| Oregon State Bar Bulletin — FEBRUARY/MARCH 2008 |
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To mark the firm’s 100th anniversary, Stoel Rives attorneys and staff have embarked on service projects for 20 charitable organizations throughout six major markets where the firm has offices. The program, called "A Day to Make a Difference," will run through August 2008. Until then, the firm’s more than 800 personnel will be invited to spend up to a day of paid time off to participate in a group volunteer project for one of 20 designated organizations. Service projects range from planting gardens to cleaning low-income housing and packaging food for the homeless. The volunteer campaign was announced at the firm’s anniversary reception held at the Oregon Historical Society in late September to mark the 100th anniversary of the firm’s founding.
Johnson, Clifton, Larson & Schaller participated in the Fiestras Patrias Festival in Springfield. The Eugene firm also contributed more than $700 in soccer scholarships to would-be soccer team players without other resources. The three-day festival celebrating Mexico’s Independence Day drew over 20,000 people with a soccer tournament, music concerts, traditional foods, amusement rides and games.
Lane Powell attorney Stephanie L.V. Hendricks joined the Juvenile Crime Prevention Advisory Committee in October 2007. JCPAC was created by the 1999 Oregon Legislature as part of a new juvenile crime prevention program intended to reduce juvenile arrests, reduce juvenile recidivism and reduce the need for beds in facilities operated by the Oregon Youth Authority. Hendricks has an active litigation practice. She became a member of the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports in January 2007, and is a board member of the Urban League of Portland.
Lewis & Clark law school professors Jennifer
J. Johnson and Craig N. Johnston have
been elected to the Council of the American Law Institute (ALI).
Members are elected through a process that recognizes individuals
for their significant professional achievements and a demonstrated
interest in the improvement of
the law.
Jim Neill, a partner in the Portland office of Davis Wright Tremaine and chair of the firm’s hospitality practice, was recently named Allied Member of the Year by the Washington State Hotel & Lodging Association. The award was presented to Neill for his input, assistance and counsel in articulating, addressing and resolving hoteliers’ issues with Washington’s Liquor Control Board. His involvement in over two years of discussions, meetings, lobbying and testimony at committee hearings was integral to the passage of a bill establishing a new hotel liquor license in Washington State. Neill also currently serves as general counsel for the Oregon Restaurant Association.
Jeffrey Robertson of Barran Liebman will serve on the Portland Fire & Police Disability and Retirement Fund Board of Trustees, in a term that began Jan. 1. As dictated by city charter, the board provides retirement and disability benefits to firefighters, police officers and their survivors. The board meets regularly once or twice per month for public rulemaking purposes regarding the operation of the fund. Robertson counsels private employers, municipalities and multi-employer pension and benefit trusts, in all aspects of the design, tax qualification and ERISA compliance of retirement plans, executive compensation, and health and welfare benefit plans.
Portland lawyer Rick Glick has been elected president of the newly formed American College of Environmental Lawyers (ACOEL), a professional association with the goal of bringing together lawyers distinguished by their experience and high standards in the practice of environmental law. Glick, an environmental attorney in the Portland office of Davis Wright Tremaine, says the college will hold educational programs to reinforce the quality of environmental practice. Membership is by election only, and eligibility is limited to those who are recognized as leaders in their field and have predominantly practiced environmental law for 15 years or longer. More information is posted at www.acoel.org.
OSB member Barry Adamson of Lake Oswego is the author of a new book, Freedom of Religion, the First Amendment and the Supreme Court: How the Court Flunked History, published by Pelican Press (424 pages, $24.95). The book explores the origins and meaning of the Establishment Clause and First Amendment and provides "an objective chronicle of the historical origins of the phrase "establishment of religion" and what our forefathers originally mean when they … adopted the First Amendment." The book is available in bookstores and online at amazon.com.
Jeffrey A. Beaver, lawyer in the Seattle office of Graham & Dunn, has been reappointed to another term as co-chair of the ABA Section of Litigation; Condemnation, Zoning and Land Use Committee. He continues to be an active member in both the Oregon and Washington state bars.
Peter McKittrick has been recertified as a business bankruptcy specialist by the American Board of Certification. McKittrick has been certified since 2002, when he passed a rigorous examination to become certified in business bankruptcy law. ABC is a nonprofit organization sponsored by the American Bankruptcy Institute and accredited by the American Bar Association.
Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt attorney Darius Hartwell was recently awarded the 2007 Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award from the Lewis & Clark Small Business Legal Clinic (SBLC). The SBLC offers a comprehensive range of services to economically disadvantaged persons in the Portland area with legal matters. Hartwell has represented a wide array of clients in the transactional setting, as well as providing general corporate counsel on an ongoing basis. The pro bono project of the SBLC is an Oregon State Bar-certified pro bono program that had 40 attorney volunteers serving roughly 53 clients in 2007.
Tax attorney Gwendolyn Griffith, of the Eugene firm of Speer Hoyt, has been appointed to the editorial advisory board of The Tax Advisor, the monthly publication of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).
Caroline Guest, a shareholder in the Portland office of Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, was recently elected to the board of directors of Morrison Child and Family Services, provider of social, mental health and educational services. Guest joined Schwabe in 2006, and focuses her practice in the area of employment law and litigation. She defends public and private employers of all sizes in state and federal employment litigation, including sexual harassment, disability, age, race and gender discrimination, wrongful discharge and breach of contract.
Jim Mountain, a shareholder in the Portland office of Harrang Long Gary Rudnick, was elected to be a member of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers at the academy’s recent meeting. The academy recognizes outstanding appellate lawyers and promotes the improvement of appellate advocacy and the administration of the appellate courts.
Lane Powell shareholder Dominic G. Colletta has been appointed a member of the executive committee and public sector vice chair of the Urban Land Institute’s Oregon/Southwest Washington chapter. The nonprofit research and education organization has more than 34,000 members worldwide representing the entire spectrum of land use and real estate development disciplines, working in private enterprise and public service. Colletta focuses his practice on intrastate and multistate real estate transactions, community associations and construction law. He has negotiated and advised clients in sophisticated real estate, land use and finance transactions spanning a 32-year law career. He is chair-elect and a member of the executive committee of the OSB Real Estate and Land Use Section.
Gov. Ted Kulongoski has appointed Rick J. Stone, a partner and senior trial lawyer at Ball Janik, to the Oregon Public Health Advisory Board for a two-year term running through October 2009. Active in public service, Stone was a top aide at the Pentagon and the Energy Department for President Jimmy Carter, and directed the Police Commission’s study of the city’s emergency response to the 1992 civil disturbance in Los Angeles.
Wendy L. Greenwald has been awarded the 2007 Neutral Award by the Labor and Employment Relations Association, Oregon chapter. The award honors individuals who have had an outstanding career in and made an outstanding contribution to Oregon labor-management relations. Greenwald, who has practiced in the field of labor-management relations since 1980, was primarily recognized for her work as the Oregon Employment Relations Board’s state conciliator. Greenwald is currently working as an administrative law judge for the board.
Arden E. Shenker of
Shenker & Bonaparte recently completed his chairmanship of
a Portland City Club study committee on the Oregon initiative,
referendum and referral system. Following his Jan. 11, 2008, presentation
to the City Club, the report was adopted by a vote of 117 to 1.
The report makes nine recommendations, which the City Club will
attempt to advocate for implementation. Other OSB members serving
on the panel were: Leslie Johnson, Kent & Johnson; Scott
Shorr, Stoll, Stoll, Berne, Lokting & Shlachter; and Anne
Squier. Jeffrey Scott Garrett served
on the committee prior to his move to Boise, Idaho. Lori
Irish Bauman had served as an initial research adviser.
The report can be found on the City Club website, www.pdx
cityclub.org.
The Portland firm of Vangelisti Kocher has been recognized as a Recycle at Work Business by the Washington County Cooperative Recycling Program. It is the first business in Washington County to be recognized with this distinction for excellence in waste prevention, recycling and environmental purchasing. The firm focuses its practice on plaintiffs’ personal injury matters.
David Bartz Jr., president of Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, was honored with the World Arts Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award in a ceremony held on Jan. 21, the federal holiday that honors Martin Luther King Jr. Portland Mayor Tom Potter presented Bartz with the award for his leadership in the community. Bartz has spent the last 25 years of his professional life devoted to the promotion and support of the careers of many minority attorneys and law students, helping to break down racial barriers and increase diversity in the private sector.
Thomas W. Sondag, shareholder in Lane Powell, has been elected to be a member of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, founded in 1990 to recognize outstanding appellate lawyers and to promote the improvement of appellate advocacy and the administration of the appellate courts. Sondag is chair of Lane Powell’s appellate practice group and a member of the firm’s board of directors. He has been lead counsel on more than 200 appeals in state and federal courts, and is a member of the executive committee of the OSB Appellate Practice Section.
