Corporate and business restructuring attorney Leon Simson has joined the business department of Tonkon Torp. Simson has practiced law in Portland for 30 years and has been a partner at Ball Janik since 1989. His practice focuses on corporate law, including finance, license agreements, acquisitions and divestitures and corporate governance matters.

Lawrence M. Vergun has joined the Harris Law Firm’s business practice group. With more than 18 years of transactional and civil litigation experience, Vergun will continue to represent clients in business, corporate, real estate and intellectual property matters, focusing on small and emerging businesses and representation of real estate professionals throughout the Portland area. He can be contacted at LVergun@harrislawsite or (503) 648-4777.

Sussman Shank welcomes attorney Gabriela (Gabi) Sanchez. She focuses on commercial loan documentation and foreclosure practice and collections for healthcare facilities, particularly relating to complicated Medicaid and Medicare regulations. Sanchez’s practice includes all creditors’ rights, bankruptcy and business-related matters.

Eleanor C. Beatty was recently named a partner in the general practice Keizer firm of Koho & Associates, whose name is now Koho & Beatty. Beatty specializes in family law and estate planning. In 2005, she was named the Arno Deneke New Lawyer of the Year for her work with Marion Polk Legal Aid Services as a volunteer attorney. Before joining the firm in 2005, Beatty worked as an associate attorney at Beloof & Haines. Beatty, Koho and their associates can be reached at Koho & Beatty, 142 Glynbrook N., Suite 210, Keizer, or by phone at (503) 390-3051.

Alan C. Perkins has joined the immigration practice group of Tonkon Torp, where he will focus on employment-related immigration and naturalization matters. For the past eight years, Perkins has practiced corporate immigration law in San Francisco with Cooley Godward, and most recently with the Duane Morris firm. Perkins earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School in 1997.

Amanda Austin has been appointed as an honors attorney in the family law section of the civil enforcement division with the Oregon Department of Justice. Austin received her B.A. from Portland State University and her J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School, where she served as editor in chief of the law review. Previously Austin was a judicial clerk for Judge Dailey in Multnomah County and clerked in the DOJ appellate division.

Michael Casper has been appointed as an honors attorney in the special litigation unit of the trial division with the Oregon Department of Justice. Casper received his B.A. from Carleton College, his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and his J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School. Casper was a judicial clerk for Judge Landau.

Michael Kakuk has been appointed as an honors attorney with the family law section of the civil enforcement division of the Oregon Department of Justice. Kakuk received a B.S. and B.A. degree from St. Cloud State University and his J.D. from Willamette University College of Law, where he served as staff editor for the Journal of International Law and Dispute Resolution.

Ben Miller has been appointed as an honors attorney in the torts section of the trial division of the Oregon Department of Justice. Miller received his B.S. from Oregon State University Honors College and his J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law. Before joining the department, Miller was a law clerk for the Department of the Interior, Office of the Solicitor, and in the DOJ natural resources section.

Kailana Piimauna has been appointed as an honors attorney in the human services section of the general counsel division of the Oregon Department of Justice. Piimauna received her B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College, her M.A. from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and her J.D. from Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California, where she served as an executive editor of the law review.

Tim Sylwester has been appointed as attorney-in-charge of capital cases in the appellate division of the Oregon Department of Justice. He received his B.S. and his J.D. degrees from the University of Oregon. Sylwester joined the department in 1987, in the appellate division where he served as an attorney-in-charge for 14 years. In 2004, he transferred to the district attorney assistance section of the criminal justice division before returning in 2006, to the appellate division.

Paul L. Smith has been appointed as assistant attorney-in-charge of criminal appeals in the appellate division of the Oregon Department of Justice. Smith received his bachelor of arts degree from Willamette University and his J.D. from Indiana University School of Law. Smith joined the department in 2002 as an honors attorney and was assigned to the appellate and trial divisions. He was appointed to be a regular AAG in appellate in 2004.

Inge Wells has been appointed as a senior assistant attorney general in the appellate division of the Oregon Department of Justice. Wells received her bachelor of arts degree from Portland State University and her J.D. from the University of Washington. She has been in private practice with firms in Roseburg and Eugene.

