also been a sponsor of the Classroom Law Project, a nonprofit dedicated to preparing youth to become active, engaged and informed participants in our democracy through innovative programs that inspire over 880 teachers and 63,000 students across Oregon.

Beyond financial support, OTLA members donate an incredible amount of time to causes they believe in. For instance, for the last 8 years OTLA has partnered with End Distracted Driving (EDD), a non-profit organization committed to educating teens on the dangers of distracted driving, to provide free presentations in high schools around the state. Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers in the U.S. Our attorney members have personally seen too many senseless and avoidable tragedies, which is why they are eager to volunteer their time for this project.

 

 

 

See the testimonials below from organizations OTLA Cares has helped for more examples of our community involvement.

 

 

 

"With support from an Oregon Jury Project's Trial Lawyers Cares grant, CASA is serving more children in the child welfare system by recruiting, training, and supporting more CASA volunteers...CASA has increased initial and ongoing training opportunities and has expanded programming and partnerships. There are more Peer Coordinators supporting CASA volunteers than ever before, giving CASA volunteers the confidence to take on additional cases." - Mario Conte, CASA Lane County Board President and Heather Murphy, Executive Director

 

 

"Because of your support, we will continue our organization’s work of matching local attorneys with low income asylum seekers. The asylum seekers would not likely be able to receive legal representation without some form of lobono or probono assistance. Most asylum seekers are unfamiliar with our legal processes and, without proper guidance, they are unable to adequately explain their bases for requesting asylum. Their ability to access an attorney and to have other volunteers available to them to do research, prepare them for their hearings, and provide other support, makes them infinitely more likely to succeed...I cannot express enough our gratitude for your support of this program. Thank you again for all that your organization does to assist those in need." - Raquel Hecht, GLAD Board Member

 

 

"For children experiencing homelessness, going back to school from summer break can be really stressful. It can be hard to concentrate, get your homework done, and make friends when you are not sleeping in your own bed...This year with OTLA's help, 58 donors came together to get backpacks and age-appropriate school supplies for all 100 kids in PHFS’ programs. These children will begin their school year with everything they need, including Jansport backpacks, gift cards for back to school clothes, and tons of folders, pencils, crayons, binders, and more. Being ready on the first day of school with the supplies they need made these kids feel so much more prepared and confident." - Emma Hoyle, Development Director

 

 

  

 

"Thank you for supporting our efforts to serve survivors of sex trafficking with crisis response, safety planning, advocacy and resource referrals. Your grant will provide critical support for our mission by increasing victim access to our local services through the National Human Trafficking Hotline Database, increasing our capacity to provide emergency transportation for victims, and printing of informational flyers for distribution by law enforcement officers. These elements of our services are vital to the safety and healing of survivors of commercial sexual exploitation in our communities." - Esther Nelson, CEO & Founder

 

"The Trafficking Law Center is thankful to receive an OTLA Cares grant.  This is the first grant we've received, and it will help us with the core functions of the organization:  offering pro bono legal representation to victims & survivors of human trafficking.  TLC serves trafficking survivors across Oregon.  Trafficking victims are mostly U.S. citizens (not foreigners smuggled into this country) who were exploited as minors, and as a result have experienced severe trauma. TLC trains attorneys to understand sex trafficking and the impact of trauma so that they can provide trauma-informed pro bono representation to help meet the wide range of legal needs that trafficking survivors present." - Joel Shapiro, Executive Director