| Oregon State Bar Bulletin — OCTOBER 2008 |
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The Oregon chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association will honor Portland lawyers Stephen Manning, Jessica Boell and Jennifer Rotman, all of the Portland’s Immigrant Law Group, with this year’s Gerald H. Robinson Excellence in Advocacy Award. This award is given annually to an Oregon AILA member in recognition of tireless and outstanding advocacy of immigrant rights. The award will be presented at a dinner and program Oct. 25 at the Melody Ballroom in Portland. For dinner information or for tickets, visit www.ailaoregon.com or contact Julie Krull, (503) 224-3031, juliekrull@yahoo.com, or Allison Mosher, (503) 224-8600, allison@visaoregon.com.
The Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association has elected new officers for the 2008-09 membership year. They are: Gregory J. Hazarabedian, Public Defender Services of Lane County, Eugene, president; Joseph G. Maier, Southern Oregon Public Defender, Grants Pass, vice president; and Russell S. Barnett III, Squires & Lopez, Portland, secretary.
Newport lawyer Michele Longo Eder is the author of a new book, Salt in Our Blood: The Memoir of a Fisherman’s Wife. The work began in December 2000, when she began to keep a journal of daily life as a fisherman’s wife. One year later, her oldest son died when the vessel F/F Nesika capsized at sea while setting gear for Dungeness crab. Three other men also perished. She writes: "I continued to keep a journal of our life for the year after — what it was like to face the pain of their deaths, as well as dealing with Coast Guard investigations and insurance company lawyers." The journal was put aside for a number of years, but it has since been edited and published by Dancing Moon Press. Eder invites bar members to take a glimpse of her book at the website www.saltinourblood.com.
Gov. Ted Kulongoski reappointed Steven B. Ungar, Lane Powell shareholder, to the Oregon State Lottery Commission, effective Nov. 22. Ungar is chair of Lane Powell’s white collar criminal defense and regulatory compliance practice, emphasizing white collar criminal defense, regulatory compliance, response to federal and state agency investigations and all aspects of professional licensing. He is also a member of the firm’s long term care and senior housing industry team, where his focus is health-care fraud and abuse (Medicare and Medicaid), internal investigations and compliance programs.
Brendan Dummigan, partner at the Portland firm of Pickett Dummigan Aguilar, has been selected to serve as a consulting attorney to the Mexican Consulate on civil matters. Dummigan has worked with the consulate on issues involving individual interests of Mexican nationals whose loved ones have been involved in catastrophic accidents. For 15 years, he has represented primarily Mexican nationals in civil matters in state and federal courts in Oregon and Washington.
Román D. Hernández, a shareholder with Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, was recently elected president-elect of the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA). a non-profit national membership organization representing more than 100,000 attorneys and legal professionals and students in the United States and Puerto Rico. In 2005, Hernández was selected by the HNBA as "Regional President of the Year" out of the 19 regional presidents across the country. Hernández will assume position in September 2009 and serve a one-year term.
The American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, China, has named Davis Wright Tremaine China practice partner Ron Cai as the chair of its legal committee. Cai, the partner-in-charge of the firm’s Shanghai office, has been practicing international law with a focus on foreign investment in China for the past 20 years. He has experience representing global clients in transactional and litigation matters in the areas of corporate and business law, and is a frequent author and speaker on Chinese and American business matters, ranging from international intellectual property issues to contract negotiations, and international mergers and acquisitions.
Jan Kitchel, a shareholder in the Portland office of Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, was inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers at its recent meeting in Toronto, Ontario. Kitchel, a trial lawyer, has been with Schwabe for more than 30 years. He is a member of the firm’s litigation department. Founded in 1950, the college is dedicated to maintaining and improving the standards of trial practice, the administration of justice and the ethics of the profession. No more than one percent of the lawyers in any state are allowed as members.