Kathy Peck, a partner in the Lake Oswego firm of Williams, Zografos & Peck, was among 50 attorneys nationwide to be inducted as a fellow of the College of Labor & Employment Lawyers’ Class of 2007.
Leigh Salmon has been appointed as an assistant attorney general in the appellate division with the Oregon Department of Justice. Salmon received her J.D. from Indiana University School of Law-Bloomington. Salmon joined the department in June 2006 in the labor and employment section of the general counsel division after clerking for the Oregon Court of Appeals and working with a private law firm in Indianapolis.
Sally Avera has been appointed as a senior assistant attorney general in the appellate division with the Oregon Department of Justice. Avera received her bachelor of arts degree from University of California at Davis and her J.D. from Willamette University College of Law. Previously, Avera worked for the city of Salem’s legal department, the Workers’ Compensation Board and as a deputy district attorney.
Greg Rios has been appointed as an assistant attorney general in the appellate division with the Oregon Department of Justice. Rios received his J.D. from Willamette University College of Law. Prior to joining the department, Rios worked with the National Crime Victim Law Institute with Lewis & Clark Law School and clerked for Lane County Public Defender Services.
Sam Kubernick has been appointed as an assistant attorney general in the appellate division with the Oregon Department of Justice. Kubernick received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. Previously, Kubernick worked for a private law firm in Newberg and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Jonathan Tucker has been appointed as an assistant attorney general in the commercial, condemnation and environmental litigation section of the trial division with the Oregon Department of Justice. Tucker received his J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School. Prior to joining the department, Tucker worked for private law firms in Portland.
Steven Davis has joined the Portland office of Davis Wright Tremaine as an associate in its business transactions practice. Davis has more than seven years of business transactions experience, both as in-house corporate counsel and with two law firms. Most recently, he worked at Lattice Semiconductor Corp., in Hillsboro. Previously, he was at Davis Rasnake in Oklahoma City and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in Palo Alto, Calif.
Jon Benson was recently named executive director of the Oregon Board of Bar Examiners. He will work with the board in overseeing all facets of admission to practice law in Oregon. He previously served as administrator of the OSB’s Referral and Information Service and as a CLE seminars attorney. He has also worked with a civil litigation law firm practice in Portland and as a staff attorney for legal aid programs in Oregon and New Mexico.
Gov. Ted Kulongoski appointed Paul Frasier as Coos County district attorney, effective Jan. 1. Frasier fills the vacancy to be created by the retirement of Paul Burgett. Frasier has been the chief deputy district attorney in Coos County since 2001. He previously served as a special prosecutor and forfeiture counsel to the South Coast Inter-Agency Narcotics Team and as a deputy district attorney in Josephine County. He graduated from Willamette University College of Law in 1984.
Davis Wright Tremaine has named three attorneys from its Portland office to partnership. Ingrid Brydolf practices in health law. Jacob A. Heth focuses on business transactions. Sheila Fox Morrison practices in intellectual property and hospitality. In all, the firm named eight attorneys from four of its nine offices to partnership. For more information, visit www.dwt.com.
David H. Black has joined the Seattle office of Jackson Lewis as of counsel. He will practice and advise clients concerning complex labor and employment issues relating to compliance with equal employment, disability, leave and wage and hour laws, union and non-union disputes and many other labor law matters. In addition, Black will counsel employers trying to avoid litigation as well as represent clients being sued for discrimination, tort, and whistleblower claims and prosecute claims of employers for violations of non-compete and confidentiality agreements. Prior to joining Jackson Lewis, Black was the principal trial attorney and general counsel to corporate clients at his own firm, HR Juris, Earlier, Black practiced with Lane Powell in Portland, and firms in Michigan.
Due to the appointment of Charles M. Zennache to the Lane County Circuit Court bench, the firm formerly known as Chanti & Zennache is now known as Chanti & Middleton. Current partners in the firm are Suzanne Bradley Chanti and Jennifer J. Middleton. They were joined earlier this year by Alice Louise Warner. The firm continues to practice employment law and civil rights.
The Keizer firm of Koho & Beatty announces the appointment of Samuel E. Sears as an associate attorney. The 2004 Willamette University College of Law graduate where he served as associate editor for Willamette Law Review. He served as staff counsel for the House and Senate Judiciary Committees during the 2005 legislative session and as staff attorney for the Oregon Law Commission, where he was involved in several law improvement efforts during the 2007 legislative session. Sears’ practice will focus on estate planning, land use, immigration and representation of public officials before Oregon’s government ethics agency.