Sylvia Van Dyke has been appointed as an assistant attorney general in the labor and employment section of the general counsel division of the Oregon Department of Justice. Van Dyke received her B.A. from Seattle University and her J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law. Before joining the department, she spent five years with a private firm in Eugene.

Darsee Staley has been appointed as a senior assistant attorney general in the commercial, condemnation and environmental section of the trial division of the Oregon Department of Justice. Staley received her B.A. from Manhattanville College and her J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law. Staley has spent the last 2.5 years working in CC&E in a limited duration position. Before joining the department she was in private practice.

Stacy Posegate has been appointed as an assistant attorney general in the commercial, condemnation and environmental section of the trial division with the Oregon Department of Justice. Posegate received her B.A. from the University of New Mexico and her J.D. from Southwestern University School of Law. Posegate has spent the last eight months working in CC&E in a limited duration position. Before joining the department, she worked for law firms in Los Angeles.

Mark Lay has been appointed as an assistant attorney general in the criminal and civil rights section of the trial division with the Oregon Department of Justice. Lay received his B.S. from the University of Oregon and his J.D. from Willamette University College of Law. Lay has spent the last 2.5 years working in the torts section of the trial division. Previously he was in private practice.

Steve Krohn has been appointed as a senior assistant attorney general in the labor and employment section of the general counsel division with the Oregon Department of Justice. The Willamette University graduate earned his J.D. from Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College. He joined the department in 1984, in the trial division. Krohn transferred to the labor and employment section of the general counsel division in 1988, and moved back to the trial division approximately 4 years ago.

Stewart Sokol & Gray announces the addition of two attorneys to the firm. Joseph A. Rohner IV received his J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law, and bachelors degrees in general business management and philosophy from Boise State University. Rohner earned a certificate of completion in business law and served as an executive editor for Oregon Law Review. He joins the firm following a clerkship for U.S. District Judge Anna Brown.

Aaron M. Hessel graduated from Lewis & Clark Law School where he was an associate editor for the Lewis & Clark Law Review and served as a judicial extern for Senior U.S. District Judge Owen M. Panner.

Standard Insurance Company (The Standard) announces that Julie Bolt has been promoted to senior attorney in the insurance services group legal department. Prior to joining The Standard, Bolt was a partner in the Portland law firm of Martin, Bischoff, Templeton, Langslet & Hoffman. She also served for five years as a federal judicial law clerk to the Hon. Anna J. Brown. Bolt obtained her law degree from the University of Oregon School of Law in 1989.

Gartland, Nelson, McCleery, Wade & Walloch announces that Kate Thompson-Wilkinson has joined the firm as of counsel. She concentrates her practice on civil litigation, including complex commercial disputes, employment matters and construction litigation.

Cassandra (Cass) SkinnerLopata has opened her own law office. SkinnerLopata focuses on family law, estate and domestic partnership planning, and general civil litigation. She was most recently an associate with the Wilson Law Office in Eugene, and is a former judicial clerk to the Hon. Charles D. Carlson, Lane County Circuit Court. SkinnerLopata is an appointed member of the Governor’s Council on Domestic Violence. She can be reached at SkinnerLopata Law, 245 E. 4th Ave., Eugene, OR 97401; phone: (541) 434-2411; fax: (541) 683-3149; e-mail: cass@skinnerlopata.com; Web: www.skinnerlopata.com.

Melissa Busley has joined Dunn Carney Allen Higgins & Tongue. Busley focuses on estate planning and tax law as a member of the firm’s wills and estates team. Previously, Busley was with Hershner Hunter in Eugene. Busley received her LLM in taxation at the University of Washington School of Law in 2004, her J.D. from University of Oregon in 2003, and her B.A. from Washington State University in 2000.

The attorneys of the law firm of Aller & Morrison in Roseburg have changed the name of the firm to the Law Offices of Aller Morrison Robertson. Daniel C. Robertson joined David Morrison and Leeon "Butch" Aller as a shareholder in the firm in 2005. Aller Morrison Robertson practices personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, wills, trusts, estate planning, elder law and criminal defense. They can be reached at (541) 673-0171.

