Deschutes County Deputy District Attorney Eric Marvinwas elected to the Doernbecher Children’s Hospital Foundation board of directors in December. Marvin will assist with the foundation’s fund raising efforts throughout the state, with a focus on Central Oregon.
Portland attorney Steven Wilker, a partner and litigator at Tonkon Torp, recently presented arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court on an issue of balancing free speech and presidential security. The matter of Wood v. Moss poses the question of whether Secret Service agents can be sued for moving peaceful protesters out of sight and sound of the president because of the viewpoint of their speech. Wilker and the ACLU of Oregon are representing a group of individuals who were demonstrating peacefully on a public sidewalk in the center of Jacksonville, Ore., during a 2004 campaign visit by President George W. Bush. Wilker is a member of Tonkon Torp’s financial services, intellectual property and information privacy and security practice groups. His practice emphasizes financial services, media and technology law, intellectual property and complex commercial litigation, as well as civil rights and constitutional law.
Gulgun Mersereau, a bond lawyer and partner at Hawkins, Delafield & Wood, has been appointed by Gov. John Kitzhaber to serve on the Tax Supervising and Conservation Commission. The commission is an independent, impartial panel of five citizen volunteers established to monitor the financial affairs of local governments.
Kate von Ter Stegge, senior assistant Multnomah County attorney, has been appointed to serve as a citizen member of the Portland Independent Police Review Board, where she reviews complaints regarding police officer conduct and makes discipline recommendations to the chief of police. Her litigation practice for Multnomah County focuses on employment and civil rights matters.
Sarah Conley Odenkirk, who maintains a private practice in Los Angeles, has authored A Surprisingly Interesting Book About Contracts: For Artists and Other Creatives, released in March. The book is designed for artists and other nonlawyers, but is also a useful tool for lawyers wishing to practice in the area of art law. Conley Odenkirk has also completed a database of public art in private development ordinances and policies nationwide. The database is available on her website at www.artlawlawyer.com. She is also on the faculty of Claremont Graduate University’s art business master’s program, which will offer a course on public art in this fall.
Nelson Atkin of Barran Liebman has been chosen to receive the Portland Opera’s Aubrey N. Morgan award for 2014, the Portland Opera’s highest tribute, given annually for distinguished and extraordinary support and service to the company. Atkin provides pro bono representation to the opera, in addition to the Oregon Ballet Theater, the Oregon Symphony and the Oregon Children’s Theater, with his work for the opera dating back to 1985. During those 29 years, he has helped to organize its business goals, provided employment law advice and represented the opera in negotiations with musicians, chorus and stage hands. The award was presented April 17 during the opera’s annual Camerata Dinner.
Portland attorney Dina Alexander, a founding partner of Radler, White, Parks & Alexander, has been named a fellow in the American College of Real Estate Attorneys. Alexander has worked on some of the most important real estate projects in Portland, including the South Waterfront, Providence Park and the recently opened Pearl District Residence Inn by Marriott, which involved EB-5 funding.
Marc D. Brown, a deputy public defender with the appellate division of the Office of Public Defense Services, recently taught a six-week course on the U.S. Constitution at South China University of Technology School of Law in Guangzhou on a Fulbright scholarship.
Pacific Northwest law firm Miller Nash has been named a 2014 “Ceiling Smasher” for its high percentage of female partners by Law360, an online media outlet that is a division of LexisNexis. Miller Nash was ranked seventh out of the top 25 law firms honored by Law360 for its commitment to gender equality. According to the American Bar Association, women make up only about 20 percent of partners in law firms across the country. Thirty-five percent of Miller Nash’s 75 partners are currently women after the firm named an all-female 2014 partner class earlier in the year.
Heather Guthrie and Marsha Murray-Lusby of Dunn Carney were named to the 2014 Portland Five Star Estate Planning Professional List. Only 19 attorneys were named to the estate planning list out of the 574 candidates. Dunn Carney was one of two firms with two attorneys included on the list. The May issue of Portland Monthly magazine includes the list of the 2014 Five Star Professionals.
Miller Nash land use and real estate attorney William Rasmussen was recently elected to the board of directors of Morrison Child and Family Services. Rasmussen focuses his practice in land use, real estate and Oregon administrative law, and he regularly represents public entities, businesses and individual clients in land-use planning, permitting and development-related matters. Rasmussen was also an intern with U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden and remains involved with civic affairs in Oregon.
