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By the time Mitzi Naucler was in the second grade, the recently installed president of the Oregon State Bar had determined she was going to be a librarian. She helped out in libraries from elementary school through college, when laser-sharp alphabetical skills made her the queen of the card catalog.

And yet the woman of many talents and a lifelong follower of creative wanderlust found herself at a career crossroads in the 1980s. With a dual interest in people and institutions, she had applied to, and been accepted by, Portland State University鈥檚 graduate urban planning program and Willamette University鈥檚 law school.

Naucler earned her law degree from Willamette in 1983 and joined Inmate Legal Services. Her first case involved an inmate seeking a divorce.

She became involved in private practice with Salem-based Depenbrock, Gangle & Naucler from 1985 to 1992, and then served as an instructor and supervising attorney at Willamette University鈥檚 Clinical Law Program from 1992 to 2000.

Now regional director of Legal Aid Services of Oregon鈥檚 Albany office, Naucler is the first legal aid attorney to serve as president of the state Bar. Pro bono service and representation of domestic violence survivors and other underserved populations have long been an essential piece of Naucler鈥檚 business model.

Naucler says legal aid is a perfect fit for her because she brings decades of experience and perspective to both clients and colleagues.

鈥淢y clients have benefited mostly from my ability to help them make decisions, more than any legal work I鈥檝e done for them,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been my experience that my clients, if they lack anything, lack decision-making skills because nobody has really talked them through it. That鈥檚 something they can take with them whether you win or lose their case.鈥�

As public funding falls under the ax, however, legal aid faces plenty of challenges.

鈥淲e have lots of worthy cases, issues and clients who are not going to get any help, and it鈥檚 hard to spend your day saying 鈥榥o,鈥欌�� Naucler said.

As OSB president, Naucler sees the biggest hurdles as unemployment and underemployment for new attorneys. Her priorities during her term include addressing issues related to funding for the court system, providing legal service for war veterans, and revamping the Bar鈥檚 Lawyer Referral program so that it operates in the black. Recognizing the hardships caused by the economy, Naucler notes that the Bar is poised to break a record by not raising its dues for the seventh year in a row.