Nicholas J. Slinde has
joined Landye Bennett Blumstein as an associate. Slinde represents
developers, homeowner associations, commercial and residential
real estate brokers, owners, lenders and borrowers. He also represents
and advises clients on acquisitions, dispositions, land-use planning
and appeals, development projects, commercial leasing, construction
contracts and matters involving construction defects. Previously,
he was a regional development company’s vice president of
land acquisitions and development. From 2000 to 2004, he was with
Grenley,
Rotenberg, Evans, Bragg & Bodie in
Portland.
Steenson, Schumann, Tewksbury, Creighton & Rose announces that J. Ashlee Albies has become an associate of the firm. She will continue to represent clients in civil rights cases. She can be reached at 500 Yamhill Plaza Building, 815 S.W. Second Ave., Portland, OR 97204; phone: (503) 221-1792.
Stoel Rives has selected Robert D. Van Brocklin as the firm’s new managing partner. Van Brocklin assumed responsibilities in January, after Beth Ugoretz stepped down. As the firm’s chief executive officer, he oversees management of the firm, consisting of 11 offices in seven states, and the implementation of the firm’s strategic plan. Van Brocklin has been with the firm since 1986, first in Washington, D.C., and since 1990, in Portland. He is the leader of Stoel Rives’ resources, development and environment practice group, and his law practice includes assisting clients on land use, energy development and legislative and administrative law matters. He was instrumental in the recent opening of Stoel Rives’ Minneapolis office, expanding the firm’s renewable energy practice.
J.D. Williams, a Portland attorney specializing in energy and Indian law, has been appointed to a two-year term as an appellate judge for the Grand Ronde Tribal Court. A graduate of Lewis & Clark Law School, he will add his appellate judge duties to his current mix of Indian and energy law practice in Oregon and Washington, where he focuses on rural utility matters, renewable energy projects and business and environmental legal matters for tribal governments, tribal companies, developers and non-profits. He can be reached at (503)295-1020 and jdw-law@qwest.net.
Tonkon Torp LLP has elected three attorneys to the partnership. Christopher D. Erickson focuses his practice on intellectual property and general business matters. In addition to helping companies protect their trademarks, copyrights, patents and trade secrets, he negotiates IP license and service agreements, and advises companies on the value of their IP assets. Erickson also helps companies with issues related to their use of computers, technology and the Internet. Erickson provides pro bono legal services to and is a director of Art4Life, which benefits elementary school students. Jack Isselmann leads Tonkon Torp’s state and local government relations and public policy practice group. Previously, he founded and was principal of an Oregon-based public affairs firm. His career also includes service as deputy director of the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department. Isselmann also practiced business law as general counsel and corporate secretary for Electro Scientific Industries and as in-house counsel at Intel Corp. Tatiana A. Perry practices securities and corporate law, including mergers and acquisitions. She works with private and public companies, with special emphasis on financial institutions and money managers. A portion of her practice focuses on forming and maintaining investment funds and advising clients on matters of SEC and FINRA compliance. A graduate of Willamette University College of Law and Atkinson Graduate School of Management, Perry is a native of Russia, where she earned her undergraduate degree in 1995 from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk State Pedagogical Institute.
Gov. Ted Kulongoski has appointed Kelly Skye to serve as his general counsel. Skye has served as the governor’s deputy general counsel since 2006. Previously, she was an attorney with the Metropolitan Public Defender in Portland, where she represented clients in criminal, juvenile and related matters and participated in the management team. Skye was the legislative representative for the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association from 2003-2006. She received her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law in 1993.
After 20 years with The Standard, Larry Frank has been promoted to assistant vice president and associate counsel, ISG (individual and small group) legal. He previously worked in private practice and received his law degree from Lewis & Clark Northwestern School of Law in 1986.
Elizabeth Sloan has been promoted to second vice president, ISG (individual and small group) legal compliance for The Standard, where she has worked for 10 years. She received her law degree from Willamette University in 1995.
Dean Sandow was elected president and managing shareholder of Farleigh Witt, Portland, effective Dec. 1, 2007. Sandow has served on the firm’s executive committee, and he will continue to serve on the management committee with Brian Witt, David Ludwig and Tara Schleicher. Sandow assumes the role from Valerie Tomasi, who served for seven years.
Michael Kron has been appointed as an assistant attorney general in the opinions section of the general counsel division with the Oregon Department of Justice. Kron received his J.D. from Columbia University School of Law. Kron joined the department in September 2007, in the opinions section of the general counsel division after working in a private law firm in Alaska.