Victoria Blachly of Samuels Yoelin Kantor has been appointed to the board of advisers for Vote ERA.org, a bipartisan effort to obtain an Oregon Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). VoteERA.org is currently collecting petition signatures and donations to get an amendment on Oregon’s ballot this November. (Written in 1857, and ratified in 1859, the Oregon constitution never explicitly prevented women from being discriminated against.) VoteERA.org Ballot Initiative Petition ID 34 would amend Article I by creating a new section (46) to provide that equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the state or any political subdivision on account of sex.
Attorney Kimberlee A. Stafford has been appointed to serve a two-year term on Multnomah County’s Advisory Committee on Sustainability & Innovation. She is a member of Tonkon Torp’s real estate and land use practice group as well as the energy and environmental and natural resources practice groups, and chairs the firm’s sustainability committee. She is a former member of the executive committee of the OSB Environmental and Natural Resources Section, and is co-editor of a new reference book on environmental law regulation and permitting published by the section.
Tonkon Torpbusiness lawyers have formed a new practice group specializing in helping Oregon business owners obtain formal registration as a benefit company. The registration reflects a company’s commitment to a triple bottom line of social responsibility, economic prosperity and environmental stewardship. Benefit company corporate status comes with expanded fiduciary duties of directors, officers and managers, and requires specific documentation regarding the purpose, accountability and transparency of the organization. The new practice group counsels clients on what that means, regarding how to operate a benefit company, and it prepares and files appropriate registration documents with the state of Oregon.
Miller Nash business and tax attorney Merril Keanewas recently elected to the board of directors of the Audubon Society of Portland. Keane, who focuses her practice on general business transactions, international business and trade, tax and executive compensation, frequently advises clients on formation and governance of business entities and a wide variety of business transactions, including manufacturing, supply and agency and distribution agreements. Keane lived in Beijing, China, for three years and speaks and reads Mandarin Chinese. She is involved with several sections of the Oregon State Bar, including the International Law Section (she served as chair in 2013) and currently serves on the Northwest China Council’s board of directors.
The U.S. Department of Defense has honored Barran Liebman with a Patriot Award, recognizing the firm’s support of Samuel Hernandez, an associate of the firm who also serves as a light infantry company commander in the Oregon Army National Guard. Hernandez, who has practiced at Barran Liebman for the past two years, is preparing to complete a year-long tour of duty in Afghanistan. Edwin Harnden, representing the firm, was awarded a Patriot Award in recognition of the firm’s support of Hernandez and his family. The award recognizes a wide range of measures, including flexible schedules, time off prior to and after deployment, caring for families and granting leaves of absence.
Robert James (Bob) Miller was elected to the membership of the American Philosophical Society in April. The APS is the oldest learned society in the United States and is located in Philadelphia. It was created in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson was the APS president for 20 years, including his time as president of the United States. The APS has had only elected 5,417 members in its 271 years of existence. Miller teaches at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, and taught for 14 years at Lewis & Clark Law School.
Laura Craska Cooper, the managing partner of Ball Janik’s Bend office, has been nominated to become a fellow of the American Bar Foundation (ABF). Cooper was recognized by the foundation for her professional achievements in the legal profession and her commitment to the community. She has practiced real estate, business and land use law since 1991. Among her many activities, she is treasurer of Oregon Women Lawyers and serves as a board member. She is also member of the executive committee of the Real Estate and Land Use Section of the Oregon State Bar, and is a former president of the Deschutes County Bar Association.
Miller Nash litigation partner Thomas Sand was recently elected to the board of directors for the Multnomah Bar Association. Sand has been an active member of the MBA since 1977, and in 2010 he was president of the foundation arm of the organization. Sand focuses his practice on general trial practice and civil litigation, with emphasis on securities, employment and other commercial matters. He has successfully tried numerous jury cases in several different state and federal courts, and has argued and won appeals in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, the Oregon Supreme Court and the Oregon Court of Appeals.
