Page 3 - OWLS Spring 2017 AdvanceSheet

GrOWLS: OWLS’ New Chapter
Save the Date
By Carrie Benson and Diana McDougle
OWLS Fall CLE e are excited to announce the for-

Friday, October 27, 2017 mation of the newest OWLS chapter,
1:30 to 5:30 p.m. WGorge OWLS, affectionately known as
Embassy Suites GrOWLS! Gorge OWLS serves Hood River and
Downtown Portland Wasco Counties and surrounding areas in the
Followed by a reception Columbia River Gorge, a beautiful, geograph-
ically diverse rural area where professional
OWLS and the OWLS Foundation connections among those of us who work in
will also host a Chapter Summit the law don’t seem to come readily. MariRuth Petzing, Diana McDougle
prior to the CLE. For more informa- Through word of mouth, a group of women
tion, contact Jennifer Nicholls or attorneys in the area began getting together about a year and a half ago for wine
Amanda Thorpe. tasting, coffee, and lunches. As our group grew, we realized the benefits of our col-
laborations and started talking about ways to organize more formally. Several of us
were already OWLS members, and forming a chapter made perfect sense.
Members of Gorge OWLS meet on the first Wednesday of each month at noon for
President’s Message informal lunch get-togethers, with locations alternating between Hood River and
The Dalles. At least twice a year those lunches will incorporate CLE presentations.
continued from page 2 We are also planning summer and winter social events.
OWLS is a 501(c)(6) corporation instead of We held our first CLE lunch on March 1, on the topic of immigration law. MariRuth
a 501(c)(3) corporation. The latter would Petzing and Diana McDougle, attorneys in the Hood River office of Immigration
have subjected us to much stricter rules on Counseling Service, presented a synopsis of the laws, regulations, and memoranda
political-related advocacy and activities. that guide their work. They described how they are navigating the current landscape
Second, when OWLS speaks, when OWLS of uncertainty, and the 11 attorneys present discussed how the rapidly changing legal
engages in political activity, it is with framework and immigration law enforcement are affecting members of our community.
the direction or approval of a majority OWLS members and friends are always welcome at our gatherings. Please contact
of our board members. We never (nor Carrie Benson at carriebenson@mac.com to be added to our email list.
should we) presuppose that we speak for Carrie Benson is the founding president of GrOWLS, and Diana McDougle is the
every individual in the organization. Not chapter’s founding secretary/treasurer.
every political action or statement that
OWLS takes reflects the views of every
one of our members. And for those who
view “political” as a proxy for partisan
politics, well then, we’re not that kind
of “political.”
To be a member of OWLS is to stand
for something. We are not a dinner club.
Our mission is not to shine the spotlight
once a year on jurists and lawyers doing
extraordinary work on their own and pat
ourselves on the back for having taken LNS COURT REPORTING
an hour or two to applaud the work of & LEGAL VIDEO
others. Our work is transform our pro- Witness the Difference.
fession and our society. No social or civic 503-299-6200/800-366-6201
structure was ever transformed without LNScourtreporting.com
political advocacy—or without contro-
versy. Change is unsettling, but OWLS
only exists because change is necessary
and, without our voice, unlikely. OWLS
most definitely does, should, and very
likely will, continue to engage in political
activity to shape a new view of the world.
Only when our mission has become reality
will we be able to look away from the
places where change happens.

Laura Craska Cooper
President, Oregon Women Lawyers

OREGON WOMEN LAWYERS AdvanceSheet 3 SPRING 2017