Roger DeHoog has been appointed as a senior assistant attorney general in the special litigation unit of the trial division with the Oregon Department of Justice. DeHoog received his J.D. from the University of Oregon. Prior to joining the department, DeHoog owned his own private law firm in Bend.
Xiomara Mattson has been appointed as an assistant attorney general in the torts section of the trial division with the Oregon Department of Justice. Mattson received her J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School. Previously, Mattson worked for a private firm in Portland after clerking for a judge and a private law group.
Harlan Levy has been named the Oregon state director for the National Federation of Independent Business, a small-business advocacy association, with offices in Washington, D.C., and all 50 state capitals. Levy will lead NFIB’s Oregon office and will be responsible for association management, government relations and grassroots mobilization. He has a J.D. from the Northwestern School of Law at Lewis & Clark College. He spent the past seven years as a lobbyist for the Oregon Association of Realtors. He can be reached at harlan.levy@nfib.org.
Stacy R. Owen has joined Markowitz, Herbold, Glade & Mehlhaf as an associate. Owen brings substantial experience in legislative policy, litigation and business law. Previously, she worked for the Michigan Economic Development Corp., and the Midwest law firm of Dykema Gossett. Owen will concentrate her practice on complex commercial litigation.
Angela M. Otto has
joined Stewart, Sokol & Gray as a member of the firm. Otto
is a litigation attorney with practice emphasis on the construction
industry. She regularly represents general contractors, subcontractors,
suppliers, owners, developers and design professionals.
She also has extensive experience representing sureties and insurance
companies. She can be reached at 2300 S.W. First Ave., Suite 200,
Portland, OR 97201; phone: (503) 221-0699.; website: www.lawssg.com.
Fisher & Phillips announces that Mitch Baker has been elected to partnership in the firm’s Portland office. Baker has defended a variety of employers in labor and employment law matters in both state and federal courts, as well as before state and federal agencies. He is a frequent speaker at local and regional employment law seminars and has authored deskbook chapters on federal civil litigation and civil trial procedure for the Oregon State Bar.
Phil Bender, an associate with K&L Gates’ environmental, land use and natural resources practice group, has transferred from Portland to the firm’s Pittsburgh office. He continues to represent clients in the Pacific Northwest and beyond, on a wide range of environmental, regulatory, permitting and litigation matters. Prior to joining Preston Gates & Ellis (which merged with Kirkpatrick & Lockhart in 2007 to become K&L Gates), he served as an assistant attorney general with the trial division of the Oregon Department of Justice for more than seven years. He can be reached at (412) 355-6464 or at phil.bender@klgates.com.
Craig O. West has moved his office to 4004 Kruse Way Place, Suite 200, Lake Oswego, OR 97035; phone: (503) 496-5505; fax: (503) 495-5510. The e-mail address remains craigowest@msn.com.
Christopher Lombard has left the practice of law to assume duties as legal editor for Portland-based Business Valuation Resources, a specialized business-to-business publisher, with a focus on the valuation and business appraisal industry. In this position, Lombard will oversee all legal content for a variety of BVR’s publications.
Adam S. Gamboa has
joined Harrang Long Gary Rudnick as an associate with the firm’s
real estate and government practice groups. His practice focuses
on advising public entities, private entities and individuals,
on matters relating to real estate law, public law and business
law. He is a member of the City Club of Portland, the Urban Land
Institute, the Oregon Minority Lawyers Association and the Multnomah
Bar Association, where he serves on the Young Lawyers Section membership
committee. Gamboa also serves as a volunteer attorney
with the Community Development Law Center.
Kirk W. Smith, a real estate attorney with more than 20 years of experience in all aspects of real estate, finance, redevelopment and business transactional law, has joined Ater Wynne as of counsel in the firm’s real estate and finance group. He works with local and international real estate developers, national manufacturers and small private companies, foundations, and school districts to resolve issues, negotiate complex transactions and contracts, and develop financing solutions. He is licensed in Oregon, California and Washington, D.C.
Swanson, Lathen, Alexander and McCann announces the addition of Travis Prestwich as a shareholder in the firm. Prestwich was a law clerk with the firm and then joined as an associate when he graduated from Willamette University School of Law in 2000. His practice will continue to emphasize personal injury litigation.
Arnold, Gallagher, Saydack, Percell, Roberts & Potter announces that Andrew P. Parks has become a shareholder with the firm. Since joining the firm in 2003, Parks’ practice has focused on commercial litigation, employment and real estate disputes. He attended the University of Oregon School of Law and received his J.D. in 2002. Parks is a member of the Oregon Association of Defense Counsel and a member of several non-profit organizations, including The First Tee of Willamette Valley and the Crescent Meadows Homeowners Association.
