OWLS News

News Release:
June 28, 2022

Last September, OWLS joined an amicus brief in support of respondents in the U.S. Supreme Court case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health. The brief laid out what was at stake if the Supreme Court overturned or weakened Roe v. Wade: “Women and their families, including women attorneys, have relied heavily on the constitutional guarantee of the ability to decide whether to have an abortion when exercising autonomy over their lives, health, families and futures. Loss of the rights guaranteed by Roe and Planned Parenthood v. Casey would decimate women lawyers’ ability to advance their careers and achieve gender parity in the legal field.”*

That much remains true, but beyond that, the June 24 decision by the Supreme Court overturns fifty years of precedent. The right to full reproductive health care is likely just the beginning of rights being taken away from all, disproportionately impacting those who are most economically and culturally vulnerable. This devastating blow to individual liberty and privacy will result in even greater hurdles to equitably accessing the legal system, attaining economic parity, and supporting vulnerable families and communities. Removing the constitutional right to control our destinies, our bodies, and our reproductive health is a further hindrance to living fulfilling lives and achieving economic independence.

Without access to the full range of reproductive health care, universal medical care, affordable childcare, or adequate legally-protected family and sick leave, having no choice but to continue a government-mandated pregnancy and give birth will be devastating to those without the means to travel to a “safe” state like Oregon for health care. Not just the lawyers identified in the amicus brief, but more importantly, individuals and communities who are systemically oppressed will suffer further loss of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Access to reproductive health care, including accurate information about abortion, should not be a privilege, and should not be based on place of residence, race, socioeconomics, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

White supremacy and xenophobia have long been part of the movement in the United States that led us to this day. One of the goals of white supremacy is to control women’s bodily autonomy. Criminalizing access to the full range of reproductive health care supports the goals of white supremacy. The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade is not a decision to protect the lives of women, children, or fetuses. It is a white supremacist, patriarchal decision years in the making that will disproportionately impact Black, Indigenous, other people of color, and those without economic means, who already suffer the worst outcomes of the U.S. medical system, when they actually have had access to it, and whose rights to bodily autonomy have and continue to be violated.

While the Dobbs decision is a grave step backward in the fight for equitable access to reproductive health care, OWLS will continue its support of all those systemically oppressed and harmed by last Friday’s ruling. We hope to create opportunities within our organization for members seeking ways to become more informed about what Dobbs means for reproductive rights under current laws and to donate time or financial resources to those who have already been leading this fight for some time as legislation moves forward about who has the authority to decide what is an acceptable risk to the health or life of a pregnant person.

*https://womenlawyersonguard.org/2021/09/dobbs-amicus/. It is worth noting that the term “women” used in the amicus brief was meant to include all persons capable of becoming pregnant, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic. OWLS similarly intends to be inclusive of all such persons in this statement.

News Release:
May 13, 2022

 Adele Ridenour was elected as OWLS’ president-elect, having served previously as treasurer, secretary and historian. Ms. Ridenour is a partner at Ball Janik LLP in Portland and serves as a volunteer pro tem judge in Washington County. Silvia Tanner was elected secretary, having served previously as historian. Ms. Tanner is the Senior Sustainability Analyst at the Multnomah County Office of Sustainability and also serves on the board of the Oregon Hispanic Bar Association and the Energy Trust of Oregon. New to the executive committee are Elizabeth Ballard Colgrove and Marisa Moneyhun. Ms. Colgrove is Assistant Attorney in Charge at the Oregon Department of Justice Medicaid Fraud unit and is Past President of Queen’s Bench, OWLS’ Multnomah County chapter. Ms. Moneyhun was elected as OWLS’ historian and is a founding partner of Kehoe Moneyhun Law LLC. All OWLS officers are also members of the board. 

 OWLS is also pleased to announce its newly elected board member Gizem Demirel, and newly appointed board members Angela Polk and Hon. Kamala Shugar who fill vacant seats. Incumbent board members elected to continue board service are Emily Brown-Sitnick, May Low, and Keshmira McVey. 

 With over 1200 members, Oregon Women Lawyers is committed to the advancement of women and lawyers outside the dominant culture. To achieve this goal we provide and support programming that includes attention to issues of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and ability. We strive to make meaningful connections with other affinity bar organizations, and attorneys outside of the dominant culture not encompassed within any particular affinity bar, and to partner with them to provide support for all underrepresented lawyers in our profession. 

News Release:     March 18, 2021

Oregon Women Lawyers Statement Condemning Anti-Asian Violence

Oregon Women Lawyers stands with our fellow affinity bar associations, including the Oregon Asian Pacific American Bar Association (OAPABA) and Oregon Filipino American Law Association (OFALA), in condemning recent hateful anti-Asian violence. Racism, discrimination, and violence against communities of color are products of pervasive white supremacy in this country. Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders are the most recently obvious targets but by no means the only ones and this treatment is by no means new to this community.
The language that leaders and politicians use matters and we as a community cannot allow racist language to stand unchecked. Terms including “Wuhan Flu” and “Kung Flu” contribute to misinformation and an atmosphere where those predisposed to violence against communities of color are emboldened to act. National, state, and local leaders must speak out against this racist language each time it is used and must be held accountable when they are the perpetrators. Those who promote racism with such language should not tolerated in positions of leadership or community trust. While the recent gun violence against Asian women in Atlanta is the latest act of domestic terrorism committed by white supremacists, nearly 4000 hate incidents against Asians, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities have been reported over the past year in the United States, including here in Oregon. Please stand with us to create a community that is safe for everyone.

