Heppner Lawyers

Lara Johnson represents people seriously injured or killed by dangerous conduct, including drunk driving and other irresponsible driving, nursing neglect and abuse, and medical negligence.

Lara has been actively involved in the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association and currently serves on its Executive Committee. She serves as an Oregon state delegate for the American Association of Justice. She was appointed by the Governor to serve on the Elder Abuse Prevention Work group. She is recognized by Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers.

Lara is a native Oregonian. She graduated from McGill University in Montreal, Canada and...

Michael Shurtleff is one of the most active bankruptcy attorneys in Oregon. He has helped hundreds of families deal with their debt issues. Michael's driving passion is streamlining and modernizing the bankruptcy process so it is as simple as possible for every client.

Brad Litchfield is a shareholder at the firm of Hutchinson Cox, practicing exclusively in litigation. He joined the firm in joined in 2003 after working for five years at Harrang Long. Prior to that, he graduated cum laude from the LL.M. program in Comparative Law from Brigham Young University. His law degree was from the University of British Columbia in 1993, where he was the Managing Editor of the University of British Columbia Law Review. Prior to commencing graduate studies, Brad practiced in litigator in British Columbia for five years. He currently serves as an elected member of the...

Michele Smith’s practice focuses on complex civil litigation involving serious injury and wrongful death resulting from defective medical devices and drugs, motor vehicle accidents, industrial accidents, and medical negligence. Michele is an Officer with the Oregon State Bar Product Liability Executive Committee.

I am a seasoned and effective trial attorney and the owner and sole practitioner at my own law firm. Prior to that I was an associate attorney at another firm, I served as a Judicial Clerk to the Honorable Mustafa T. Kasubhai at the Lane County Courthouse in Eugene, Oregon, and I worked as a law clerk at Umpqua Valley Public Defender in Roseburg, Oregon. I love to tackle tough constitutional and evidentiary issues on behalf of my clients. I believe that everybody has a right to a zealous defense. I earned a B.A. in history from the University of Oregon...

Licensed as an Oregon lawyer in 1978, Mr. Anderson was admitted to practice before the US District Court for the District of Oregon and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in 1979. A tax and debt relief practitioner and consumer advocate, Mr. Anderson has also been certified in Consumer Bankruptcy by the American Board of Certification. He has practiced in the Oregon Bankruptcy Court since being admitted to the federal court bar. He is Oregon State Chair for the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys and a member of the National Association of Consumer Advocates. Mr. Anderson...

Jacy excels at high-asset divorce and high-conflict child custody cases, involving multiple retirement accounts, complex expert witness issues, and voluminous discovery.

Christopher MacNeil has been handling personal injury cases in the Willamette Valley for over twenty-five years. He specializes in cases involving serious injury arising out of motor vehicle collisions or defective products. Mr. MacNeil has lived in Oregon since 1979. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science degree, and earned his law degree from the University of Oregon School of Law in 1984. After serving as a law clerk in the Oregon Circuit Court, he practiced law with a large firm that represented businesses. Because he preferred to work for individuals, since 1986 his...

Jim Nelson’s interest in becoming trial lawyer started in high school, where he participated in debates. He followed his interest at Oregon State University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Communication with an emphasis on theories of persuasion. He was an active member of the Oregon State Debate Team. He received useful training for his later legal career as a military policeman in the United States Army. After his honorable discharge from the Army, he attended Willamette University School of Law, where he obtained his Doctorate degree in Jurisprudence. In law school, he was selected as the...

Jeff moved his practice to Lake Oswego in 2006. Since then, he and his team have helped numerous businesses and individuals navigate through turbulent legal waters. When the housing and banking crisis hit hard, Jeff was one of the few attorneys in Oregon who was willing to take on the complex defense litigation against the banks and mortgage servicers to help Oregon homeowners fight to save their homes from foreclosure. He has been instrumental in shaping Oregon foreclosure practice, most notably with successful appeals in US Bank vs. Vettrus, 285 Or App 629 (2017) and US Bank vs. McCoy, 290...

Jeff focuses his practice on estate planning, administration, and litigation. His practice grows from his experience in academic and pharmaceutical research, where he worked closely with oncology patients undergoing experimental treatments. He enjoys tackling complex issues, while keeping his clients’ real-world needs at the forefront of every decision. Jeff listens carefully to his clients to help them find the solution that’s right for them. His experience with scientific research taught him to be resilient and creative, and he enjoys applying this approach to advocate for his clients today.

