The Oregon Board of Governors at its November 23, 2013 meeting approved development of Modest Means Program panels for Social Security Disability cases and Workers Compensation cases. Cheryl Coon had presented a request for these modest means panels to the BOG earlier in 2013, after working for the last year and a half with the Disability Section of the Oregon Bar to develop a proposal to change the current lawyer referral fee system.
The Modest Means program was set up to make sure that moderate and low-income clients in the covered areas can find attorneys willing to limit their fees. Clients covered by a modest means program, if referred by the Oregon Bar, do not result in a referral fee obligation for the attorney. As a result, more attorneys are willing to handle these cases, resulting in greater access to justice for these clients.