The University of Oregon School of Law has announced David Schuman, retired judge of the Oregon Court of Appeals, as the 2014 Frohnmayer Award for Public Service honoree. This year’s award ceremony will occur Nov. 7. The award recognizes a member of the Oregon Law community whose public service brings honor to the school. The award was established in 2002 by the Law School Alumni Association and was named in honor of the family of University of Oregon president emeritus and law professor Dave Frohnmayer. Schuman earned his J.D., from Oregon with honors in 1984. Subsequently, he served as judicial clerk to the Hon. Hans Linde of the Oregon Supreme Court and then as an assistant attorney general in the appellate division of the Oregon Department of Justice. In 1987, Schuman became a member of the Oregon faculty, where he taught constitutional law, criminal procedure, legislation and administrative law; between 1994 and 1996 he also served as associate dean for academic affairs. While a law professor, he received the Ersted Award for Distinguished Teaching, the university’s highest teaching honor. In 1997, Schuman was appointed as deputy attorney general in the Oregon Department of Justice, where he served until 2001. In January 2001, after a four-year term as deputy attorney general, Schuman returned briefly to the Oregon law faculty, where he was promoted to the rank of full professor. In March 2001, Gov. John Kitzhaber appointed Schuman to the Oregon Court of Appeals. He was elected to a full six-year term in 2002 and re-elected in 2008. Schuman retired in 2014 and will return to the law school faculty in 2015.
The Portland regional office of Legal Aid Services of Oregon is the recipient of a $30,000 grant from the Roscoe C. Nelson Jr. Fund for Pro Bono Law Services to the Poor, administered by the Oregon Community Foundation. Roscoe C. Nelson Jr. practiced law in Portland for 52 years and helped the poor by providing free legal services throughout his career. His family members and friends established the Roscoe C. Nelson Jr. Fund to honor this tradition. The purpose of the endowment is to connect volunteer lawyers with low-income people in need of legal services in Multnomah County.
Bob Steringer, a firm shareholder and vice president in the Portland office of Harrang Long Gary Rudnick, was recently elected a fellow of the American Bar Foundation. Steringer represents private and public clients in matters at the intersection of law and public policy. Drawing on experience inside and outside government, he advises clients on matters including constitutional law, government regulation and licensing, political law and claims against government bodies. He also works with business clients to resolve disputes in a wide variety of matters, including ownership disputes, products liability, professional liability and breaches of contracts. He currently serves as a member of the Multnomah Bar Association’s board of directors and is chair of the OSB Constitutional Law Section.
Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt announces that Gillian Bunker, Christiane Fife, Sara Kobak, Peter Ricoy and Kelly Walsh have been named shareholders of the firm. Bunker, Fife, Kobak and Ricoy are located in the firm’s Portland office, and Walsh in the firm’s office in Vancouver, Wash. Bunker is an experienced patent attorney whose practice focuses on the preparation, prosecution and commercialization of U.S. and foreign utility and design patents. Assisting start-ups, established companies, universities, and other research institutions, she provides advice ranging from patent procurement and protection, to due diligence analyses, technology transfer, licensing and strategic planning/counseling. She handles a variety of technologies, including mechanical devices, medical devices, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and chemistry. Fife focuses her practice on product liability litigation, representing businesses involved in automotive, pharmaceutical and medical device cases in federal, state and multidistrict proceedings. She regularly represents clients in consumer warranty disputes, disability and life insurance coverage and premises liability adjudications. She also devotes considerable time to advising manufacturers, distributors and sellers on the enforceability of product warranties and in drafting product warranties, disclaimers, warnings and limitations of liability. Kobak specializes in appellate litigation. She has significant experience before the Oregon Court of Appeals, the Oregon Supreme Court, and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. She also has assisted with briefing before the U.S. Supreme Court at both the certiorari and merits stages. She is a volunteer attorney with the 9th Circuit Pro Bono Program and has served on the associates committee for the Campaign for Equal Justice. Ricoy focuses his legal practice in health care law, data security and privacy, insurance regulation, and general corporate and business transactions. He works with health plans, physicians, group practices, hospitals, insurers and employers. He advises clients on a variety of matters, including issues related to health care reform under the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the Stark and Anti-Kickback statutes, Medicare, Medicaid, reimbursement, HIPAA, COBRA and ERISA health plan matters. He previously served as associate general counsel for Cambia Health Solutions, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Walsh focuses her practice on the areas of commercial and business litigation, as well as construction law. Prior to joining the firm, she served for five years as a deputy district attorney in Deschutes County. She is the 2008 recipient of the “Outstanding Young Lawyer” award, presented by the Washington State Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division.
