PORTLAND, OR, Aug. 24, 2006 ? Employers in the Portland metro area and throughout the State have an important new resource at their disposal in their efforts to manage and resolve disputes with their employees. Jackson Lewis, a national law firm representing management exclusively in workplace law, announces the opening of their new Portland office.
Scott Oborne, an employment attorney formerly with Jackson Lewis' San Francisco office, has relocated to Portland and will lead the new office. In addition to Oborne, Barry Alan Johnsrud, John M. Cowden and Michael A. Griffin will assist in servicing the firm's clients in Oregon. This legal team possesses extensive knowledge of Oregon's legal climate and the complexity of its labor and employment laws. Johnsrud is a Partner in the firm's Seattle office; Cowden, is currently Of Counsel in the firm's San Francisco office; and Griffin is currently an associate in the firm's Seattle office.
"We are excited about the opportunity to bring our very special style of practice to the Portland market," said Patrick L. Vaccaro, the firm's Managing Partner. "And we are especially pleased to have someone of Scott's talent and integrity to lead us. We expect great things from Scott and our Portland team."
"Portland area employers, and businesses throughout the state, are experiencing tremendous growth and success" said Oborne. "Unfortunately, that success often brings growing pains in terms of managing employees; a reality demonstrated by the number of employment lawsuits filed each week in Oregon courts. Our expertise in helping employers devise constructive policies and procedures, as well as effectively and efficiently defending them in the event of a dispute, gives employers a powerful new resource," said Oborne.
The firm has already handled a number of jury trials and labor campaigns in Portland and services several major clients in the area out of its Seattle and San Francisco offices. The explosive growth of the region, however, made a Portland office the most effective way to deliver top quality advice and counsel to Oregon clients.
"There are few firms in the country that match our caliber in employment and labor work. From immigration, to affirmative action plans, to union organizing campaigns, Jackson Lewis brings to the table a wealth of resources and depth of experience," added Oborne.
"With the shake up within the AFL-CIO and the creation of the Change to Win group of affiliated unions, we anticipate a significant rise in the number and sophistication of union organizing campaigns throughout the Pacific Northwest," said Oborne. The Service Employees International Union, a leader in Change to Win and a significant union force in Oregon, has already pledged millions of dollars toward organizing campaigns. "At Jackson Lewis, we offer clients the ability to craft innovative and successful strategies to educate employees about the realities of a unionized workplace," explained Oborne.
The new Jackson Lewis Portland office is located at One World Trade Center, 121 SW Salmon Street, 11th Floor, Portland, OR 97204: Phone (503) 229-0404; Fax (503) 229-0405.
Oborne received his J.D. from the University of California Hastings College of the Law, where he was a Blum Scholar and the production editor for the school's Constitutional Law Quarterly. He received his B.A., cum laude, from California State University at Sacramento. He is a member of the Oregon, California and Illinois bars and is admitted to practice before the 7th and 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Johnsrud graduated from the University of Oregon School of Law, Order of the Coif, and received his B.A., magna cum laude, from Concordia College. He is admitted to practice before the Oregon and Washington bars and is a contributing author of Litigating the Sexual Harassment Case, Second Edition, IL: American Bar Association, 2000.
Cowden graduated from the University of Oregon School of Law where he was an associate editor of the school's Law Review. He earned his B.A., cum laude, from Lewis and Clark College in Portland. Formerly managing partner for the Portland office of Garvey, Schubert & Barer, Cowden has experience trying harassment, discrimination and wrongful termination cases, as well as class action and trade secret matters. He is a member of the Oregon and California bars and is admitted to practice in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Griffin received his J.D. from New York Law School, Order of the Barristers, is a member of both the Oregon and Washington bars, and was recently noted as a "Rising Star" in Washington Law and Politics.
Jackson Lewis consistently receives outstanding recognition by peers and clients alike. The firm was named as one of the top twenty "Go To" firms in a recent survey of Fortune 250 companies conducted by American Lawyer Media's Corporate Counsel magazine. Many of the firm's lawyers have been named "Super Lawyers" by their peers in polls taken by Law & Politics, a company that conducts impa