Ball Janik welcomes three new attorneys to the firm’s Portland office. Aaron R. Harmon has joined the firm’s real estate practice area. He received his J.D. degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Harmon was editor in chief of the North Carolina Journal of Law & Technology, where he is currently a member of the board of advisers, and was recognized by the North Carolina Bar Association for his commitment to pro bono service. Melissa A. Peterson has joined the firm’s commercial litigation practice area. Peterson taught high school French in rural North Carolina through Teach for America before attending law school. She earned her J.D. degree from the University of Oregon School of Law, where she was the symposium editor of the Journal of Environmental Law & Litigation. Thorkild G. Tingey joins the firm’s land use practice area. Tingey earned his J.D. degree from Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College. He was the current materials editor of the school’s law review, Environmental Law.
J. Matthew Donohue has become a shareholder with Markowitz, Herbold, Glade & Mehlhaf. He joined the law firm as an associate in 2006, after moving to Oregon from New York. He concentrates his practice in the area of complex commercial litigation and has represented Fortune 500 companies in a variety of matters, including litigation in antitrust, securities, class actions, intellectual property and contract disputes, and he recently has begun investigations into a number of national and international price-fixing cartels.
Todd A. Lyon, formerly with Reid, Pedersen, McCarthy & Ballew, Seattle, has recently joined the Lake Oswego firm of Williams, Zografos & Peck, as special counsel. He will represent employers in labor and employment law disputes and labor negotiations, as well as general preventive labor relations. He received his J.D., from Hamline University School of Law and is admitted to practice in Washington and Oregon.
Cynthia Easterday has joined the McMinnville law firm of Haugeberg, Rueter, Gowell, Fredricks, Higgins & McKeegan. She joins the firm’s civil litigation group. Easterday served as a prosecutor for more than 15 years in the Yamhill County district attorney’s office until 2006. She primarily litigated violent felony crimes including a death penalty case. Recently, she worked as assistant general counsel at the Oregon State Bar. Her duties included reviewing and investigating ethical complaints about lawyer conduct, providing ethics advice to lawyers, and speaking to lawyers about the mandatory child abuse reporting law.
Conkling, Fiskum & McCormick, a Portland-based public affairs and public relations firm, has named Drew Hagedorn as a new partner. Hagedorn represents clients before the Oregon legislature and local governments, and he is a major contributor to CFM’s e-letter, CFM Insider Online. He also works on ballot measure campaigns and public relations projects involving issues management. Hagedorn joined CFM in 2002, serving as the firm’s Oregon public affairs manager and general counsel.
The firm of Jeanne Smith & Associates has relocated. The new street address is 104 S.W. Second St., Corvallis, OR 97333. The mailing address (P.O. Box 830) and phone number ((541) 752-6416) are unchanged. Attorneys Jeanne Smith, Nadine Davison, Jay Faulconer, Justin Wirth and John Dezzani continue to advise clients on business law, estate planning and administration, real estate, construction law and adoptions at their new location.
Kari L. Stephens (formerly Kari L. Oakes) was recently named a partner in the Las Vegas law firm of Solomon, Dwiggins & Freer. Stephens specializes in probate and trust administration, business law and litigation, particularly in relation to estates and trusts. Stephens earned her law degree from Willamette University College of Law in 1997.
Scott Leonard announces the opening of his new office in Portland. A graduate of Lewis & Clark Law School, Leonard’s practice focuses on representing small businesses and individuals in the areas of: business transactions and litigation; family and estate law; tax and bankruptcy law; and criminal defense. He welcomes new clients as well as contract work from other attorneys at 520 S.W. Sixth Ave., Suite 600, Portland, OR 97204; phone: (503) 222-0722; website: www.scottleonardlaw.com.
Miller Nash announces the election of Don Burns as the firm’s new managing partner. His four-year term began Jan. 1. Burns will continue to maintain his principal client relationships. This change in leadership allows former managing partner Tom Sand to return to litigation law practice full time. Burns joined the firm in 1973, and has served in many management roles over the years. He has headed the firm’s employee benefits team for many years and has served multiple terms on the firm’s executive committee, which is responsible for setting firm policy, oversight and strategic direction. Burns’ new role as managing partner will focus on representing the firm in the business and legal community, as well as internal management issues related to the firm’s strategic direction, policies and personnel issues.