Catherine Brinkman, an associate in the Portland office of Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, was recently appointed as chair of the Ambassador Board of DoveLewis, a non-profit emergency animal hospital in Portland. Brinkman focuses her practice in the areas of construction and commercial litigation. Brinkman formerly served as president of the Multnomah Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section and as a land use planning commissioner. Brinkman has served as board’s secretary since 2007.
Nicole Hancock, a business litigation attorney, has returned to the Boise office of Stoel Rives. Previously she served as corporate counsel for Syngenta Seeds Inc., a global agriculture company, where she managed the legal department for its vegetable seeds business. She serves on the board of directors for Idaho Women Lawyers and is on the Fourth District Bar Association’s Law Day committee. She is admitted to the state bars of Idaho and Oregon, the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.
Lewis Barr has joined, Fios Inc., an electronic discovery management service provider, as corporate counsel. Barr was previously general counsel of New Edge Networks, a data telecommunications provider based in Vancouver, Wash. Prior to that, he worked as an attorney with Morgenstein & Jubelirer, now part of Schiff Hardin, in San Francisco. At Fios, Barr will provide legal leadership, strategic advice and compliance guidance to the company.
Janice L. Mackey has joined Hutchinson, Cox, Coons, DuPriest, Orr & Sherlock in Eugene. Mackey’s practice focuses on business transactions, choice of entity, business succession planning, real property transactions and all facets of estate planning. Mackey is a frequent lecturer on business and estate planning issues. She serves on the board of the Eugene Springfield Tax Association and is a member of the Lane County Economic Development Standing Committee. She can be reached at (541) 686-9160 or jmackey@eugene-law.com.
Beery, Elsner & Hammond announces that Matthew J. Michel, a three-year associate with the firm, has accepted a position with the firm’s client, Canby Utility Board, as assistant general manager. In his new role, he will provide policy and legal analysis to the utility’s board and staff and oversee utility projects.
The Portland office of Fisher & Phillips has added Laura Jordan as an associate. Jordan has prior experience working on employment law, contract law, creditors’ rights and lender liability. At Fisher & Phillips, she will represent management in all aspects of employment law, including discrimination, retaliation, and wage and hour claims.
After more than 15 years in the Pioneer Trust Bank building, estate and legacy planning attorney and Salem native Eden Rose Brown has purchased the former Salem Legal Group building on the corner of Liberty and Bush streets in south Salem. After a year-long remodel, the Law Office of Eden Rose Brown recently moved into the landmark building. The new facility includes a Strategic Learning Center, which incorporates the latest in teleconferencing capabilities and presentation technology, designed to maximize space and technology for public education and professional development through tele-seminars and workshops for professional advisors, clients and the community. The firm encourages local nonprofit agencies to use the space without charge. For more information, call (503) 581-1800 or visit www.EdenRoseBrown.com.
Bullivant Houser Bailey has added Robin Springer as an associate to its commercial litigation practice group. Springer will practice in the firm’s Portland office. Prior to joining the firm, she was a deputy district attorney for the Multnomah County district attorney’s office. She earned her J.D. from the Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College and is admitted to practice law in Oregon.
Erin K. Olson has relocated her practice. The Law Office of Erin Olson, P.C. is now located at 2014 N.E. Broadway St., Portland, OR 97232. Her phone and fax numbers have not changed; phone: (503) 546-3150; fax: (503) 548-4435; e-mail: eolson@erinolsonlaw.com.
