The Portland Business Journal has named Miller Nash Graham & Dunn firm chair Dennis Rawlinson and managing partner Kieran Curley as CEOs of the Year for professional services, capping a landmark year that saw strong growth and high visibility for the newly merged, larger firm. The Business Journal cited the strategic boost that Curley and Rawlinson accomplished with the recent combination of Miller Nash and Graham & Dunn, which became final Jan. 1, 2015. The combination created a West Coast firm with nearly 160 attorneys across five offices located in Washington, Oregon and California.
Theressa Hollis, partner at Fitzwater, Meyer, Hollis & Marmion, has been unanimously elected as president of board of trustees for the Special Advocates for Vulnerable Oregonians (SAVO). Hollis is a founding member of SAVO and served as its first treasurer. SAVO is dedicated to assisting the court in protecting individuals under guardianship from potential abuse, neglect and exploitation.
Lane Powell has been named Oregon Firm of the Year for 2015 by Benchmark Litigation for the strength of its case matters during 2014, including precedents set or verdicts with notable high dollar amounts at stake. Lane Powell’s litigation practice has been recommended by Benchmark Litigation for eight consecutive years and was named Washington Firm of the Year in 2013 and 2014.
Graciela Gomez Cowger, partner at Stolowitz Ford Cowger, was recently honored by the Oregon Hispanic Bar Association with the 2015 Paul J. De Muniz Professionalism Award, which recognizes individuals for professionalism, significant contributions to the bench and bar and outstanding service to the people of Oregon.
Brant Norquist of Stoel Rives was recently named Pro Bono Attorney of the Year by Lewis & Clark Law School’s Small Business Legal Clinic. Norquist began volunteering with the clinic in 2010. Since opening its doors in 2006, the clinic has provided business transactional legal advice to more than 900 new and emerging businesses, 75 percent of which are owned by minorities, immigrants and women. Sixteen other local attorneys were also recognized for their significant contributions provided throughout 2014. They include Andrew Paris (Andrew Paris Law), Anthony Geltosky(Gelstosky Law), Carrie Murray, (Perkins Coie) Brentley Bullock (Perkins Coie), Cindy Hahn, Craig Fouts, David Herman (Intel), Jamie Dickinson (OLCC), Mark Porter (Nautilus), Scott Moede (city of Portland), Scott Rider (Intel), Elizabeth Inayoshi (Law Office of Elizabeth Inayoshi), David Koempel (Holland & Knight), Charlie Harris, Levi Johnston (Intelekia) and Peter Tran.
In the 21st edition of its annual list, “100 Best Companies to Work for in Oregon,” Oregon Business magazine has ranked firm of Davis Wright Tremaine as the No. 3 best place to work among large companies. The ranking is based primarily on surveys of employees, as well as detailed assessments of employee benefits. The magazine highlighted a number of perks and amenities at the firm, including the annual “Service Together” awards, which recognize outstanding staff members for their contributions to the firm’s success.
Don Jacobs was recently named Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Clark County (Wash.) Bar Association. Jacobs, who has been practicing law in Vancouver for the past 36 years, operates the N.W. Injury Law Center in Vancouver. He often tries cases in Clark County and Multnomah County civil courts on behalf of injured people. He is a former member of the Board of Governors of the Washington State Association for Justice and a past president of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association.
Bryan D. Kirkpatrick has been selected by International Law Office and Lexology as the 2015 winner of the Client Choice Award for Intellectual Property — Patents, for Oregon.
The Oregon Commission for Women has named Jill Tanner as one of five recipients of the Annual Oregon Women of Achievement Award. Tanner is the presiding magistrate of the Oregon Tax Court, where she has served since 1997. A tireless and dedicated advocate for the interests and advancement of women and people of color in the law, Tanner has developed numerous programs and networking events for their benefit and has personally mentored and assisted countless young lawyers and law students. As chair of the Oregon Board of Bar Examiners, she promoted more diverse candidates to that important board and worked to ensure the cultural neutrality of bar exam questions and bar qualification requirements.
Alex Duarte has recently joined The Greenbrier companies as senior compliance counsel, a newly created position. His responsibilities include Greenbrier’s compliance program and other legal and commercial matters, including transactions and international matters relating to Greenbrier’s three manufacturing plants in Mexico. Previously, Duarte was a litigation partner in a national law firm and in-house counsel in two Fortune 500 companies, including serving as general counsel of a large telecommunications company’s Oregon operations. More recently, he had his own independent contract and consulting practice.
