Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 9 § 9.025 — Board of

Board of governors; number; eligibility; term. (1)(a) The Oregon State Bar shall be governed by a board of governors consisting of 19 members: (A) Fourteen of the members shall be active licensees of the Oregon State Bar elected from the regions established under subsection (2)(a) of this section. A member elected under this subparagraph must maintain the member’s principal office in the region for which the member seeks election throughout the member’s candidacy and term of office. (B) One member shall be an active licensee of the Oregon State Bar elected from the region established under subsection (2)(b) of this section. The member elected under this subparagraph must maintain the member’s principal office in the region established under subsection (2)(b) of this section throughout the member’s candidacy and term of office. (C) Four of the members shall be appointed by the board of governors from among the public. The public members must be residents of this state throughout their terms of office and may not be active or inactive licensees of the Oregon State Bar. (b) A person charged with official duties under the executive and legislative departments of state government, including but not limited to elected officers of state government, may not serve on the board of governors. Any other person in the executive or legislative department of state government who is otherwise qualified may serve on the board of governors. (2) The board of governors shall establish regions for the purpose of electing board members as follows: (a) The board shall divide the State of Oregon into regions for the purpose of electing board members described in subsection (1)(a)(A) of this section. Regions established under this paragraph must be based on the number of attorneys who have their principal offices in the region. To the extent that it is reasonably possible, regions established under this paragraph must be configured by the board so that the representation of board members to attorney population in each region is equal to the representation provided in other regions. At least once every 10 years the board shall review the number of attorneys in the regions and shall alter or add regions as the board determines is appropriate in seeking to attain the goal of equal representation. (b) The board shall establish one region composed of all areas not located in the State of Oregon for the purpose of electing the board member described in subsection (1)(a)(B) of this section. (3) Members of the board of governors may be elected only by the active licensees of the Oregon State Bar who maintain their principal offices in the regions established by the board under subsection (2) of this section. The regular term of a member of the board is four years. The board may establish special terms for positions that are shorter than four years for the purpose of staggering the terms of members of the board. The board must identify a position with a special term before accepting statements of candidacy for the region in which the position is located. The board shall establish rules for determining which of the elected members for a region is assigned to the position with a special term. (4) A judge of a municipal, state or federal court or any other full-time judicial officer is not eligible for appointment or election to the board of governors. (5) The term of any member of the board of governors terminates on the date of the death or resignation of the member or, if the member of the board is required to be a licensee of the Oregon State Bar, the term terminates on the date: (a) Of the termination of active licensure by the Oregon State Bar for any reason; (b) When the member discontinues to maintain the principal office of law practice in the region in which it was maintained at the time of the appointment or election of the member; or (c) When the member assumes office as a judge of a municipal, state or federal court, or fills a full-time judicial office. (6) A member of the board of governors is not eligible during the member’s term of office for service pro tempore as a judge of any municipal, state or federal court. [1973 c.114 §1; 1981 c.193 §3; 1993 c.307 §1; 1995 c.302 §1; 2009 c.218 §1; 2011 c.303 §1; 2015 c.122 §1; 2025 c.32 §3]