Buchanan Angeli Altschul & Sullivan, a seven attorney employment law boutique firm, announces its opening. The new firm will provide employment litigation services and counseling to select businesses and individuals, and will also serve as mediators and provide workplace training. Paul Buchanan was formerly a partner at Stoel Rives and for more than five years served as chair of that firm’s multi-office labor & employment group. He has extensive jury trial experience and also serves as a mediator of employment law disputes, and provides counseling on employment law issues. Courtney Angeli was formerly a partner at Stoel Rives and former vice chair of Stoel Rives’ business services group. She has extensive experience litigating employment law matters, as well as providing counseling and training to employers. She is the president of the Oregon chapter of the Federal Bar Association. Andrew Altschul practiced at Seyfarth Shaw in Chicago, Ill., and Stoel Rives for almost 10 years before opening his own employment law boutique firm four years ago. Altschul’s practice includes representing both employers and employees in all aspects of employment disputes as well as mediation services and ERISA benefit litigation on behalf of plans. He just finished serving as the chair of the Oregon Board of Bar Examiners. Dana L. Sullivan has represented individuals in employment and civil rights litigation for nearly 15 years. Sullivan currently serves as the chair of the OSB Federal Practice and Procedure Committee and is a member of the executive board of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association and is scheduled to assume the role of president in 2009. Sullivan was formerly a partner at McKanna, Bishop, Joffe and Sullivan. In addition to the founding partners, the firm has added three lawyers as of counsel: Dan Grinfas was formerly of counsel to the labor and employment group at Stoel Rives and served as lead program coordinator with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries Technical Assistance for Employers program. He counsels employers and conducts management and employee training in a variety of employment-related areas, including wage and hour and family medical leave laws, and represents employers before administrative agencies including BOLI and the EEOC. Robin Bowerfind practiced previously with Venable LLP in Baltimore, Md., and more recently at Stoel Rives in Portland; she has over a decade of employment law experience. Her practice includes handling all phases of litigation and counseling clients on a variety of employment issues. Kristine Lambert has almost 15 years of experience representing clients in all aspects of employment law. She was a partner in Shahri and Lambert, and prior to that worked as in-house counsel with Federal Express Corp. For the past three years, Lambert has had a solo practice focusing on employment law. Her litigation practice emphasizes discrimination, harassment and retaliation claims.
Salem attorney Anna Braun has joined Bill Taylor as counsel for the House and Senate Judiciary committees at the Oregon Legislature. In addition to her duties as staff for the Oregon Tort Claims Task Force, Braun will be focusing on civil law issues.
Daniel R. Webert has joined Ball Janik as an associate in the firm’s commercial litigation practice group. His practice emphasizes residential and commercial construction litigation and the representation of homeowners’ associations. Webert’s litigation experience includes participation in numerous multi-million dollar construction defect cases. He also has experience in other construction and construction-related areas including lien, product liability and design professional claims.
In August, Courtney Johnson began work as Crag Law Center’s newest staff attorney. Crag is a public interest environmental law center that provides support to citizens and communities in the Pacific Northwest. Johnson is responsible for Crag’s role in the Coastal Law Project; her work will focus primarily on land use and water quality issues on the Oregon coast. The 2007 Lewis & Clark law school graduate clerked for Superior Court Judge Trevor N. Stephens in Ketchikan, Alaska, prior to joining the firm.
Saalfeld Griggs announces that Caleb Williams has become a shareholder of the firm. His practice is focused on business and corporate law, including business sales and acquisitions, business formation and maintenance, and trademark and copyright law. He is involved in the Salem community and currently serves as chair of the board of the Willamette chapter of the American Red Cross.
Vincent P. Cacciottoli has joined Garvey Schubert Barer as an owner in the Portland office and will head the firm’s employee benefits and executive compensation practice group. Cacciottoli, a fellow in the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel, offers more than 30 years of experience counseling employers in navigating through the complex laws that impact the design, implementation, operation and termination of employee benefit and executive compensation plans. A recognized authority in his field, he serves as an adviser to boards, committees, trustees and key executives of private and public companies, financial institutions, tax-exempt organizations (including associations and churches) and governmental entities.
Michael J. Sweeney, one of the nation’s most recognized certified alcohol and drug counselors, who once was dubbed "the original lawyer in transition," died Sept. 20, 2008, at St. Vincent Hospital in Portland after battling Pick’s disease. He was 59.
Sweeney was credited with helping countless Oregon State Bar members and family members, shepherding addicts into recovery and encouraging them to attend 12-step meetings. Many have testified privately or publicly that he helped save their careers, and in many cases their lives.
