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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW OIT president stepping down ... RVTD debuts emergency ride home program ... Former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber says he's looking for work ... OIT president stepping down ... RVTD debuts emergency ride home program ... Former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber says he's looking for work ... OUR VIEW Our View: Oregon Bar takes a stand for transparency Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Mar. 17, 2016 at 12:01 AM Posted Mar. 17, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News The Oregon State Bar has rejected an ill-advised attempt to make its disciplinary procedures less open. The move is a victory for the principle of public disclosure. The Oregon State Bar is not, strictly speaking, a government agency, but it fulfills the governmental role of protecting the public by licensing attorneys, investigating reports of wrongdoing and meting out punishment if necessary. It also has maintained one of the most open disciplinary processes of any Bar in the country. The Bar investigates complaints against attorneys filed by their clients, the public or other attorneys. Members of the Bar can be disciplined for lying, providing substandard representation or mishandling or stealing clients' money. A committee of lawyers worked for a year on recommended changes to that disciplinary system. Among the committee's recommendations were to destroy disciplinary records after three years instead of 10 and to keep pending complaints secret. As it stands now, the complaint process is open from the beginning. The Bar's governing board voted down those changes last week, along with others that would have raised the burden of proof for launching prosecutions of attorneys and given accused attorneys access to the Bar's internal deliberations about their case. The board's decision came just in time for Sunshine Week, dedicated to promoting openness and transparency in government. Public confidence that governmental and quasi-governmental institutions are acting in the public interest depends on the disclosure of those actions. An agency that won't even acknowledge that an investigation is underway does not inspire confidence. The Oregon Medical Board, for example, keeps complaints against doctors secret unless the board finds a violation has occurred and issues an order. That kind of secrecy benefits doctors, not the public. The Bar's board of governors is to be commended for valuing the public interest over that of the legal profession. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Mar. 17, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501