Oregon Law Foundation

About Us We fund justice for all: provide legal services, promote diversity, and educate the public. History 1981 The Oregon Law Foundation was created by the Oregon State Bar to fund law-related charities. 1983 Oregon State Bar members created a voluntary Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program. IOLTA programs began in Australia and Canada in the early 70’s. The concept was simple: the Foundation asked members of the Bar to convert their non-interest bearing, pooled client trust accounts into interest-bearing accounts, with the interest benefiting the Foundation. 1988 The OLF, the Oregon State Bar, and the Oregon Supreme Court worked together to transform the voluntary IOLTA program into a mandatory one. In November 1988, Oregon lawyers voted 2-1 for mandatory IOLTA, and Oregon’s mandatory IOLTA program began May 1, 1989. 2005 Oregon Banks worked with the OLF to create the Leadership Bank program (now [Leadership Banks Credit Unions](https://oregonlawfoundation.org/partners-in-justice/)) to highlight the generosity of banks that voluntarily pay above-market interest rates on IOLTA.