Sweeney was born June 2, 1949, in Chicago, the son of Jerry and O.V. (Tiny) Harris Sweeney. He was raised in Butte, Mont., Ontario, Ore., and Grants Pass, before the family settled in Heppner where he graduated from high school in 1967. Sweeney then attended the University of Oregon, where he graduated in three and a half years. He also attended colleges in Europe and Russia before entering Gonzaga University School of Law, where he graduated in 1975. He was admitted to the Oregon State Bar in 1976 and worked in a private law practice in Heppner from 1976 to 1983. From 1983 to 1989 he served as CEO and corporate counsel for a Portland advertising company.
In 1989, he began his work with the Oregon Attorney Assistance Program (OAAP), where he spent the last 18 years working with lawyers and their families in recovery, facilitating interventions, organizing support groups and providing empathy and guidance. During this period of time, Sweeney became certified as an employee assistance professional (CEAP) and an alcohol and drug counselor III (CADC III). Using his life experience, counseling education, and heart, he helped Oregon become one of the first lawyer assistance programs in the country to offer a wide range of services, including a "lawyer in transition" program. Sweeney worked as an OAAP attorney counselor until sometime in 2007, when he took the position of attorney counselor adviser.
Sweeney served as president of the board of the local Columbia River chapter of the Employee Assistance Professionals Association and as president of the board of the Oregon Council on Alcoholism and Drug Addiction. In 1993, he co-founded the Oregon Partnership, a statewide nonprofit organization that helps communities prevent and reduce substance abuse through treatment referrals and education. He served on the Partnership’s board from 1993 to 1997 and received the Oregon Partnership Leadership Award in 2001.
Sweeney also served as chair of the Governor’s Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs (council member from 1996 to 2000), advising the governor and the legislature on funding priorities for programs related to alcohol and drug abuse. He also served on the Governor’s Underage Drinking Task Force, was involved in the State Incentive Cooperative Agreement project to reduce the use of alcohol and drugs among youth, and served on a council for comprehensive legislation creating a support system for at-risk children and their families.
Nationally known for his work in the field of recovery and lawyer assistance programs, Sweeney helped to establish and improve many lawyer assistance programs in other states. He served from 2001 to 2003 on the ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs and on the commission’s assistance program evaluation subcommittee. He also served on the ABA Standing Committee on Substance Abuse since 2004, providing testimony to a Congressional caucus on recovery, and helping to introduce an ABA policy opposing discrimination against people seeking treatment or recovering from alcoholism or other drug diseases.
Sweeney was an avid golfer and tried to play as many of the courses around Oregon as possible. He started the Jeff Turner Memorial Scholarship Fund after losing his good friend and golf teammate. Following his diagnosis with Pick’s Disease, Sweeney’s name was added to the scholarship fund, which is distributed through The Oregon Community Foundation; it is for graduating seniors of Ione and Heppner schools. He was a proud Oregon Duck fan and was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity at the University of Oregon. He also enjoyed fly-fishing and tying his own flies. He had a great love for Morrow County history where he was involved in many activities.
He is survived by two daughters, a sister and four brothers, three granddaughters, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Longtime Portland lawyer Jack L. Hoffman died July 3, 2008 at age 85.
Hoffman was born in 1922 and lived his entire life in Portland. He spent his early life on a family houseboat moored on the Willamette River. The family later moved to Northeast Portland, where he attended Beaumont and Ockley Green schools. He graduated from Grant High School in 1940, where he played soccer, was on the track team and managed the varsity football team. The family built a vacation cabin on Camp Creek near Zig Zag, the Linger Longer Lodge, where he spent many happy days hiking and fishing.
