Practice Areas

Oregon law allows you to recover money when you have been injured by another person's negligence. Oregon law also allows the spouse, children, and parents of a person whose death is caused by the negligence of another to recover for their losses. Usually, the recovery is from the negligent person's insurance company. The negligent party also may also have to pay money out of their own pocket for your injuries or death if that person has too little or no insurance.

If you believe you or a loved one have been injured or lost a life due to the negligence of another person, be it by an car accident, truck accident, bicycle accident, medical malpractice, animal attack (such as a dog or cat bite), slip / fall, or in any other manner, please call for a free consultation.

I handle most kinds of negligence and/or death cases, and for the unusual ones that I do not, I usually can refer you to an attorney who handles that kind of case. I handle these cases on a contingency fee basis, which means that you will be charged a fee only upon the case being resolved, and then the fee is based on a percentage of the amount for which the case was resolved, either by settlement or trial. In the unlikely event there is no recovery, you do not owe me anything for my time. Please contact my office if you would like to schedule a free consultation.

Family Law

Family law is a large part of my practice. "Family Law" is a broad, general term which is used to cover many areas of law. The areas of family law I am asked about the most are:

Because "Family Law" is such a broad term and includes so many areas, each has its own link and is discussed separately on this web site. As a family law lawyer I strive to provide clients effective and compassionate representation at what frequently is a very difficult time in their lives. I work hard to communicate with you every step of the way so that you too will understand the process in which you are involved. Please feel free to contact me to discuss your family law legal issue.

Real Estate

I provide a broad range of legal services regarding real estate matters. While not limited to the following, most often I am asked to be involved with the following real estate matters:

Deeds

Residential Real Estate Purchases and Sales

Residential Real Estate Leases

Promissory Notes Secured By Trust Deeds

Easements

Please call to schedule an appointment if you are presented with a real estate issue.

Probate & Estate Planning

Probate

Wills and Trusts

Comparison of Wills and Trusts

Power of Attorney

Advance Directive

Guardianship / Conservatorship

Estate planning involves managing your assets so they will be distributed consistent with your wishes after your death. These assets may be owned by you alone or jointly with others, such as your spouse. An estate plan should consider all assets owned by the client, including, but not limited to, real property, business interests, investments, insurance proceeds, and other personal property. Estate planning generally is accomplished through a variety of methods, which may include one or more of the following:

Revocable Living Trusts

Probate

Lifetime Gifting

Joint Ownership of Property

Beneficiary Designations

Life Estates

While some people do not do enough estate planning, others tend to over-plan. A properly-coordinated estate plan will be no more than you need to achieve an orderly transition of your estate assets to those persons you want to receive them, while minimizing inheritance taxes. If you need a new or updated estate plan, feel free to contact me to schedule a consultation.

Business

Incorporating your Business

Forming an LLC

I help set up and advise small and modest-sized businesses. These include sole proprietorships, as well as corporations or companies with multiple employees. Often, forming these businesses is the culmination of a lot of time, effort, money, and planning, and represents a dream come true for the client. It is rewarding to be part of that dream coming true.

The first, and probably the most important issue for many businesses, is deciding which form of business entity to use, e.g., corporation, LLC, or something else. For most clients the determination as to which business they should form centers on which business provides the greatest tax advantages. I work closely with clients and their financial advisors (usually a CPA) to determine which approach makes the most sense. After the business entity is formed, I provide ongoing legal support to the company and maintenance of the entity after formation.

Entity Selection: In today's world there are many different kinds of entities available. Due to recent, favorable tax treatment of these, most clients opt for either a corporation or a limited liability company (LLC).

Entity Formation: Once the client, attorney, and accountant confer, and based upon the advice given, the client will choose an entity type. Once the type of entity is selected, I draft all of the documents needed to complete the formation process. In addition, if the client wishes, I will address issues such as potential restrictions on the transfer of business interests by preparing documents such as buy-sell agreements and shareholder agreements.

Annual Maintenance: With any business, it is advisable to conduct periodic meetings and to prepare minutes of those meetings. In the case of corporations, annual meetings are required. If the client requests, I prepare annual minutes and send them to the client to sign at the time they are due. Keeping current on "housekeeping" matters such as Minutes is important, as it can help protect the client in the event of litigation or an audit. Also, most of my clients find it helpful to have an attorney they work with on a consistent basis, as they invariably will have legal questions that will pop up from time-to-time, and they can benefit by having an attorney who is familiar with their business who is only a phone call away.

Contract Negotiation & Preparation: Often, as part of their day-to-day operations, business clients need assistance with negotiation, interpretation, and/or preparation of important contracts with customers, suppliers, etc. I help clients with such matters.

Termination or Transition: In the event that a business is terminated, sold, or merged, I can assist with the planning, structuring, and proper documentation of such actions.

Litigation

Litigation is when a person resorts to the courts to resolve a legal question or dispute. The court system is not user-friendly, in that non-lawyers seldom understand how it works, as well as the time and form restrictions that it places upon them. As such, it is almost always advisable for a person involved in litigation to retain counsel to protect that person's interest. Unfortunately, the legal system is cumbersome and expensive, and even though the client has a meritorious case, the costs of retaining an experienced attorney often outweigh the potential value to the client even if the case is won. I assure you I will evaluate your case both from a merit perspective, as well as from the perspective as to whether I think it will be cost effective to bring the action, no matter how meritorious your case is. While no ethical attorney can guarantee he will win or that the attorney's fees will not outweigh the amount won, I will not take your case unless I believe I can win your case, and that I can do so in a cost effective manner. If you would like to discuss your litigation matter, please feel free to call to schedule an appointment for a consultation.