Hogan & Hartson announces that Peter Meza has been appointed to counsel, effective Jan. 1. Meza’s legal practice focuses on intellectual property matters for U.S. and international semiconductor and high technology electronics clients. He received his J.D. in 1987 from Lewis & Clark Law School. He earned his M.S.E.E. in 1979 from Southern Methodist University and his B.S.E.E. in 1975 from Lehigh University.
Dunn Carney announce that Anne D. Foster, Elizabeth E. Howard and Kyle J. Stinchfield have become partners in the firm, effective Jan. 1. Foster specializes in civil litigation with an emphasis on business disputes, physical injury and professional malpractice. In addition to counseling clients in ways to protect their interests and avoid protracted litigation, she has handled numerous matters on a cost-effective basis through arbitration and trial. Howard practices environmental, natural resources and agricultural law. She regularly represents her clients in federal and state courts, in negotiations with administrative agencies and in administrative proceedings at the state and federal level. She is the leader of the firm’s agriculture/natural resources team and environmental team. Stinchfield focuses his practice on corporate business matters and federal business and real estate tax matters. His federal tax practice involves a broad range of business tax matters, with particular emphasis on the federal tax aspects of transactions of corporations, partnerships and limited liability companies. His corporate business practice involves advising clients on entity selection, formation and operational issues, drafting and negotiating agreements for the purchase/ sale of businesses, shareholder agreements, employment agreements and stock option plans.
Davis Wright Tremaine partner Milton R. Stewart has returned from his one-year leave of absence spent as special counsel to AIG Corp. in New York, one of the 20 largest corporations in the world. During the past year, Stewart reported to AIG’s executive vice president and general counsel in the company’s New York headquarters. His role as special counsel focused on helping AIG manage and evaluate its worldwide outside legal relationships. Stewart’s 36-year legal practice has focused on corporate finance transactions. In addition to returning to his transactional practice, Stewart will return to his position as the firm’s client relations partner.
John Dezzani has joined Jeanne Smith & Associates in Corvallis where he will continue to practice in the areas of business law and estate planning. He is a certified financial planner and previously worked as a financial adviser for Merrill Lynch. Dezzani also served five years on active duty with the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps. He received his J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law in 1995, and served as an editor for the Journal of Environmental Law and Litigation. He can be reached at 104 S.W. Second St., Corvallis, OR 97333; phone: (541) 752-6416; e-mail: jdezzani@smithlaworegon.com.
Greg D. Corbin has been promoted as principal in the Portland office of Stoel Rives. He is a member of the firm’s resources, development and environment practice group and of the forest industries and renewable energy team. He represents private and public interests on regulatory strategies, major project permitting, and natural resource-related transactions. Many of his clients have interests in Oregon’s Klamath River Basin on matters concerning water rights adjudication and regulatory matters. Corbin holds a master of forest science degree, and he writes and speaks frequently on issues affecting the forest products industry and forest landowners.
Garvey Schubert Barer announces that the 2008 management committee members have been selected for the Portland office. Attorneys Stephen J. Connolly, Christine P. Brown and Eric A. Lindenauer will continue to serve on the Portland management committee. Connolly will also serve as managing director of the office. In addition, attorneys Robert C. Weaver and Larry J. Brant have been elected to serve on the firm-wide executive committee for 2008.
Joel Shapiro has joined the Washington, D.C., staff of Sen. Ron Wyden as counsel for judiciary, foreign affairs, immigration, elections, labor, education and nanotechnology issues. He previously served as a Multnomah County deputy district attorney and as political outreach director for the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association.
Corvallis lawyer V. Thompson Snyder died April 25, 2007, after a three year struggle with prostate cancer. He was 75.
Thompson was born Feb. 27, 1932, in Omaha, Neb., and attended schools there. He earned a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Nebraska in 1953. After service as a second lieutenant in the Military Police Corps from 1953 to 1955, he enrolled in the University of Nebraska College of Law, where he was executive editor of the Nebraska Law Review and member of the school’s winning moot court team. After graduating in 1958, he and his new wife moved to Oregon, where he joined the OSB and was hired as deputy legislative counsel for the state. He practiced briefly in Newport and Eugene before moving to Corvallis.
Hodges was a special instructor in the law in decedents’ estates at the University of Oregon School of Law in 1962, and an assistant professor of business administration at Oregon State University from 1962 to 1976. Earlier, in 1963, he earned a master of law degree in taxation from the New York University School of Law. He practiced in Corvallis until his retirement in 1991.
Hodges was a well-known figure in estate planning law. He served as chair and vice chair of the OSB Estate Planning and Administration Section and also as chair of the OSB Committee on Trust Legislation. He was a member of the Oregon Estate Planning Council, Eugene chapter, and served on its board of directors. He was a past president of the Benton County Bar Association.