Bryant, Lovlien and Jarvis announces that attorneys Melinda Thomas and Heather (Hepburn) Hansen have been named as shareholders. Thomas joined the firm in 2008 after having run her own litigation firm as well as being partner at another firm. She now focuses her practice on family law, advising clients on issues including divorce, child custody, support, complex property division, modifications and adoptions. Her litigation experience benefits her family law clients as she represents them at trial and other court and administrative proceedings. Thomas currently serves as the chair of the OSB Litigation Section and is on the board of Directors for the Deschutes Children’s Foundation. She is a member of the OSB Family Law Section, Central Oregon Matrimonial Attorneys and Oregon Women Lawyers. Hansen focuses her practice on business, real estate law and employment law. She assists clients with entity issues, corporate and LLC formations, securities, and mergers and acquisitions and has extensive experience working with a wide variety of clients both locally and regionally.
Bryant, Lovlien and Jarvis announces that associate attorneys Garrett Chrostek and Danielle Lordihave joined the firm’s Bend office. Chrostek will focus his practice in land use, real estate and municipal law. He is experienced in drafting ordinances and agreements, researching and adjudicating municipal code provisions, completing real estate transactions, and navigating regulatory regimes that result in efficiency and cost savings to his clients. Garrett previously worked on a variety of legal and administrative matters for the city of The Dalles pertaining to land use, public contracting and economic development. Lordi’s practice will focus on civil litigation and employment law. She is experienced in Oregon court procedure, pleading and motion practice and appeals. She has particular experience with landlord tenant disputes, foreclosures, public benefits cases and employment and consumer law matters. Lordi served as a judicial clerk to the Hon. David Schuman of the Oregon Court of Appeals and worked for Legal Aid Services of Oregon as a staff attorney.
The Oregon State Bar welcomes Stacy R. Owen as the newest assistant general counsel in the Client Assistance Office. Owen comes to the bar from Markowitz, Herbold, Glade & Mehlhaf, where she was an experienced litigator. She is involved in the community as a Leadership Committee member for Oregon Women Lawyers, a member of the board of directors for St. Andrew Legal Clinic and the co-chair of First Book Portland, an organization that provides new books to needy children. Owen practiced law in Michigan before moving to Oregon in 2007. Before earning her law degree, she spent more than 12 years in Michigan state government. She will be screening complaints about lawyers, giving ethics advice and providing limited assistance to clients who have concerns about lawyers.
Trial lawyer John Dunbar has joined Markowitz, Herbold, Glade & Mehlhaf the firm as of counsel. His practice will focus on complex commercial litigation, health care, public entities and environmental disputes. In 2009, Dunbar was chosen by Oregon Attorney General John Kroger to lead the Department of Justice’s special litigation unit that focused on highly specialized litigation, including high-profile constitutional challenges, complex cases and environmental litigation. Dunbar served in the same capacity under Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum until joining the firm.
Barran Liebman welcomes Tyler Volm and Damien Munsinger as associate attorneys. Both will represent employers and management in employment law litigation and will provide advice on a full range of employment law matters. Volm is a director on the Multnomah Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section board, and a volunteer attorney with the Lewis & Clark Small Business Legal Clinic. A Portland native, he graduated from Lewis & Clark Law School with a business law certificate in 2008. Munsinger previously worked as an honors attorney at the Oregon Department of Justice trial and civil enforcement divisions. He also served as former Attorney General John Kroger’s special assistant in 2010, coordinating with Oregon business leaders, attorneys, elected officials and citizens on behalf of the attorney general. Munsinger earned his J.D. at Lewis & Clark Law School.
Lauren Sommers has become a partner in the Local Government Law Group (a member of Speer Hoyt), a boutique municipal law practice. Sommers graduated Order of the Coif from the University of Oregon School of Law in 2006. Admitted to the Oregon bar in 2006, she has been advising local government entities on government ethics, public records and public meetings laws, election law, employment law, municipal budget law and legislative advocacy.
