Lawyers in Oregon to Face Off in First-EverLAF-OFF Comedy Competition

PORTLAND, OR (PRWEB) August 13, 2004

For the first-time ever, business leaders, attorneys and legal professionals in Oregon are banding together to support the first-annual 2004 LAF-OFF Comedy Competition and use humor to raise awareness for Legal Aid. The Legal Aid Fundraiser, sponsored by Fios® Inc. and Friends, will feature 10 Oregon attorneys in a head-to-head stand-up comedy competition. Taking place Sept. 10, 2004, at the Oregon Convention Center, the competition will be judged by a panel of judges straight from the bench. The goal of the event is to raise enough money to fund a Legal Aid attorney for a year. LAF-OFF will also serve as the kick-off for the annual fundraising drive by The Campaign for Equal Justice, whose goal is to raise $ 850,000 for Legal Aid in 2004.

 

According to recent reports, Oregon lawyers lead the nation in their support of legal services, however, the state’s 88 legal services lawyers only account for less than one percent of the state bar. In addition, a 2002 legal needs study, sponsored by the Oregon State Bar, Governor’s office and Courts, reported that less than 20 percent of legal needs of poor people in Oregon are being met. The attorney funded through LAF-OFF will help provide legal counsel to hundreds of people in need each year.

 

“LAF OFF is a lighthearted way to kick off the campaign and energize the legal community. Having lawyers compete with other lawyers to be funny, and hopefully succeeding, is a whole new idea. It appeals to everyone we’ve talked to,” said Linda Clingan, executive director of The Campaign for Equal Justice. “Our goal is to use this event to increase support for Legal Aid and get all those that work in law firms – associates, partners, administrators and paralegals – to join with the vendor community to make this happen. It’s the type of event that, if successful, will have people lining up next year to compete.”

 

“LAF-OFF Support at All Levels”

 

Attorneys, judges, legal support teams, paralegals, law students, corporate counsel and politicians will all join in the festivities at the 2004 LAF-OFF Competition. This year’s competition will feature:

 

Headliner:

 

•Mark Katz, President Clinton’s former speech writer and author of Clinton & Me

 

Emcee:

 

•Kerry Tymchuk, state director for Senator Gordon Smith

 

Competitors:

 

•Jack Bogdanski, Lewis and Clark Law School

 

•Mark Turner, Ater Wynne LLP

 

•Ira Zarov, Professional Liability Fund

 

•Jim Egan, Oregon Trial Lawyers Association

 

•Bernie Thurber, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

 

•Lorey Deveny, Oregon Women Lawyers

 

•Mitra Shahri, Oregon Trial Lawyers Association

 

•Darien Stanford, Stoel Rives LLP

 

•And the “Mystery” DA

 

Judges:

 

•Hon Thomas A. Balmer, Oregon Supreme Court Justice

 

•Hon Anna J. Brown, U.S. District Judge

 

•Hon Julie Frantz, Circuit Court Judge

 

Musicians:

 

•The LAF-OFF band featuring: Tom Grant, Phil Baker and Ron Steen

 

The event’s primary sponsors include Fios, a top-tier provider of electronic discovery services; FedEx Kinko’s; and Cresa Partners, one of the largest international real estate firms exclusively representing corporate space users. In addition, LAF-OFF is also being supported by table and service sponsors from both law firms and supporting businesses, including:

 

Law Firms Table Sponsors:

 

•Ater Wynne LLP

 

•Barron Liebman LLP

 

•Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

 

•Farleigh Wada and Witt PC

 

•Fisher and Phillips LLP

 

•Harrang Long Gary Rudnick PC

 

•Markowitz Herbold Glade & Mehlhaf PC

 

•Miller Nash LLP

 

•Schwabe Williamson Wyatt PC

 

•Stoel Rives LLP

 

•Tonkon Torp LLP

 

Business Table Sponsors:

 

•Bank of the Cascades

 

•NW Employee Benefits Inc.

 

•Pacificorp

 

•Umpqua Bank

 

Service Sponsors:

 

•aha!pr inc.

 

•Brown Printing

 

•Dataflight

 

•Fifth Avenue Suites and Hotels

 

•Integrity Design and Marketing Inc.

 

•PrintSync Inc.

 

•Thomson West

 

•Ticketmaster

 

“Fios is fortunate to be one of the fastest-growing service providers in the legal services market today,” said Gerald Massey, president and CEO of Fios. “The LAF-OFF Competition galvanizes all parties that are interested in preserving the integrity of the legal system to give back to and be an active part of the community they serve. We look forward to this becoming an annual tradition.”

 

More information on the LAF-OFF Competition, Legal Aid and The Campaign for Equal Justice can be found on the event web site at http://www.laf-off.org

###