College at Linfield was interrupted by service in the Army Air Corps during World War II. Hoffman was sent to communications school at Yale. Subsequently he completed a pre-meteorology course at Reed College. He was then commissioned as a second lieutenant and served in the Pacific Theater. After the war he remained in the reserves, serving in the JAG corps during the Korean War and retired as a major in the U.S. Air Force. In 1946 he finished his bachelor’s degree from Linfield; he received his law degree from the University of Oregon, where he was a member of Phi Alpha Delta law fraternity. He was admitted to the Oregon State Bar in 1949. His first job was with the Oregon Statute Revision Council, his task to read every Oregon statute and assign it to its logical chapter. "It was quite a chore," he once said, "but kind of interesting. As a young lawyer, that made me one of the only two people who had read all of the state laws that were in effect at the time."
In 1950, he joined the law firm of Pendergrass, Spackman & Bullivant. He was made a partner and for many years the firm was Bullivant, Houser, Bailey, Pendergrass & Hoffman. His area of practice was insurance law with emphasis on life, health, disability and professional liability. He argued several cases before the Oregon Supreme Court. He was a 50-year member of the Oregon State Bar and was past chair of the legal ethics committee. He also served as a member of the disciplinary board and was a chairman of the judicial selection committee for the Multnomah County Bar Association.
He married Louise Montag and they had two sons. While devoting time to his family, he also found time, energy and leadership for many community and national organizations. He served the Portland Rotary Club with distinction and was a Paul Harris fellow. He was a member of the Portland Lang Syne Society. The Oregon chapter of the American Lung Association became one of his primary interests; he was chapter president from 1969-1971 and dedicated 26 years of service as a board member. He was elected to the national board, serving two terms between 1963 and1991, and became national president in 1975. During that time he was invited to the White House by President Gerald Ford to honor young Christmas Seal artists.
In 1981, he married Lynne Parks. Her enthusiasm expanded his cultural interests, and they were members of the Asian Art Council of the Portland Art Museum and the Portland Japanese Garden Society. They traveled extensively, but were particularly fascinated by the Galapagos Islands, Cuba and taking an exotic trip from Bangkok to Singapore on the Eastern and Orient Express. Along the way they developed an appreciation for learning about wine, so their travels took them to wine regions in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, California and Washington. He served as an officer in the Oregon chapter of the Knights of the Vine and as a member of the Oregon chapter of the Confrerie des Vignerons de Saint Vincent Macon.
In addition to his wife, Lynne, he is survived by two sons and two granddaughters.
Suzanne C. Powell died July 21, 2008 at Providence Hospital in Anchorage, Alaska. She was 41.
Powell was born in Salzburg, Austria, in 1966 and was raised in Portland. She graduated Vassar College in 1988. From there, she joined the Peace Corps and was sent to Tonga, where she met her husband and with whom she had two daughters. She graduated University of Oregon School of Law magna cum laude. She passed the foreign service examination and was invited to train in Washington, D.C., but the events of 9/11 gave her pause for the safety of her family, leading her instead in 2003 to join her twin sister in the Alaska district attorney’s office as a prosecutor.
Foremost, she loved spending family time with her daughters, camping and subsistence activities with them, such as dip-netting and gardening were among her favorites. She had a quick wit, ready smile and warm heart. She enjoyed her work with law enforcement and took immense satisfaction in helping to protect the people of Alaska.
She is survived by husband, two daughters, sisters, brothers, mother, father, nieces and nephew.
Alva Granquist Treadgold, one of twin girls born in Oregon on March 20, 1924, died Aug. 22, 2008. She was 84.
Her parents were Swedish immigrants. She graduated from the University of Oregon in pre-law and economics and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. While an undergraduate, Treadgold served as president of her sorority, Sigma Kappa, and as president of the senior class. She graduated first in her class at the University of Oregon Law School and was one of four student editors of the law review.
On graduation weekend, she met Donald W. Treadgold, a captain in army intelligence in World War II who was headed to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. She passed the Oregon bar exam, but married Don and moved to England. He was a professor of Russian history at the University of Washington for more than 40 years.