Elizabeth Bauer is the president and founder of Gilded Rogue Enterprises (www.gildedrogue.com), a new Ashland-based company that launches, buys and consults with local businesses with the mission of making a difference and a profit. Each business is structured to benefit a particular social issue, such as childhood hunger, homelessness and endangered animals. The companies are registered as Oregon benefit companies, which recognize businesses that make a positive impact on society. Previously, Bauer worked for seven years as the chief financial officer for a large Southern Oregon middle market company. Prior to that role, she worked for 10 years as a corporate and healthcare attorney in Eugene. Bauer is a “triple Duck,” having earned her bachelor’s, MBA and law degrees from the University of Oregon. She currently sits on the board of directors for the University of Oregon Law School’s Law and Entrepreneurship Center.
Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt has added experienced intellectual property attorney Brenna Legaard. Previously a shareholder at Lane Powell, Legaard will serve as a shareholder at Schwabe, where she will play an important role in the firm’s growing I.P. practice. Legaard works within a wide range of industries, including medical devices, sporting goods, clean tech and consumer products. She also has extensive litigation experience, having represented clients in jury trials with many millions of dollars at stake.
Paul Taylor has become vice president and general counsel of Ajinomoto North America, the main U.S. subsidiary of a large Japanese food company. Taylor is responsible for overseeing the legal aspects of Ajinomoto’s operations across the U.S. Taylor was previously the principal lawyer at Taylor Global Law Office and has focused his practice on Japan-related business in the Portland area for more than 27 years. He is based in the company’s Portland office and can be reached at taylorp@ajiusa.com.
Kathleen Profitt has started a law firm, Profitt Law P.C., in Clackamas. She continues to focus her law practice upon providing legal representation to homeowners and condominium associations in Oregon and Southwest Washington. In particular, she assists HOA and condominium associations in general counsel, enforcement and assessment collections. Profitt was recently re-elected to the board of directors for the Oregon chapter of the Community Associations Institute for a term ending in 2016. She also continues to serve as secretary for the CAI board.
Bowerman & David welcomes Sam Nelson as its newest associate attorney. He brings familiarity with personal injury claims, as well as a background in foreclosure-focused mortgage banking to the firm.
Lainie Block has joined Treehouse Island, an educational technology company in business development and strategic partnerships. Block will be building partnerships with schools, community programs and work force alliances to expand access to technology education in web development, computer programming and app design to provide job-ready skills for a tech-based economy. Block has nearly 20 years of legal experience focused on business and I.P. litigation, plus significant education and work force policy experience. She also serves on the board of Girls Inc. and has been a strong advocate for improving hands-on STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) learning opportunities to align education with jobs.
Gleaves Swearingen announces that attorney Dan Webb Howard has joined the firm. He practices employment law, providing general advice, risk management and litigation services to employers. He also handles litigation in federal court on behalf of individuals and businesses whose immigration petitions have been denied by the government. He is fluent in Spanish.
Erious Johnson Jr. has joined the Oregon Department of Justice in the civil enforcement division as the director of civil rights. Johnson received his J.D. from Howard University School of Law. Prior to joining the department, he worked as the principal law clerk to the Hon. Kenneth L. Thompson Jr. of the New York State Supreme Court.
Daniel Paul has joined the Oregon Department of Justice in the tax and finance section of the general counsel division as an assistant attorney general. Paul received his J.D. from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. Prior to joining the department, he worked as a tax counsel supervisor for the California State Board of Equalization.
Deanna Laidler has joined the Oregon Department of Justice in the health and human services section of the general counsel division as a senior assistant attorney general. Laidler received her J.D., from DePaul University College of Law. Prior to joining the department, Laidler worked as associate counsel and compliance officer for Moda Health.
Matthew Schrumpf has joined the Oregon Department of Justice in the civil recovery section of the civil enforcement division as an assistant attorney general. Schrumpf received his J.D. from New York University School of Law. Prior to joining the department, he worked as an assistant attorney general for Massachusetts.
Adrianne Delcotto has joined the Oregon Department of Justice in the government services section of the general counsel division as an assistant attorney general. Delcotto received her J.D., from Lewis & Clark Law School. Prior to joining the department, she worked as general counsel for the Office of Tribal Attorney, Nooksack Indian Tribe.
Jamison McCune recently became an associate with Portland law firm Bodyfelt Mount. McCune’s practice will focus on construction defect, product liability and general casualty defense. Previously, McCune clerked for the Hon. Karsten H. Rasmussen of the Lane County Circuit Court, working mostly on complex civil litigation cases. While attending law school, he clerked for the city of Eugene, the Western Environmental Law Center and a general practice firm in Springfield, Ore. He also served as a senior editor for the Journal of Environmental Law and Litigation and represented his school at the National Tax Moot Court Competition.