The mission of Oregon Women Lawyers is to transform the practice of law and ensure justice and equality by advancing women and minorities in the legal profession.

News Release:     January 21, 2021

Oregon Women Lawyers Statement on January 6, 2021 Riot in Washington D.C.

Oregon Women Lawyers (OWLS) stands with our national, state, and local bar associations, as well as various other affinity bar groups, who have voiced condemnation of the violent attack on our United States Capitol Building this past Wednesday, January 6, 2021. What was to be a historic day, the Congressional certification of the election of Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. to be our next President, and Senator Kamala Harris, to be our next, and first ever woman, Black and South Asian American Vice President, ended in a violent display of aggression and insurrection. The insurrection sought to disrupt the constitutional proceedings of the peaceful transition of power under our democratic system and it was an unprecedented attack on our democracy. Racism, hatred, and those who would use misinformation and incite it for their own political ends must never be tolerated, especially at the highest levels of our government. As attorneys, we have sworn an oath to support the Constitution and the laws of the United States. To that end, OWLS calls upon our state and federal elected leaders to strongly denounce the violence which occurred this past Wednesday, to condemn and prosecute all those who sought to engage in and provoke such acts, and to provide for a peaceful transition of power.

News Release:     September 24, 2020

Oregon Women Lawyers Letter on Diploma Privilege

Letter urging diploma privilege for all 2020 law school graduates signed by Oregon Women Lawyers, OGALLA, Oregon’s LGBT Bar Association, the Multnomah Bar Association (MBA), and the Oregon Filipino American Bar Association (OFALA).

          News Release:     June 3, 2020                             

Oregon Women Lawyers Statement on the Killing of George Floyd

Oregon Women Lawyers shares the outrage and mourning at the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Philando Castile, Freddie Gray, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice, Shelly Frey, Atatiana Jefferson, and the many others who have been murdered or harmed by law enforcement and white vigilantes, but whose names didn’t make the headlines. The violence committed against Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC), in Oregon and the broader U.S., comes in many forms and is oppressive, systemic, and pervasive. It must end.

Oregon Women Lawyers condemns white supremacy in all of its implicit and explicit forms, and is committed to working toward equity, justice, and an end to oppression in our legal system and beyond. We acknowledge that racism and oppression are systemic and entrenched. As lawyers, we recognize that we can be complicit with an unfair system or use our privilege to dismantle it. As legal professionals, we have a responsibility to be informed and engaged on these issues. We affirm our commitment to look at our own individual and structural biases and eradicate them, by continuing to require anti-racism training for our board of directors, engaging in ongoing education, and critically reviewing and changing guiding documents. We affirm commitment to speak out and work against systemic racism and police brutality and towards access to justice for all.

Click here for anti-racism resources.

We also encourage engaging with organizations such as Self-Enhancement, Inc., NAACP, Don’t Shoot Pdx, Urban League, Black Lives Matter, Black United Fund of Oregon, Black Parent Initiative, Momentum Alliance, and the Oregon Justice Resource Center.

          News Release:     June 3, 2020                             

Oregon Women Lawyers (OWLS) is pleased to announce its new officers and board members for 2019-2020.

Hon. Allison Boomer was elected as president, having served previously as president elect and secretary. Ms. Boomer is a Tax Magistrate at the Oregon Tax Court in Salem.

Maya Crawford Peacock was elected as OWLS’ president-elect, having served previously as secretary and historian. Ms. Crawford is the executive director of the Campaign for Equal Justice, headquartered in Portland. Jacqueline Alarcón was elected secretary, having served previously as historian. Ms. Alarcón practices family law with Yates Family Law in Portland. Joining the OWL S Executive Committee as treasurer is Kristin Sterling. Ms. Sterling is Associate General Counsel at Cura Cannabis Solutions. Joining Executive Committee as Historian is Adele Ridenour. Ms. Ridenour is a partner with Ball Janik in Portland, and serves as a pro-tem Judge in Washington County. All OWLS officers are also members of the board.

OWLS is also pleased to announce its newly elected board members, Keshmira McVey (Portland), and Marisa Moneyhun (Portland). Additionally, appointed to the board to fulfill outgoing member terms are Elizabeth Ballard Colgrove (Portland) and Sheeba Suhaskumar (Portland). Reelected to serve a three-year term are: Sara Kobak (Portland), May Low (Portland), Ericka Langone (Lake Oswego).

With over 1200 members, Oregon Women Lawyers is committed to the advancement of women and lawyers outside the dominant culture. To achieve this goal we provide and support programming that includes attention to issues of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and ability. We strive to make meaningful connections with other specialty bar organizations, and attorneys outside of the dominant culture not encompassed within any particular specialty bar, and to partner with them to provide support for all underrepresented lawyers in our profession.