Vaden Francisco Jr., an associate in the Eugene office of Harrang Long Gary Rudnick, was recently appointed to the Eugene Airport Advisory Committee. Francisco is a business and estate planning attorney with a diverse background as a business manager and owner, legislative aide and prosecuting attorney. As a licensed helicopter pilot and aviation small business operator, he also has a unique perspective on the aviation industry and all the regulations affecting those operations. He served as president of Heli-Trade Corp., an FAA repair station and Bell helicopter customer service facility. Active in the Eugene community, Francisco volunteers as a helicopter pilot for Lane County Search and Rescue, is involved with Boys Scouts of America and coaches soccer for the American Youth Soccer Organization.
Miller Nash business and securities partner Mary Ann Frantz was recently named first vice chair of the Girl Scouts of Oregon and S.W. Washington’s board of directors. In 2013, Frantz was elected to a two-year term on the board. With Miller Nash since 1978, Frantz focuses on equity and debt offerings, SEC reporting compliance, public and private corporate governance issues, mergers, acquisitions, sales of businesses, shareholder meetings and proxy contests, executive compensation and business transactions.
Deanna Wray, managing partner of Bodyfelt Mount, has become a member of the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance, the national organization for professionals in the claims and litigation management industries. Her law practice concentrates on the defense of product and general liability civil litigation matters. Wray has defended a range of products including medical equipment, hand tools, printing presses, Murphy beds, bicycles, forklifts, automatic doors and toilets. In recent years, she has been involved in mass tort litigation of latex gloves, vaccines, fen-phen, pain pumps and metoclopramide. Wray acts as local counsel to Chrysler on all automotive product defect claims in Oregon.
Oregon Women Lawyers announce its new officers and board members for 2014-2015. Kendra Matthews was elected as president. Matthews previously served as OWLs vice president, secretary and historian, and is a partner at Ransom Blackman in Portland. Elizabeth Tedesco Milesnick was elected as vice president/president-elect and previously served as secretary and historian. Milesnick is a partner at Miller Nash, practicing intellectual property and commercial litigation in Portland. Laura Craska Cooper was re-elected as treasurer. Cooper is the managing partner at Ball Janik in Bend. Angela Franco Lucero was elected as secretary, serving previously as historian. Lucero is a partner at Kranovich & Lucero in Lake Oswego. Joining the executive committee is Amber Hollister, deputy general counsel for the Oregon State Bar, who was elected historian. All officers are also members of the board. Newly elected and re-elected board members are: Hon. Allison Boomer (Salem), Megan Burgess (Bend), Kristin Sterling(Portland), Val Tomasi (Portland) and Gloria Trainor(Portland). Board members continuing their service are: Hon. Frances Burge (Roseburg), Maya Crawford(Portland), Dana Forman (Portland), Kristina Holm (Portland), Susan Bradley Krant (Ashland), Katharine Lozano(Portland/Salem), Banafsheh Violet Nazari(Portland), Jennifer Nicholls(Medford), Hon. Julia Philbrook(Salem) and Hon. Youlee You(Portland). Aruna Masih (Portland) was appointed to a fill a vacant seat.
Stoel Rives partner Chris Hermann has been selected by Metropolitan Family Service as the recipient of the 2014 Thomas Stoel Award, established in honor of Thomas B. Stoel, a nationally recognized corporate and tax lawyer who co-founded the law firm Stoel Rives. The award is presented to individuals who display the philanthropic qualities that Thomas Stoel embraced and celebrated throughout his life. Hermann is the first Stoel lawyer to be honored with this recognition since its inception 12 years ago. Hermann is a long-time advocate for cultural and economic equality. He is a former MFS board member and a member of the ¡Salud! steering committee, which works to bring health care to Oregon’s seasonal vineyard workers. Herman also is chair-elect for the 2015 Classic Wines Auction, which in 2014 raised more than $3.4 million for local organizations that help children and families in Portland and Southwest Washington.