Cosgrave Vergeer Kester welcomes Michael Van Dyke as an associate attorney in the firm’s business practice group. His practice includes assisting businesses in corporate formation, business transactions and planning, ownership agreements, shareholder disputes, real estate matters, and financing and regulatory compliance. Prior to joining Cosgrave, Van Dyke was the legislative policy director for the Oregon Association of Realtors.
Effective April 12, Shannon L. Hall is no longer an associate attorney at Harris Law Group. Hall has chosen to pursue an opportunity to work in Salem, where she lives, and will continue her family law practice at Eggert & Associates. Reach her at 960 Broadway Street N.E., Suite 2, Salem, OR 97301; phone: (503) 837-6111; fax: (866) 225-7821; email: Shannon@EggertAttorney.com.
Rizzo Mattingly Bosworth announces that Kevin Clonts has become a shareholder in the firm. His practice focuses on complex litigation matters, including construction defect and insurance coverage disputes. Clonts also represents business entities in litigation involving business dissolutions, contract disputes, intellectual property disputes and target defendants (including business and government entities) in complex products liability and construction defect matters.
Stan Muir has joined Buckley Law as of counsel in the firm’s intellectual property and business law practice groups. He focuses his practice in the area of intellectual property including trademarks, licenses and copyrights. With 30 years’ experience representing artists, writers, entrepreneurs, investors, startups and established businesses, Muir has worked as both in-house counsel and in private practice with everything from large multinational corporations to small start-up businesses.
Portland attorney Brett Callahan has joined the Law Offices of Nay & Friedenberg. He will focus his practice on estate planning, elder law and special needs planning. Callahan is a current member of the OSB’s Estate Planning and Administration and Elder Law sections. He is also a member of the Multnomah Bar Association. Contact him at (503) 245-0894 or by email at brett@naylaw.com.
Portland attorney Jennifer Kwon has joined the Law Offices of Nay & Friedenberg. She will focus her practice on estate planning, elder law and special needs planning. Kwon is a current member of the OSB’s Estate Planning and Administration and Elder Law sections. She is also a member of the Oregon Asian Pacific American Bar Association, Oregon Women Lawyers and the Multnomah Bar Association. Contact her Jennifer at (503) 245-0894 or by email at jennifer@naylaw.com.
Portland attorney Shannon Conley has joined the Law Offices of Nay & Friedenberg. She will focus her practice on probate, guardianships and conservatorships, estate planning, elder law and special needs planning. Conley is a current member of the OSB’s Estate Planning and Administration, Elder Law and Disability Law sections. She is the secretary to the board of directors for Special Advocates for Vulnerable Oregonians and a member of the Oregon Women Lawyers. Contact her at (503) 245-0894 or by email at shannon@naylaw.com">/a>.
Tonia J. McCombs has joined McKittrick Leonard as an associate attorney. Her primary areas of practice are commercial bankruptcy and debtor-creditor rights, with an emphasis on complex research and analysis. Previously, McCombs spent most of her legal career working in the state and federal courts, primarily for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Oregon and the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the 9th Circuit as a career law clerk for the Hon. Elizabeth L. Perris. She also served a four-year term as assistant appellate legal counsel at the Oregon Court of Appeals.
Matthew D. Colley has joined Black Helterline as an associate. His practice focuses on representing businesses, nonprofit organizations and individuals in a wide range of litigation matters. His experience includes lien priority disputes, easement and access litigation, products liability, dram shop liability, timber trespass, personal injury and breach of contract cases.
Molly (Allison) Washington has joined Ball Janik in its Portland office. Washington is a litigator with an emphasis in construction defect, practicing with the litigation and construction practice groups. Her experience includes representing both plaintiffs and defendants, including commercial property owners, homeowners and owner associations in multimillion-dollar lawsuits, as well as arbitrations, mediations and a significant jury trial.
Laura Maffei recently joined Cable Huston as a partner. She brings her experience as a geologist to her practice in environmental and natural resources law, focusing on water quality and remediation projects in Oregon and Washington. Maffei has represented municipal and industrial clients since 1999 in permitting, environmental compliance and environmental litigation matters. She also provides environmental advice in business and real estate transactions. Prior to attending law school, Maffei practiced as an environmental consultant in Oregon and Washington.