Reinisch Wilson Weier welcomes four associate attorneys to the firm’s Portland office. Casondra J. Albrecht is a 2014 graduate of Willamette College of Law. She served as a legal secretary with the firm for three years prior to law school. She also interned with the Marion County district attorney’s office. Karen S. Varney has practiced workers’ compensation defense for employers and insurance carriers and other business litigation since 2001. During her 25-year career, Lee A. Wyatt has served as a prosecutor for the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office in Waco, Texas, taught criminal law at the University of Texas and developed an insurance defense and business litigation practice. John M. Zanetti is a 2013 graduate of Washington University in St. Louis College of Law. Zanetti interned with the Missouri state public defender’s office and was formerly general counsel for a Minnesota-based micro-brewery.
Nicholas M. Frost has become a partner with Hershner Hunter. Frost joined the firm in 2011, after practicing with Perkins Coie in Chicago and then in Portland. Frost focuses his practice on estate planning, business succession planning, and organizational and transactional work. In addition to advising businesses on issues arising in their current operations, he works with individuals and businesses to develop plans to preserve and transition the fruits of hard work into the future.
Scott Kaplan, an experienced litigator with expertise on insurance coverage, environmental and energy work, has joined Marten Law as a partner in the firm’s Portland office. He has successfully tried multiple environmental coverage cases to a verdict for policyholders. Kaplan has also successfully tried environmental cases to judgment in state and federal courts and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Kaplan joins the firm from the Portland office of Stoel Rives. His insurance work focuses on environmental matters, though he also has extensive experience with insurance claims originating in construction, development and energy contexts. His environmental work encompasses CERCLA, RCRA and related state law cleanup matters throughout the West.
K&L Gates announces the arrival of Portland partner Román D. Hernández, who joins the firm from Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt. With a focus on employment law, labor law and business litigation, Hernández represents employers in the defense of such areas as discrimination, unfair labor practices, harassment, and wage abuse allegations, and on international matters involving multinational contracts. He also acts as lead counsel in class action disputes at the state and federal level, in addition to arguing before the National Labor Relations Board.
Paul J. Sundermier has joined Saalfeld Griggs. He represents public bodies and private property owners in direct condemnation or inverse condemnation (unconstitutional takings) cases. Sundermier’s practice is limited to representing parties in eminent domain actions, including the direct taking of private property by the government. A frequent speaker on eminent domain topics, Sundermier is co-chair of the annual eminent domain conference in Portland.
The Office of Public Defense Services welcomes Ernest Lannet to his new role as appellate division chief defender. Lannet joined OPDS in 2002, after serving as a petitions clerk for the Oregon Supreme Court. He has practiced before Oregon’s appellate courts and the U.S. Supreme Court. OPDS wishes to thank Peter Gartlan, appellate division chief defender, for 27 years of exceptional leadership in criminal and juvenile appellate law. Gartlan has been a guiding force in Oregon appellate law, and has argued cases before the Oregon Court of Appeals, Oregon Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court. He has dedicated countless hours to the development of legal arguments and lawyers. Many of the lawyers mentored by Gartlan moved on to successful private practices or to the bench, and others have made their careers at OPDS.
Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart welcomes Lorne Dauenhauer as a shareholder in the firm’s Portland office. Dauenhauer joins the firm from Lane Powell, where he was a shareholder and led that firm’s employee benefits practice group. He has more than two decades of employee benefits experience, including nine years as an actuarial consultant and more than 12 years practicing employee benefits law. He focuses a large portion of his practice on qualified and nonqualified retirement plans, such as employee stock ownership plans, multiemployer (Taft Hartley) pension plans and executive and equity-based compensation arrangements.
Paul Garrahan has been promoted from a senior assistant attorney general in the natural resources section of the general counsel division at the Oregon Department of Justice to attorney-in-charge in the natural resources section of the general counsel division, effective Dec. 1, 2014. He has been employed with the department since August 2010.
Ellen Mendoza has been promoted from policy development manager in the policy section of the division of child support at the Oregon Department of Justice, to senior assistant attorney general in the health and human services section of the general counsel division, effective Dec. 30, 2014. She has been employed with the department since August 2012.
Kathy Cegla, senior assistant attorney general at the Oregon Department of Justice, transferred from the appellate to government services section of the general counsel division, effective Dec. 22, 2014. She has been with the department since September 1989.
John Magaña has joined the civil enforcement division at the Oregon Department of Justice in Pendleton as an assistant attorney general, effective Dec. 8, 2014. He will be working with both the child advocacy and civil recovery sections. Magaña worked as an associate attorney and partner at Mautz & O’Hanlon in Pendleton prior to his employment with the department.
Kelly Gabliks, senior assistant attorney general in the business activities section of the general counsel division at the Oregon Department of Justice, has announced her retirement from state service, effective Dec. 31, 2014. She has served the state of Oregon with the Department of Justice for 21 years, since August 1993.
Rochelle Nedeau, senior assistant attorney general in the health and human services section of the general counsel division at the Oregon Department of Justice, has announced her retirement from state service, effective Dec. 31, 2014. She has served the state of Oregon with the Department of Justice for 26 years, since September 1988.
