Bend attorney David Rosen named 2024 Oregon State Bar president

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- David Rosen, Bend local and founder of the personal injury law firm High Desert Law, steps into service as the 2024 president of the Oregon State Bar, making him just the third OSB president from Central Oregon in the history of the bar.

Rosen said in a news release that he hopes to continue Bend’s rather short legacy of impressive bar presidents, which includes the late Dennis Karnopp. “Dennis Karnopp was highly intelligent, well-respected and incredibly kind. He modeled what we aspire to. Following Dennis in this role is an honor that is not lost on me.”

As Bar President, Rosen is passionate about furthering the bar’s efforts in Access to Justice; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; and Lawyer well-being, and to exploring the interconnection between all three. “Throughout my work, I have seen how Access to Justice; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and lawyer well being – while all different – are intrinsically tied together. As lawyers, I believe we have a duty to use our position to work toward ensuring access to justice for all.  If justice is our goal for our clients, then equitable access for all must be our cause.”

Rosen’s work as an attorney and commitment to his community inspired the pursuit of a better work-life balance — a balance regularly at odds with the common expectation for those in the legal profession, but at the same time, much needed in this profession. The goal of balance and personal intention of mindfulness has grown out of Rosen’s practice of yoga and meditation for nearly the past decade and a half.  Rosen teaches and practices yoga at Groove Yoga in Bend. 

“If we are going to sustain ourselves, if we are going to make a career out of this profession, we must find some level of balance and sustenance.  And that cannot simply be a paycheck.  It’s about being purposeful in our work, preserving time and space for our families, and for ourselves…  Over time, I’ve tried to incorporate what I’ve learned from yoga, meditation and mindfulness into areas of my life that would benefit from me being calmer and more grounded or exercising healthy discernment and that certainly includes my work life… When we are rooted and grounded in serving our clients and our community, we are allowing ourselves to show up as the lawyers we want to be… The lawyers our communities need and deserve.”

Rosen believes that public perception of lawyers will change when we can mindfully look at the stark contrast between long standing legal culture and societal norms (the stuff we see on TV and screen) and the actual work involved - the actual needs of our clients. 

“I practice personal injury law. In looking deeply at what’s involved, what I’ve learned is that we are helping guide people through trauma and empowering them to know that they have the capacity to move beyond a traumatic event. When we see our role in terms of where we fit in – be that empowering clients to move forward, providing certainty and protections in the future, or helping clients make changes – there’s not only opportunity to live into that space but become better attorneys.”

“I believe that nothing changes unless we ourselves are willing to do the work,” says Rosen, who acknowledges that his role also provides much-needed perspective from outside the major metro areas. “The bar and the Oregon New Lawyers Division have started to make significant strides in vocalizing the rural legal access problem. As we continue to move this work forward, it’s important to have a voice that can speak to these issues.”

Rosen’s views on the future of the legal profession and his goals for continuing the work of the bar are featured in the January edition of the Bar Bulletin:  A Mindful Approach - David Rosen of Bend Carries the Work Forward, Oregon State Bar Bulletin

ABOUT

David Rosen is founder and owner of High Desert Law, a personal injury law firm in Bend Oregon. He is the current president of the Oregon State Bar, a founding member and past chair of the Deschutes County Access to Justice Committee, the past president of the Oregon Law Foundation, and of the Deschutes County Bar Association. David is honored to have been selected to the Oregon Super Lawyers list for the past several years.