In Corvallis, he was a charger trustee of the Good Samaritan Hospital Foundation (serving a term as president) and as a trustee and president of the Benton County Foundation, among many other civic activities.
He is survived by his wife, Janet, and their three daughters.
Charles Edward (Ted) Hodges Jr., died in October 2007. He was 76.
Hodges was born March 9, 1931, in Portland. He attended Cathedral, Columbia Prep, St. Martin’s College and Northwestern School of Law. He practiced law for 50 years and retired just one year prior to his death. An avid sports enthusiast, he especially enjoyed coaching his children’s teams. Most of his last years were spent at his Surf Pines beach house.
Survivors include his seven children.
Retired OSB member Robert J. Groce died Sept. 22, 2007, at age 84.
Groce was born April 9, 1923, in Portland. He graduated from Grant High School. During World War II, he served in a patrol bombing squadron in the Navy. A graduate of Northwestern School of Law, he was an attorney with a private practice. In 1960, he married Shirley A. Flook.
Survivors include his wife; a daughter and two sons.
Long-time Medford lawyer and former OSB president Kent Blackhurst died Dec. 31, 2007.
Blackhurst was born in Burley, Idaho, in 1922, and grew up in Pocatello, Idaho. After high school, he moved to Washington, D.C., to attend George Washington University. On Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941, while attending a Redskins-Eagles football game, he learned of the attack on Pearl Harbor and America’s entry into World War II. Shortly thereafter, he joined the U.S. Navy.
After boot camp and several short stints in the South Pacific, the Navy sent him to Officers’ Candidate School at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota. There, he met a young coed named Marilyn Eastlund, who later became his wife. After two semesters at Gustavus, he was sent to the Harvard School of Business, where he graduated from Mid-Shipman’s School. After becoming an officer, he served again in the Pacific. When the war ended, Blackhurst returned to Minnesota to marry Marilyn. They were married for more than 61 years, until Marilyn’s death last February.
After receiving his undergraduate degree from Gustavus Adolphus, Blackhurst moved his young family to Eugene where he attended law school at the University of Oregon. He received his law degree in 1950, and moved later that year to Medford, where he practiced law for more than 50 years, specializing in business law and estate planning. In semi-retirement then from the general practice of law, Blackhurst served as of counsel to the Medford firm of Hornecker, Cowling, Hassen & Heysell. In 2000, the OSB honored him for his 50 years in the profession.
He was active in Oregon bar activities and enjoyed getting to know lawyers from around the state. He served on the Oregon State Bar’s Board of Bar Examiners (1964-67) and the state bar’s Board of Governors (1969-71). He was president of the Jackson County Bar Association in 1967and was president of Oregon State Bar in 1971.
In addition to practicing law, Blackhurst loved sports. He loved to play golf, and claimed to be the junior champion of Pocatello. Remarkably, when there was a small wager involved, his golf game seemed to improve dramatically. He also liked to play tennis, snow ski, water ski, hunt and fish with his family and friends. He also played countless games of "Liar’s Dice" with his good friends at the Rogue Valley Country Club.
He is survived by two brothers, his four children, and four grandchildren.
OSB member Deborah Posen Hill of Santa Fe, N.M., formerly of Eugene, died Jan. 6, 2008, in an accidental drowning at her home. She was 48.
She was born June 30, 1959, in Encino, Calif., to Harlan Posen and Linda Mindell Merriam. She married Ben Hill on Feb. 14, 1993, in Sherman Oaks, Calif. She held a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Santa Cruz and a bachelor of fine arts degree in painting and a law degree, both from the University of Oregon. She was an assistant professor at Santa Fe Community College. She previously worked as an attorney in private and public practices, including work as an attorney in Eugene for several years.
Posen Hill was an artist who worked in multimedia, including collage and fiber art, and had an art studio at her home. She also enjoyed hiking and traveling. She and her husband lived and taught in Japan for a time and had traveled together through Asia and Europe. They also taught at a school on the Navajo Reservation in northeastern Arizona.
However, the main thing Ben Hill said he’d remember about his wife was her endless intellectual curiosity. "She was a fantastic lifelong learner," he told the Santa Fe newspaper, The New Mexican. "I loved to talk about books and ideas with her. She was always into something new. It seems like she never stopped taking classes." At the time of her death, she had been learning Spanish.
Survivors include her husband; their son, her parents, a grandfather, a sister and a brother.