The law firm of O’Donnell, Clark & Crew welcomes Stephen F. Crew as a partner in their firm. Crew specializes primarily in commercial litigation, with experience managing class action suits as well as many industry-specific cases regarding forest products, tobacco, banking, accounting, petroleum, real estate developments and shopping centers. He also practices criminal defense law, most notably in the fields of environmental crimes, tax crimes, bank fraud, public corruption and customs violations. Previously, he was a partner at Ramis, Crew and Corrigan. He has also worked as an assistant federal defender and has served as assistant public defender responsible for major felony cases. Crew can be contacted at: O’Donnell, Clark & Crew, Fremont Place II, Suite 302, 1650 N.W. Naito Parkway, Portland, OR 97209; (503) 306-0224.

John G. Crawford, former shareholder of Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt, who has retired after 34 years with the firm, is now serving as a mediator and arbitrator in business and commercial cases. His offices are located at 808 S.W. 15th Ave; Portland OR 97205; mail: P.O. Box 817, Portland, OR 97207; Web: www.businessdisputearbitration.com; e-mail: John@ businessdisputearbitration.com; phone: (503) 224-9265.

Stahancyk, Kent, Johnson & Hook would like to congratulate Bradford F. Miller on passing the Oregon bar exam and becoming a member. Miller will work as an associate in the firm’s Portland office. Stahancyk, Kent, Johnson & Hook has relocated their Bend office to 158 N.E. Greenwood Ave., Bend, OR 97701. They can be reached by phone at (541) 318-9115 and by fax at (541) 318-9116.

A new immigration practice was forged when Tifani Parrilli and Brent Renison established Parrilli Renison in June. Parrilli and Renison each bring over a decade of experience in immigration law, and focus primarily on business-based immigration. Parrilli was most recently a partner with Taylor & Parrilli, and Renison was a partner with Tonkon Torp. Details on the AV-rated Lake Oswego firm can be found at www.entrylaw.com.

Julie L. Cline joins the Hood River firm of Phillips, Reynier, and Sumerfield as an associate. She received her J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law, where she was an associate editor for the Oregon Law Review. She served as a judicial clerk at the Oregon Court of Appeals for the Hon. Darleen Ortega.

Tim Ramis, past principal of Ramis Crew Corrigan, has joined Jordan Schrader, which changed its name to Jordan Schrader Ramis, effective Sept. 17, 2007. Ramis has more than three decades of law experience and a history of playing a key role in some of the most prominent land developments in the region. He currently serves as the city attorney for the cities of Tigard, Milwaukie and West Linn. Also joining Ramis from the firm of Ramis Crew Corrigan are attorneys

William Monahan (photo on the left) and Robert Yamachika. Monahan joins the firm as a shareholder. He has spent more than 20 years specializing in local government and land use law. He has represented private development clients and local government clients before the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals and has participated in local government public hearings in a variety of capacities. He has also served as the community development director and city manager for Tigard, and city attorney for the cities of West Linn, Milwaukie and King City. Associate attorney Yamachika has eight years of experience in land use, municipal, and environmental law and earned his law degree from Northwestern School of Law, Lewis & Clark College. He is admitted to practice in Oregon and California.

Jordan Schrader Ramis Attorneys at Law has announced the opening of a second office. The new Vancouver, Wash., office will be led by long-time shareholders Thomas "Brad" Eriksen and Christopher Reive. Christopher Veley, who joined the firm in July 2007, will also be based in Vancouver. The new office will provide the same services as its Oregon office: business, real estate, environmental, land use, employment, estate planning and construction law services at 1498 S.E. Tech Center Place, Suite 380, Vancouver, WA 98683. Visit www.jordanschrader.com for more information.

Jathan Janove has joined Ater Wynne as a partner in the employment and litigation groups. Janove defends claims and also trains and advises employers on how to prevent workplace claims and improve employee relations. Janove’s employer training programs include Star Employee Performance in 100 Words or Less, The Eight Deadly Sins of Mismanagement, and several others. His books include Managing to Stay Out of Court: How to Avoid the 8 Deadly Sins of Mismanagement and a new title to be published in 2008. Janove was named 2005 Employment Lawyer of the Year in Utah. He was named 2006 Citizen Lawyer of the Year by the J. Reuben Clark Law Society, Salt Lake Chapter. Before joining Ater Wynne, he was a partner in the Portland office of Bullard Smith Jernstedt Wilson.

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