J. D., University of Oregon School of Law, certificate in Intellectual Property. B. A., University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.

Ryan Ripp founded RHR Business Law, LLC for the purpose of making the legal system more accessible to entrepreneurs, small business owners, and investors. He has experience forming entities, providing securities law guidance, and drafting a wide array of business and employment contracts. While in law school, his legal thesis focused on making employee stock option plans and agreements more accessible to the startup community. Licensed to practice in Oregon.

James Loren is a senior partner at Goldberg & Loren and an aggressive litigator with over 50 case verdicts throughout the country. He has completed thousands of injury claims leading to over half a billion dollars in settlements for his clients. Many of these personal injury verdicts and settlements were well in the excess of one million dollars. When it comes to personal injury cases he represents clients in the following areas of practice, including wrongful death, medical malpractice, car accidents, motorcycle accidents, trucking accidents, slip and fall cases, product liability claims, employment discrimination; overtime law; and civil rights actions. Mr....

I enjoy getting to know clients and their business goals. We work together to balance legal obligations and restrictions, operational needs, and employee relations. This area of law is messy and unpredictable (it involves human beings, after all), but with patience and perseverence it is often possible to harmonize these three elements.

Jason is a self-starting, go-getting lawyer who takes a pragmatic approach to helping his clients. He co-founded Fortify Law because he was not satisfied with the traditional approach to providing legal services. He firmly believes that legal costs should be predictable, transparent and value-driven. Jason’s entrepreneurial mindset enables him to better understand his clients’ needs. His first taste of entrepreneurship came from an early age when he helped manage his family’s small free-range cattle farm. Every morning, before school, he would deliver hay to a herd of 50 hungry cows. In addition, he was responsible for sweeping "the shop" at...

Adam Weiner has been practicing law in Oregon since May 1998. After successfully spending many years representing individuals in different types of litigation in state and federal court, Adam decided to open his own law practice in the summer of 2009 primarily focusing on representing individuals and small businesses in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcies. Since that time, Adam has been providing compassionate and professional legal services to those considering or pursuing a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy. In addition to his knowledge, professionalism, compassion, and strong advocacy to help guide individuals regarding their debt issues, Adam...

Todd Peterson is the principal attorney with the Portland Law Firm of Peterson Law Offices. Mr. Peterson solely represents injured parties and has been giving legal advice to injured victims for over 20 years. Mr. Peterson has represented thousands of clients and has achieved millions of dollars worth of settlements for those clients. He has been a personal injury attorney for as long as he has been an Oregon Bar Association Member. Mr. Peterson graduated from the Ohio University in 1986, and graduated from Lewis and Clark, Northwestern School of Law in 1990. He was admitted to the Oregon State Bar Association...

Michael’s practice emphasizes estate planning, estate administration, guardianships and conservatorships, long-term care planning, and special needs trusts.

Prior to attending law school, Michael gained experience working with seniors and people with disabilities while earning a master’s degree in social work. During law school, he added a financial perspective to his background working as a securities broker for Charles Schwab, Inc. Upon graduation, Michael clerked for the Honorable C. Jean Stewart, Judge of the Denver Probate Court. As an attorney, Michael draws on his background, representing seniors, people with disabilities, and their families on a range of planning, administration, and crisis-management issues.

Michael...

Benjamin Ybarra, Attorney at Law is a general practice that serves the Portland metropolitan area. I work with individuals and businesses in a variety of transactional areas and legal disputes.

Third generation Oregonian; Lewis & Clark College BA and U of O JD; Practicing since 1981: Debt issues, Estates and Probate; Municipal Judge for over 15 years

I graduated from Warner Pacific College, and then graduated in the top half of my class at Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College in 1992. I have practiced family law since early 1993, and have been at the same location, 150 SE 80th Avenue for over 20 years. My office is located in the historic Montavilla neighborhood of Southeast Portland, bordering on Northeast Portland and in the shadow of Mt. Tabor.