Treadgold served as president of the U.W. faculty auxiliary and was a co-founder of the U.W. Retirement Association. She was proud of her role in successful lobbying efforts in Olympia to create pensions for retirees and spouses. She was also president of the PTA and served on the board of the Seattle YWCA. When her youngest child was in high school, she passed the Washington bar exam and accepted the newly created position of paralegal manager at the Lane Powell. During her 10 years there, the firm’s pool of paralegals grew from 36 to 90.
She is survived by her three children and foster daughter. Her husband, Don, died in 1994 of leukemia.
Former Portland construction lawyer Jeffrey B. Wilkinson died Sept. 1, 2008. He was 47.
Jeffrey Brian Wilkinson was born Nov.11, 1960 in Baker City and spent his childhood in Colorado. He was a remarkably smart young man who chose to finish high school by earning a GED. He spent most of the next couple of years skiing in Colorado, generally living the life of a ski bum, but soon realized he had better get an education. He graduated from Metropolitan State University in Denver in 1986 with a degree in political science and then from Willamette University College of Law in 1989. He was licensed to practice law in Oregon, Washington and the District of Columbia.
In 1994, he married Jean Underhill of Dufur. She survives, along with their three children.
For 20 years he represented large construction contractors across the country and was respected in his chosen line of work. His booming baritone voice left no doubt as to who was going to prevail. (If his deep voice didn’t intimidate the opposition, his incredible vocabulary did; he sent more than one person in search of a dictionary). He had many other talents that were not as well known: he was considered a talented woodworker, carpenter and cook. His fascination with technology led him to one of his favorite hobbies, flying. He was licensed to fly both fixed wing aircraft and helicopters. He found absolute joy when flying a helicopter.
In 2005, Wilkinson decided to leave the high-powered world as a partner in a Portland law firm to spend more time with his family. He moved to Dufur to try his hand in his wife’s family farming business. Over the next few years he moved away from farming and managed construction projects and began representing locals in their legal matters.
Former Oregon attorney John N. Harp Jr. died Sept.5, 2008 in Vancouver, Wash.
Harp was born Aug. 27, 1948 in Portland. He served in the United States Air Force from 1966 to 1970 and was an alumni of Portland State University. He graduated from Willamette University Law School in 1986 and had been in private practice in Oregon and Washington since 1993. Prior to establishing his own practice, he worked as a deputy for the Multnomah County sheriff’s department and as a prosecutor for the Marion County district attorney’s office.
Survivors include his wife, Angela, a son, two granddaughters, his mother and father, and a sister.
North Bend lawyer James L. Wiley, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army who was serving as member of the 27th Brigade Combat Team of the New York Army National Guard, died of noncombat injuries on Sept. 18, 2008 while serving in Afghanistan. He was 46.
Wiley was born and raised in the coastal community of North Bend and graduated from North Bend High School in 1979. He received a degree in marketing and management from the University of Oregon. He had planned to become an international clothing buyer but opted for law school when he realized he didn’t care for the travel.
His law degree from Willamette University School of Law in 1991 led to a posting with the government as a military attorney in Germany. The government asked him to stay as chief legal counsel and he agreed. About a year ago, Wiley decided to become a soldier again for a final tour of duty.
While serving in Afghanistan, Wiley became known for his humanitarian work with local children. He collected clothing and candy to distribute to them. Members of his mother’s church, Holy Redeemer Catholic Church of North Bend, made hats, scarves and gloves, sending them to her son to distribute. He also organized clothing drives through the Oregon State Bar and OSB staff, and often sent pictures to the organization of him and the children he befriended.
According to his mother, Ruth Wiley of North Bend, "Afghanistan made him a new person. He said he had found the new Jim over there. He was really learning a lot from these children."
Before his service with the New York Army National Guard, Wiley served in 1986 with the Oregon National Guard A Company, Second Battalion, 162nd Infantry, and later with Troop E of the 116th Calvary in Woodburn.
He is survived by his wife, Theresa, three daughters, and his parents, Ruth and James L. Wiley Sr.