The University of Oregon School of Law will honor former Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers (class of 1964) with the school’s John E. Jaqua Distinguished Alumnus Award. The Jaqua award is presented by the Law School Alumni Association to individuals who exemplify the highest quality and ethical standards of the school. Myers, raised in Central Oregon, spent more than 30 years with Portland’s Stoel Rives and its predecessor firms. He began his political career as president of the Portland City Planning Commission, where he served from 1973 through 1974. Myers served in the Oregon House of Representatives from 1975 through 1985 and was speaker of the House from 1979 to 1983. The Oregonian rated him as the most outstanding member of the Oregon Legislature in 1979 and 1981. In 1981, as speaker, he spearheaded the effort for a state takeover of trial ourt operations in all of the state’s counties. Myers served as attorney general for the State of Oregon from 1997 until 2009. The award will be bestowed during an alumni and reunion weekend dinner Sept. 12 at the Ford Alumni Center in Eugene.
The 2014 IAM Patent 1000 recently recognized Lane Powell as one of the top patent law firms in Oregon and Washington, as well as naming Lane Powell shareholder Vernon W. Francissen as one of the top individuals in the practice in Washington. The publication stated that “Lane Powell has come on in leaps and bounds in Washington in recent years,” and that in Oregon the firm “has built a credible patent practice on the bedrock of its full-service corporate law operation.”
Oregon lawyers Jeff Eager, Alexander Frixand Adele Ridenour are the inaugural recipients of the University of Oregon School of Law’s newest award recognizing graduates early in their careers. The Outstanding Young Alumnus Award was created to recognize graduates who have made significant career, leadership or service contributions to the community, the law school or the legal profession within the first 10 years of graduation. Eager, a 2004 graduate of Oregon Law, served as the campaign manager for U.S. Rep. Greg Walden for Congress and started his legal career at Karnopp Petersen in Bend. In 2007, he began practicing business law and litigation at Balyeat & Eager, where he continues to practice today. Eager was elected to the Bend City Council in 2009 and was appointed mayor in 2011. Frix became a public defender in 2006. He currently maintains a full felony caseload at the Thurston County Office of Assigned Counsel in Olympia, Wash., where he has worked since 2007. Prior to working for Thurston County, he worked in Tacoma at the Pierce County Department of Assigned Counsel as a public defender. Frix has served as the defense counsel for Thurston County Veterans Court since the court’s creation in June 2009, the first Veterans Court in the Pacific Northwest and among only 12 in the nation. Following graduation from Oregon Law in 2004, Ridenour worked as a judicial clerk to former Chief Justice Gerald Schroeder of the Idaho Supreme Court. In 2005, she moved back to Oregon to begin a career in civil litigation. In 2010, Ridenour joined Ball Janik. Her practice focuses on representing property owners, including several affordable housing organizations, in construction defect litigation and related disputes. Ridenour is a member of Oregon Women Lawyers, as well as an executive board member of the University of Oregon Law School Alumni Association. She is also a former adjunct instructor for the law school. The awards will be bestowed at an alumni and reunion dinner Sept. 12 at the Ford Alumni Center in Eugene.
Cosgrave Vergeer Kester has introduced its new beer blog. With a growing list of clients in the brewing industry, Cosgrave attorneys are using the blog to discuss industry trends, share a few beer-related stories and highlight their friends in the business. “No one wants to read a post detailing the legal framework of a small business transaction. But beer? That’s a different story,” says Cosgrave attorney Marcus Reed, who spearheads the firm’s beer-industry practice. “Our clients are brewing great beer and embarking on some exciting projects. This is a great chance to provide a unique perspective on what they’re doing — and it’s a great excuse to try some new beer.” Visit http://blog.cosgravelaw.com to follow and read the Cosgrave beer team’s musings on seasonal beer releases, upcoming events and interviews with local brewers and cider makers.
Laura Caldera Taylor was recently appointed to the board of directors for Classroom Law Project. She was appointed for her interest in children and access to justice in addition to the opportunity to work hands-on with CLP programs. Her daughter attends St. Mary’s in Portland, and she is looking forward to her participation on the mock trial team.
Lane Powell shareholder Darin M. Sands has been appointed to the board of directors for Classroom Law Project. Sands is actively involved in the educational development of Portland’s youth, including serving as a coach for the Lincoln High School’s constitutional debate team, which is organized and supported by Classroom Law Project.