Bobby J. Schroeder has joined Dunn Carney as a real estate attorney. His practice will focus on real estate transactions, land use and agricultural law. Prior to law school, Schroeder worked five years in the real estate industry, handling commercial transactions and negotiating commercial and residential leases. He was a law clerk at Dunn Carney from 2012 to2014 and is a 2013 graduate of Lewis & Clark Law School.
As of May 1, Laura Schantz and Annalise Lang of Schantz Law and Tonya Alexander of Alexander Law, will be expanding and sharing office space at 15220 N.W. Greenbrier, Suite 235, Beaverton, OR 97006. Schantz Law will continue to specialize in family law matters. Alexander Law will to continue to offer mediation and collaborative family law services.
The Law Office of Eden Rose Brown welcomes Julie Kase Kelly as an associate attorney. Her practice will focus on comprehensive estate planning, with a special emphasis on after-death administration. She grew up in Phoenix, Ariz., and earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona in journalism and political science. She earned her law degree from Willamette University College of Law and worked as a law clerk at the Oregon Department of Justice in the business activities section. She also worked for an estate planning and elder law firm in Vancouver, Wash.
Susan G. Komen Oregon and SW Washington, the region’s largest breast cancer charity, has announced that health care leader Margaret Allee will become director of programs, effective April 28. A nurse, attorney, ethicist, educator and published author with extensive experience in healthcare, law and the insurance industry, Allee has held positions in direct patient care, management and administration, serving in health care leadership positions for Legacy Health System, Oregon Health & Science University and Providence Health and Services. Allee is an ethicist with an extensive background in organizational consulting and is an adjunct professor at Concordia University, Marylhurst University and DeVry University, and an instructor at Clackamas Community College. Her numerous volunteer roles include having served as board president of the Kidney Foundation of Oregon and Washington.
Ellen D. Taussig Conaty has joined the Oregon Judicial Department as an assistant legal counsel with the Office of the State Court Administrator in Salem. Taussig Conaty previously maintained a law office in Portland, advising clients on intellectual property protection and software license agreements. Previously, she was the campaign manager for Ellen Rosenblum’s race for attorney general, was a senior staff attorney with EthicsPoint in Lake Oswego and was an in-house counsel for Medical Management International Inc. in Portland. She will provide legal counsel to the state courts on a variety of court administration issues and will be the department’s primary information technology and intellectual property contracts attorney.
Standard Insurance Co. (The Standard) has announced recent promotions and additions to its Portland home office. Alycia Bleeker has been promoted to managing attorney of the business lawyers for the Insurance Services Group Legal Department. Bleeker has been practicing law for seven years and has been with the company’s legal team for four years. Steven Williams was promoted to second vice president, Insurance Services Group Legal. Steven joined The Standard in 2000 as an attorney, was promoted to senior attorney in 2005 and since 2009 has served as a managing attorney, first heading the business legal team and, and most recently, managing the claims and litigation lawyers. Elizabeth Fouts has been promoted to assistant counsel and director of the Retirement Plans Legal Department. She joined the company’s corporate legal department in July 2008 as an attorney and was promoted to senior attorney in 2012. Douglas Lindgren joined The Standard in September 2013 as a senior attorney in Corporate Legal Department. Previously, he was an attorney in the corporate, securities and finance group at Stoel Rives since 2008. Benjamin Pirie joined The Standard in October 2013 as an associate attorney in Corporate Legal. Previously, he was an attorney with Aldrich Eike.
Jan Kitchel has joined Cable Huston as of counsel and a member of the firm’s litigation group. Kitchel brings more than 35 years of trial experience in a wide range of areas. He focuses his practice on catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, will and trust contests and other estate litigation in the Pacific Northwest. Kitchel represents both plaintiffs and defendants, and individuals as well as businesses, and has won or resolved successfully many multimillion dollar cases.
Jennie Bricker announces the launch of her website, www.jbrickerlaw.com. After 15 years at Stoel Rives, Bricker left to open her own practice this past January, Jennie Bricker Law and Mediation. Her practice focuses on real estate, water rights and natural resources; her mediation practice involves property and resource-related disputes.
