People regularly ask if I take cases outside of Portland. The answer is, sometimes. For example, yesterday I appeared in Jackson County court in Medford, Oregon. It is always nice to get outside of Portland for the right type of case. I currently have cases pending in Eastern Oregon and on the Oregon Coast. I typically will take Personal Injury cases and crime victim cases from all over the state of Oregon. If you have any questions about the types of out of the area cases I take, call Ross Law LLC at 503.224.1658 and ask for Jeremiah Ross.
Ross Law and Jeremiah Ross Support the Surfrider Foundation and So Should You
The Surfrider Foundation is a fantastic organization that strives to protect water quality and local access to our beaches. I have been a member of the foundation for years. I spent a summer working with the members of Surfrider in Washington State and worked with Coastkeeper and Surfrider while attending law school in San Diego. Now, my practice is focused on representing personal injury clients and consumers. However, I offer financial support to Surfrider and am looking to get more involved with the local chapter. If you believe in clean water and coastal access, you should do the same.
ROSS LAW and Surfrider Foundation are not affiliated in anyway. Jeremiah Ross is a member and provides financial support, and are not currently representing the Surfrider Foundation in any legal issues. This post is not intended to be construed as Ross Law and Surfrider Foundation having a formal relationship with Ross Law or Ross Law providing legal services to Surfrider Foundation.
Ross Law wishes the Marine Corps a Happy 241st Birthday!
On November 10, 1775 the United States Marine Corps was born. Marines have been fighting on behalf of others every day since. Every November 10 United States Marines around the world take time to celebrate the Marine Corps and reflect on their service.
I was fortunate to serve in the Marine Corps decades ago. Each year on November 10, I take time out of my day to briefly reflect on my service in the Marine Corps. This is a time of the year to catch up with old Marine friends and reflect on the skills and knowledge I obtained in the Marine Corps. I didn't have a desk job in the Marine Corps. I was a basic infantryman, so I didn't learn any office skills or other skills you would think may help a lawyer.
“When the Continental Congress stood up two battalions of Marines in 1775, a culture of
discipline, vigilance, professionalism, and military excellence was born that has characterized
our Corps for nearly two and a half centuries. As Marines, we have a profound respect for our
traditions and heritage, and for taking care of each other. ”
However, I regularly draw from the skills and knowledge I obtained as a Marine to represent people injured by the negligence of others, crime victims, and consumers. The Marine Corps taught me to adapt and overcome all odds. I was constantly pushed to do more with less. Marines are not intimidated, even when the odds are heavily stacked against them. Marines never quit. Marines are expected to figure out a solution despite what many people perceive is an "impossible task."
These lessons I learned in the Marine Corps are invaluable today. As a plaintiff's personal injury lawyer, I am always out-gunned and out-numbered by insurance companies and their high priced lawyers. I don't have the hundreds of millions of dollars that an Insurance company has to finance a case, so I am constantly tasked with doing more with less and getting results. I thrive on the fact that I am regularly an under-dog. A fancy office building or a grumpy old lawyer that barks at me does little to assist their client. I am not intimidated by the prospect of a Jury trial, and have the discipline and drive to continue litigating even when the case becomes difficult. All of these lessons cannot be taught in law-school, in a seminar, or by working on the top-floor of a high rise Portland office building. They were all learned while serving alongside my fellow Marines.
If you served in the Marine Corps, then Happy Birthday. If you know a Marine then wish them a Happy Birthday. It means a lot. If you served in the Marine Corps or another branch of the military and have a legal issue then call me at 503.224.1658 for your free brief phone consultation. If I don't practice in an area I will do my best to find you someone that does.
Is It Difficult to Become an Oregon Lawyer? Oregon Bar Exam's Historically Low Pass Rate
People often ask me if it is difficult to become a lawyer. I really did not think it was that difficult to become a lawyer, it just took a lot of hard work. The work was manageable and similar to someone that is working long hours or two jobs. However, there is also the Bar Exam. Bar exams are the State's crucible meant to see if you have what it takes to become a lawyer. The test seems to be difficult for many people and was not easy by any means. Having taken both the California Bar Exam and the Oregon Bar Exam. I have a unique perspective on the Oregon bar exam.
Bar Exams are difficult multi-day tests that involve questions on various areas of law. In California it was a three day test and in Oregon it was a two day test. These test take an enormous amount of time to prepare for and they are expensive to take. After passing both exams I am not sure they should be a requirement to practice law, but the politicians/lawyers apparently find some value in the test so here we are.
My suspicions on the value of the test were confirmed this Summer when the July 2016 Oregon Bar Exam results came out. The Oregon State Bar Website notes only 58% of the people that took the Oregon Bar Exam passed it. This is a historic low bar passage rate. You have to wonder why the pass rate was so low. I was always told that if a few students failed a test it was a problem with the students, but if numerous people failed the test then it is a problem with the test. I think that may be the issue here, but apparently their is a trend of low bar passage rates around the Country.
Could this be because portions of the test are standardized by Corporations? Could this be that Law Schools are doing a lousy job preparing students to take the Bar Exam? Could this be that the States are increasing standards to keep lawyers from flooding into a particular state. I don't know the answer to these questions but I am sure there are some savvy law students that are eager to investigate these issues.
Congratulations to all of the people that took the Oregon and California Bar Exams.
Jeremiah Ross