Hagen, O’Connell & Hval has moved to 8555 S.W. Apple Way, Suite 300, Portland, OR 97225. The firm will continue to focus on the corporate, tax and estate planning needs of individual and business clients. Other contact information remains the same: phone: (503) 227-2900; fax: 227-3870; website: www.hagen oconnell.com.
The Hon. Daniel Harris has joined the mediation and arbitration panel of ADR Support Services. Harris was a Jackson County Circuit Court judge for 16 years, during which time he managed a civil trial docket, served as a settlement judge, was chair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Commission and most recently served as an appointed judge for the Oregon Complex Litigation Court. He is currently an attorney with Harrang Long Gary Rudnick. His mediation and arbitration focus will be on personal injury, real property, commercial and business disputes, insurance claims and family law. Harris will do mediations in Portland, Eugene and elsewhere in the Willamette Valley and Southern Oregon.
Robert J. McGaughey announces that Aurelia Erickson has joined the firm as an associate. Her practice will focus on civil litigation with an emphasis on securities and shareholder lawsuits, employment claims and environmental law.
James E. (Jim) Oliver Jr., has joined Phillip C Gilbert & Associates. He will be handling personal injury matters, including automobile, truck, motorcycle, pedestrian and bicycle accidents; plaintiffs’ medical malpractice, wrongful death and insurance disputes. He will also handle various business litigation issues, including first party insurance disputes for homeowners and small businesses and will continue to serve as an arbitrator and mediator. The Louisiana native obtained his J.D., along with a certificate in dispute resolution, from the Willamette University College of Law in 1994. Most recently, Oliver worked as an in-house counsel for an insurance company claims department. Reach him at Phillip C. Gilbert & Associates, 103 S.E. 223rd Avenue, Suite A, Gresham, OR 97030; phone: (503) 465-9600; fax: (503) 465-9601; pgilbert@teleport.com.
Steve Lippold has been promoted from senior assistant attorney general for civil litigation to chief trial counsel for the Oregon Department of Justice. Formerly a partner in the Salem law firm of Clark Lindauer, he started with department in April 2012. He formerly served as chair of the OSB’s Uniform Civil Jury Instructions Committee and currently serves on the Judicial Selection Committee for Marion County. He earned his J.D. from Willamette University.
Jonathan Groux has been promoted to attorney in charge of the financial fraud/consumer protection section of the civil enforcement division of the Oregon Department of Justice. He was previously a senior attorney general in the section. Groux has served in the general counsel division’s labor and employment section, as litigation counsel within the business activities section and in the criminal justice division. He also served as a deputy district attorney in Klamath and Coos counties. He holds a J.D. from Willamette University.
Tim Nord has been appointed as a special counsel at the Oregon Department of Justice. Nord most recently served as the assistant attorney in charge of the antitrust work and false claims actions. At DOJ, his practice has covered a spectrum of civil litigation, enforcement and advisory matters. He provides a unique perspective, having worked in the general counsel division, labor and employment section, and as litigation counsel within the civil recovery section. He holds a J.D. from University of Oregon.
Tyler Anderson has joined the business activities section of the general counsel division of the Oregon Department of Justice. Prior to joining the justice department, Anderson worked at Miller Nash in Portland. He received his J.D. from Stanford Law School.
Marilyn Heiken has rejoined Johnson, Johnson & Schaller as an associate with the firm’s litigation team. Her practice will focus on civil litigation with an emphasis on medical negligence and motor vehicle collisions. Heiken has more than 20 years of experience handling a variety of personal injury cases. She has been an editor and author for the Oregon State Bar’s Torts CLE publication since 2006, and she is on the publications committee for the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association. After graduating from the University of Oregon School of Law in 1992, she clerked for Lane County Circuit Judge Pierre Van Rysselberghe, and started working with the firm in 1996.
Meredith Holley has joined the litigation team at Johnson, Johnson & Schaller. Her practice will focus on employment discrimination, personal injury, medical negligence and product defects. Before joining the firm, Holley clerked for Judge Ilisa Rooke-Ley and Judge Suzanne Chanti at Lane County Circuit Court. Holley graduated from the University of Oregon School of Law in 2012. There, she was a Child Advocacy Project fellow, Frohnmayer scholar, Janssen scholar, constitutional law tutor and executive editor of the Oregon Law Review. Before law school, Holley was a Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine.