Original founder of the Oliveros Law Group, Gregory Paul Oliveros is a native Oregonian and passionate supporter of this great state. Mr. Oliveros has a deep commitment to his community. From his involvement with his children’s extracurricular activities during their youth, to being an active community leader in various capacities over the years. Mr. Oliveros continues to look for ways that his law firm can support his local community. However, it’s in his work as an attorney in which Mr. Oliveros is most passionate. When asked what differentiates himself from other attorneys, Mr. Oliveros states,

“Energy and Vision! Outside of the...

Lyndon Ruhnke represents consumer debtors in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases. Lyndon’s practice primarily focuses on representing individuals with civil wrongs that result in injury, and consumer bankruptcy. He is a member of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association and the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA). He has been a member of the Oregon State Bar since 1999. He is admitted to practice before all courts in the State of Oregon. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Nebraska and his J.D. with a certificate in environmental and natural resources law...

Joel Geelan has extensive experience representing clients in areas of estate planning, including wills, trusts, power of attorney, and advanced healthcare directives. In his work with family law clients, Joel handles divorce, custody, parenting time, child and spousal support, high asset division, move-away cases, grandparent and co-parent third party rights, and DHS-involved cases. He has litigated and settled numerous matters in each area. He specializes in resolving cases involving children and complex financial issues, such as valuing and dividing businesses, real estate, investments, and retirement accounts. Joel understands the complexities of family relationships. He endeavors to be an educator for...

I have been successfully trying cases for over fifteen years. I started my career as prosecutor in a district attorney's office, and stayed there for seven years. In that time I handled cases from misdemeanors including DUI and DWS, to felonies like burglary and Measure 11 assaults. After leaving that job, I started my own practice focusing on helping individuals who have been charges with crimes My cases aren't just a file to me. When I agree to help someone with a problem, I take the time...

Jeffrey K. Traylor is a divorce, child custody, and personal injury attorney located in Bend, Oregon. He graduated from Lewis and Clark School of Law in 2009. He has handled every aspect of both family law and personal injury cases from filing to trial. Jeff strives to provide professional, personal, and caring representation that clients need for the lowest cost possible. The firm's motto is "your family's lawyer" and that philosophy is taken very seriously. Jeff strives to be there when you need him, and to build a strong and ongoing relationship between attorney and client.

After growing up in Oregon, I moved to the East Coast where I attended the University of Virginia and graduated with a major in Political Science and a double minor in Latin American Studies and Spanish Language. After college, I spent six months in South America and studied the language and had an internship with Habitat For Humanity in La Paz, Bolivia. Upon returning home, I graduated from University of Richmond School of Law with cum laude distinction. Upon moving to Washington I had an internship with the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office and worked in the...

Mr. Crispin limits his practice exclusively to labor and employment matters primarily on behalf of individuals. He is sought out for his strategic representation of individuals in highly complex employment situations involving changes in employment, acceptance of a new position, promotions, demotions, developing exit strategies, negotiating severance, and litigating breaches of employment contracts. He often represents higher level executive employees, physicians, university professors, and other professionals. An experienced litigator, Mr. Crispin also represents individuals at all levels who have been discriminated against based on age, race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, workplace injury, or safety complaint; sexually or racially harassed; been...

Wendy’s practice includes dissolution of marriage proceedings, legal separations, modifications of child custody, child support and spousal support, and contempt and enforcement proceedings. Wendy’s practice also includes probate administration, estate planning, and protective proceedings.

As a partner at The Law Office of Siefman & Pond, Portland attorney Jeff Siefman provides legal representation to criminally accused persons. Prior to the establishment of his firm, he was a senior criminal defense associate at Scalf and O’Halloran for six years. His legal diligence has resulted in a 7.6 Very Good rating on Avvo. He received his undergraduate degree from Michigan State University and his law degree from the Willamette University College of Law.

Experienced attorney specializing in United States Immigration and Nationality Law

Kendall was a Judicial Clerk for the Honorable Kathryn Villa-Smith of the Multnomah County Circuit Court and previously clerked for Hon. Nan Waller in the Multnomah County Presiding Court as well as Hon. Merilyn Litzenberger. As a Judicial Clerk, she gained knowledge and experience with opportunities to research a wide variety of legal issues in civil, criminal, and probate law. She also worked closely with the family law departments in all facets of litigation.

During law school, Kendall was the Senior Research Editor for the Santa Clara Law Review, participated extensively in moot court competitions, and was research assistant to...