Stahancyk, Kent & Hook has three new shareholders: Arthur K. Saito, Ken C. Goodin and Michelle L. They join Jody L. Stahancyk, Joel J. Kent, Laurel P. Hook and Brad F. Miller as shareholders at Stahancyk, Kent & Hook, a family law and estate planning firm founded in 1986.
Steve Bush has joined Permanente Dental Associates as senior counsel after practicing law for over a decade at Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt. Bush’s health law practice will continue to focus on corporate and regulatory matters, including mergers and acquisitions, compliance advice, staffing issues, HIPAA/HITECH and breach notification, provider contracting and employment matters. Bush began his legal practice in Los Angeles and has 14 years of combined legal experience in sports and entertainment law, product liability litigation, complex business litigation, corporate and health care law.
Darci Van Duzer has joined Amitrius Coaching & Consulting as executive director and attorney coach. She will focus her coaching on the areas of career fulfillment, professional development and career transitions such as retirement, parental leave and promotion/advancement.
The Banks Law Office has joined with Samuels Yoelin Kantor to expand services relating to securities and fiduciary litigation. Robert S. Banks Jr. and Darlene Pasieczny joined the Samuels Yoelin Kantor team as of the new year. Banks Law Office was founded in 1985 and is nationally recognized for successfully representing clients nationwide in FINRA securities arbitration and court cases resulting in awards of millions of dollars from large brokerage firms, national law firms and nationally licensed investment advisory firms. The firm completed more than 750 distinct investor claims in securities arbitration and in court since its inception. Banks and Pasieczny will lead a newly established practice area for the firm, focusing on the recovery of investment losses for individual investors, groups, retirement funds and pension plans throughout the country.
Stacy A. McKerlie has joined Leiman & Johnson in Eugene as an associate, representing employees in wage and hour and class action employment litigation. Before joining the firm, she was a fellow at Lane County Legal Aid & Advocacy Center and also operated her own law practice with offices in Eugene and Oakridge. During law school, she interned with the Animal Welfare Institute and the Arizona Justice Project.
Eric M. Kearney has opened up his own elder law practice in southeast Portland. Kearney continues to focus his practice on guardianship and conservatorship, Medicaid and disability planning. Prior to establishing his own office, he worked for four years at Fitzwater, Meyer, Hollis & Marmion. His office is located at S.E. Foster Road at S.E. 89th Ave., in the old Assurety building. Reach him at (503) 205-7051 or at eric@ericmkearney.com. He welcomes referrals.
David Frohnmayer, former Oregon attorney general, educator and university president, died in his sleep on March 9, 2015, at age 74, after living for more than five years with prostate cancer. His accomplishments in public service were many, and they sparkled with intellect, passion and common sense.
David Braden Frohnmayer was born July 9, 1940, in Medford. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College, traveled to Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar and graduated from the University of California Berkeley School of Law. He became a University of Oregon professor of law, a member of the Oregon House of Representatives, attorney general of Oregon, dean of the U.O. School of Law, and, for 15 years, president of the University of Oregon.
To the U.O. presidency he brought the national stature of a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a member of the executive committee of the Association of American Universities, and a leader among attorneys general, arguing seven cases in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, winning six. During his tenure as president, he helped U.O. add 19 new degree programs, double federal research grants, grow student enrollment, build or renovate 14 campus buildings and raise $1.1 billion. After his retirement in 2009, he joined the law firm of Harrang Long Gary Rudnick, but he continued to teach courses in the law school and the Robert Clark Honors College. He also taught popular freshman seminar on “Theories of Leadership,” teaching his final class five days before his death.
This litany of accomplishments, as impressive as it is, does not do justice to the man. He was known to feed the birds every morning; he planted and tended a garden each year; and he played the trumpet and sang with gusto, not just with “Frohns Tones,” but with the extended family, including his mother MarAbel and siblings Mira, John and Phil (father Otto couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket). He needed no invitation or excuse to sign at virtually every gathering.
When he almost died once before, in 1999, having collapsed with ventricular fibrillation in Bethesda, Md., before a room full of doctors, he rebounded to live another 15-plus years. He savored this time of public service, family milestones and tireless pursuit of a cure for Fanconi anemia, the condition that had taken the lives of his daughters Kirsten and Katie, and which now threatens his daughter Amy. A cofounder with his wife Lynn, of the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund, he was a founding director of the National Marrow Donor Program and the moving force for raising over $20 million for scientific research.
For all of his multiple talents, the private side of this very public man was humble, devoted and driven to accomplish just one more task (not including cleaning up his office).
In addition to his wife, Lynn, Frohnmayer is survived by his children, Mark, Jonathan and Amy, and his siblings, Mira and John. Preceding him in death were his parents Otto and MarAbel; a brother, Phillip; and his daughters, Kirsten and Katie. A celebration of life was held March 21, 2015.