Patrick Conti has joined Garvey Schubert Barer’s Portland office as an associate. Conti earned his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 2009. After law school, he clerked for the Hon. Donald W. Molloy of the U.S. District Court of Montana. He was also an associate at Arnold & Porter in California, where he worked on a wide variety of matters in state and federal courts, including licensing and contract disputes, business torts and consumer class actions. He is admitted to practice in Oregon and California.
Garvey Schubert Barer welcomes Jennifer F. Gould as an associate in the Portland office. Gould earned her J.D. from UCLA School of Law in 2006, where she was elected to the Order of the Coif. Following law school, she served as a law clerk to the Hon. Carlos T. Bea of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. She also practiced with Morrison & Forrester in San Francisco. Her practice focuses on trust and estates litigation, civil litigation and estate planning. She is admitted to practice in Oregon and California.
Steve Nofziger has returned to Garvey Schubert Barer’s Portland office as a senior associate. Nofziger’s practice focuses on employee benefits and executive compensation, taxation and business planning matters. He has considerable experience in drafting and handling compliance issues for qualified retirement plans and executive compensation arrangements, advising on ERISA compliance and fiduciary liability matters, assisting employers in complying with health care reform requirements, providing tax planning advice to businesses and individuals, representing taxpayers in tax controversies before the Internal Revenue Service and the Oregon Department of Revenue, negotiating and structuring business transactions and assisting clients with business succession planning and ownership transfers.
Retired Circuit Court Judge Darrell J. Williams, formerly of Dallas and Salem, died at home in La Quinta, Calif., on April 9, 2014. He was 92.
Williams was born Aug. 31, 1921 near Independence, Mo., one of eight children. During the Great Depression, the family moved to Beaverton in pursuit of work. Williams graduated from Beaverton High School after distinguishing himself as a baseball player and gifted trumpet player in the high school band. After graduation, Williams formed and led a dance band in the Portland area for several years until enlisting in the Coast Guard in 1941. He married Florence Viducich in 1943 in Portland. Following his military discharge, Williams attended college at the University of Portland, where he was encouraged and inspired by Holy Cross priests to attend law school.
Williams started law school at Northwestern College of Law in Portland in 1948. In 1951, Williams graduated from Northwestern and passed the Oregon bar exam. The family then moved to Dallas, and Williams started his legal career in the Dallas office of Salem Title Co. Several years later Williams entered private practice in Dallas.
Williams served as justice of the peace for Polk County until 1959, when he was appointed to serve as the first district court judge for Polk County. In 1965, he was appointed to a newly created circuit court judge position for Polk and Yamhill counties. He ran unopposed for five elections, serving as a judge for 27 years, until his retirement in 1986. Three years later, he and his wife moved to the golfing community of PGA West in La Quinta, Calif. Although he loved to golf, Williams treasured his wife and children, and his work as a lawyer and judge, more than anything else. Both of his sons followed him in the practice of law; Ron Williams is a partner in Williams & Zographas in Lake Oswego, and Gary Williams is a circuit judge in Crook and Jefferson Counties in Central Oregon.
He encouraged civility and professionalism in the bar that still exists in the courtrooms of Polk and Yamhill counties. He taught and encouraged the Polk County Handshake, where lawyers were expected to extend a hand and a complimentary word to opposing counsel at the conclusion of contested court hearings. Many lawyers considered it a privilege to practice in his courtroom. Judges who previously practiced before Williams think of him as a role model.
In addition to his wife of 71 years, Florence, and the two sons, he is also survived a daughter, 10 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Retired labor and employment lawyer Frank Stegall of Bend died May 6, 2014. He was 74.
Frank Stegall Wesson was born Feb. 11, 1940, in Memphis, Tenn. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Memphis and a J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1965 to 1968 and was awarded the Bronze Star while serving in Vietnam. He practiced law in Chattanooga, Tenn., from 1971 to 1972, and labor and employment law in Portland from 1973 to 2012.
He retired to Bend in 2012, with Sandy, his wife of 27 years, to hunt, fish, ski and play with his grandchildren. His law practice is carried on by his former partner at the Law Office of David W. Duncan.