The Association of Legal Administrators (ALA), an international association, currently has over 10,000 members and chapters located throughout the United States, Canada, England, and New Zealand. Oregon Chapter is the ALA chapter serving members in Oregon and Southwestern Washington. Currently, the Oregon Chapter has 110 members.

Membership Criteria

     If you are an administrator or manager of a legal services organization and your responsibilities include human resources, finance, facilities, technology, or other systems or services, you are eligible for membership in ALA and the Oregon Chapter. Associate membership is available to Bar Association executives, full-time teachers, and full-time students at institutions of higher learning. Membership is not open to vendors or consultants.

     Membership in ALA and the Oregon Chapter is on an individual basis. If you change firms, your membership will move with you (assuming you remain in the field of legal administration) regardless of whether you or your firm paid your dues.

     You must be a member of ALA in order to be a member of the Oregon Chapter. ALA annual dues are $250.00 (first year introductory rate), $350 regular yearly dues. the Oregon Chapter annual dues are as follows:

• If joining in the month of April, May and June - $75.00
• If joining in the month of July, August and September - $56.25
• If joining in the month of October, November and December - $37.50
• If joining in the month of January, February and March - $18.75

Benefits of Oregon Chapter Membership

     Membership in our chapter provides opportunities for personal and professional growth via a variety of programs, publications, resources, and networking activities.

     Monthly luncheon meetings provide an opportunity to network with other members and guests from a broad spectrum of different-sized law firms and management functions. These meetings generally feature guest speakers presenting topics regarding human resources, financial management, technology, marketing, and facilities.

     Monthly section meetings are informal, brown-bag luncheon gatherings which also may feature a guest speaker or could be an idea exchange among members and guests.

     Legal Management News is the Oregon Chapter's award-winning bimonthly magazine, chock full of educational articles, notices of upcoming events, and reports on prior events and activities.

     Annual compensation and benefits survey presents salary data for thirty benchmark positions broken down by three different firm sizes. In addition, separate salary data is presented for various geographical areas including the Portland Metropolitan area; Clark County, Washington; and Lane and Marion Counties, Oregon. The survey also includes information on benefits including insurance, retirement plans, paid leaves, and other perks.

     Bi-annual directory of products and services is a report reflecting the equipment, hardware, software, and services in use by law firms in this area. This report is invaluable to administrators when contemplating a purchase or upgrade.

     Membership directory lists pertinent data on all members, including firm size, and is included as part of membership. It is available to members only both in hard copy and online in the Oregon Chapter Members Only Section.

     Managing Partner Dinner provides an opportunity for our firms' partners to socialize with each other and to hear a speaker discuss a topic of civic or management interest.

     Job bank provides an opportunity for members or prospective members to learn about positions that are available and for law firms or law departments with openings to be filled to find candidates.

     Leadership development enhances the leadership skills of members by involvement on chapter committees and service as elected officers at the local, regional, and national levels.

     Community service occurs during Community Challenge Weekend and provides members an opportunity to give back to the community.

     Regional conferences are held each fall and are generally a two-day event with several speakers on law-related topics. See the news and events page for information on this year's regional conference.

     ALA teleseminars are offered to members either in their own firms or at an Oregon Chapter member's hosting firm. Topics cover the spectrum of law firm management.

     Scholarships. The Oregon Chapter generally provides one scholarship each year to the Annual Educational Conference and to the Region 5 conference. Scholarships are generally awarded to individuals who have never before attended a conference and whose firms are unable to send them.

Benefits of ALA Membership

     In addition to the benefits of affiliating with an ALA chapter, membership in the national association provides additional benefits.

     Educational benefits including the Annual Conference and Exposition, regional conferences, retreats and specialized programs, and ALA teleseminars. Follow new developments online at www.alanet.org/.

     Products and Services including Legal Management; a membership and peer consulting directory with listings of 9,000 members; a Career Resources Kit; ALA Management Connections, a job bank with listings from throughout the country; and ALA News, a bimonthly member magazine.

     Member discounts on a collection of informative resources prepared by experts, all designed to increase productivity, profitability, and quality of services. See the ALA Management Resources Catalog for more information.

     Value in Partnership (VIP) Program which offers discounted rates on an array of resources and services from nationally known companies.

     ALA Management Solutions is a service offered by professional staff at ALA headquarters who provide assistance in locating resources and references for your management questions.

     CLE/CPE credit is offered for selected programs.

     Certified Legal Manager (CLM) offers professional recognition to those members who pass a rigorous exam testing core areas of knowledge identified as essential to the effective performance of a principal administrator.

     Networking at the local, regional, national, and international levels occurs during conference attendance, by participation in various ALA volunteer committees, and by participation in the discussion forums on the ALA and Cyber Chapter web sites.

     Chapter and leadership support is provided at workshops held to educate chapter leaders, at idea exchanges, and at educational conferences.

Membership Application

     If you wish to join the Oregon Chapter, click here to download a membership application or contact Linda Lehmann at 503.423.9231 or membership@oregonala.org.