Amber Zupancic-Albin has joined Harrang Long Gary Rudnick as an associate attorney in the firm’s Portland office. She will work with the firm’s attorneys in the health care industry law practice group, as well as in the professional liability defense and litigation practice group. A former medical legal consultant, Zupancic-Albin holds her registered nursing degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, providing her with a deep knowledge of the health care industry and practice. For several years, she owned her own medical legal consulting firm, where she spent considerable time providing litigation support and claims management services to large healthcare institutions and law firms.
Cable Huston welcomes Jonathan Cavanagh to the firm as an associate. Cavanagh advises clients on taxation, estate planning and business matters. He also represents clients in tax controversy matters before the Internal Revenue Service and state taxing authorities. Cavanagh earned his J.D., from the University of Oregon School of Law in 2009 and his LL.M., taxation, from University of Florida in 2010. Prior to law school, he practiced as a CPA for Moss Adams.
Steven M. Gassert has joined Landye Bennett Blumstein in the firm’s Portland office as an associate attorney. Gassert will focus his practice on real estate development and transactions, condominium and homeowner association law, and construction defect litigation. He is licensed to practice in Oregon, Maryland and the District of Columbia.
Suzanne McVicker has joined Karnopp Petersen as its newest attorney. While attending Lewis and Clark Law School, McVicker clerked at the in-house counsel department of a large Portland real estate investment company and advised low-income taxpayers at the law school’s legal clinic. Previously, she spent six years with Shaftel Law Offices in Anchorage, Alaska, advising trustees and personal representatives of medium to large estates.
John Berg has joined the Portland office Littler (formerly Littler Mendelson), bringing with him an expansive labor and employment litigation practice ranging from retaliation, discrimination and harassment suits to traditional labor and unfair competition matters. Berg was previously at Fisher & Phillips. He practiced in Chicago for more than 10 years before relocating to Portland. He has extensive litigation experience in a number of practice areas, including workplace harassment, whistleblowing, executive compensation, noncompetition agreements, trade secret misappropriation, and disability and religious accommodation.
Lloyd Hammel died of heart disease on March 29, 2014, at the age of 91.
Lloyd Guy Hammel Jr. was born Feb. 6, 1923, in Lafayette, Ind., where he attended Ford Grade School and Jefferson High School. He enrolled in Purdue University in 1941, but his education was interrupted by World War II. As an artillery forward observer, he received the Air Medal for his role in directing the pre-invasion bombardment on the northern coast of Mindanao in the Philippines. After spending nine months in the occupation forces in South Korea, Hammel returned to Purdue to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and economics, and to marry his college sweetheart, Mary Ann Click of West Lafayette, Ind. After he finished law school at the University of Michigan, the couple moved to Salem.
Hammel joined the active army reserve in 1949. He loved the smell of black powder and spent many summer camps at the Yakima Firing Center and Fort Sill, Okla. A graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College, Hammel retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1966.
Hammel was an Oregon assistant attorney general for 15 years and was active in civic affairs, including five years on the Salem Planning Commission, two terms on the Salem school board and service on the Salem YMCA board of directors, culminating in his selection as Salem’s Junior First Citizen in 1958. Active in Toastmasters International, Hammel won numerous speech contests and acquired a well-earned reputation as a scalding critic and contest judge. Hammel was active in the Jaycees, serving as local president, state parliamentarian and district vice president. In 1967, Gov. Tom McCall appointed Hammel to chair the federally funded State Comprehensive Health Planning Commission, a position he held for five years and which resulted in Oregon being the first state to complete its plan.
In addition to his litigation duties in the attorney general’s office, he served as chief counsel to the Oregon Public Utility Commission for eight years before accepting a position in 1966 as general attorney with Pacific Northwest Bell in Portland. With the advent of the U.S. Department of Justice’s efforts to break up the Bell system, Hammel was transferred to Seattle in 1977 and became responsible for all antitrust litigation directed against the company. Hammel remained with the surviving company, US West, until he retired in 1990. Hammel was active in the antitrust, public utility and administrative law sections of the Oregon and Washington bars as well as the ABA.
Hammel was preceded in death by his wife Mary Ann, who died of colon cancer in 1986. He is survived by his wife of 22 years, Karen Lane, and his four children, as well as his nieces (including OSB member Kingsley Click of Salem), a nephew and seven grandchildren.