Class Notes: 2000s

Kathleen Profitt BA ’00, JD ’03 started a law firm, Profitt Law, in Clackamas, Oregon. She continues to focus on 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 reelected to the board of directors for the Oregon Chapter of the Community Associations Institute (CAI) for a term ending in 2016. She is also secretary for the CAI board of directors, a position in which she has served since 2011.

Rob Roy Smith ’00 joined the Seattle office of the international law firm Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton as a partner in the firm’s nationally recognized Indian law practice. Smith will continue to represent Indian tribes and tribal businesses in complex litigation and commercial transactions.

Trung Tu ’00 was honored with the Judge Learned Hand Lifetime Achievement Award by the Oregon Area Jewish Committee. Tu, a partner at McEwen Gisvold, is a recognized litigation and appellate attorney who has also been named a Best Lawyer Under 40 by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and an Oregon Rising Star by Super Lawyers Magazine.

Dylan M. Cernitz ’01 was made a shareholder at Gevurtz Menashe. Cernitz’s practice focuses on a broad range of family law issues, including divorce, custody and parenting time, child support, complex property division, and high-asset divorce. He has been named a Rising Star by Super Lawyer Magazine since 2009 and was named an Oregon Super Lawyer in 2013.

Akira Heshiki ’01 began her three-year term as board director for the Multnomah Bar Association on July 1, 2013. She is an attorney with Standard Insurance Company in Portland.

Elizabeth Howard ’01 joined the Portland office of Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt as a shareholder in the firm’s environmental, energy, and natural resources group. ‎Howard focuses her practice on water, endangered species, natural resources, environmental, and administrative law. She represents clients involved in real estate and business transactions and litigation. Howard has substantial experience in cases involving federal and state agency decisions. She has an affinity for the agricultural and timber community, with whom she has worked throughout her career.

Bryan D. Kirkpatrick ’01 became a partner at Stolowitz Ford Cowger, located in Portland, practicing in the areas of patent law and intellectual property.

Yumi O’Neil ’02 was elected president of the Oregon Women Lawyers Foundation for 2013-14. O’Neil works in the legal and regulatory affairs department at Moda Health.

Amy Robinson ’02, a shareholder in Jordan Ramis, earned certification as a senior professional in human resources (SPHR). Robinson’s human resource background, coupled with her SPHR certification, gives her a unique skill set for an employment lawyer counseling clients in a full range of employment issues that include disability and accommodations, employee complaints and grievances, wage and hour issues, employee leaves, employee counseling and discipline, and discrimination and harassment, as well as in representing employers in judicial and administrative proceedings.

Brad Wiley ’02 took a new job as policy specialist with the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC), where he is part of the Bycatch Program and International Dolphin Conservation Program. In his new position, Wiley also serves on the secretariat for the Agreement on the International Dolphin Conservation (AIDC).

Maya Crawford ’03 began her three-year term as board director for the Multnomah Bar Association on July 1, 2013. She is an attorney with Legal Aid Services of Oregon.

Erin McDonough ’03 was elected partner at Hanson Bridgett. McDonough is a leader in the firm’s construction practice in Sacramento, California. She advises clients and handles disputes in all areas of construction law, including bidding, private and public contracts, mechanics’ liens, stop notices, and surety bonds.

Jenée Hilliard ’05 was elected to partnership with Miller Nash. Hilliard was also named chair of the board for Serendipity Center, a nonprofit therapeutic school that is both an accredited alternative school and a certified children’s mental health provider.

Collin McKean ’05 was named partner-in-charge of McKinley Irvin’s Portland office. McKean represents family law clients in both Portland and Vancouver, Washington.

Parna A. Mehrbani ’05, shareholder in Lane Powell, was elected chair of the trade names subcommittee for the International Trademark Association (INTA), a not-for-profit membership association dedicated to the support and advancement of trademarks and related intellectual property as elements of fair and effective commerce. Mehrbani will work to clarify and eliminate the discord between trademarks and trade names by developing and advocating for policies on issues, such as the removal of business identifiers from relevant registries based on nonuse and prior rights, and preventing the registration of business identifiers that may conflict with preexisting trademark rights. The subcommittee has helped develop model trade name laws to guide jurisdictions in developing their own related legislation. Mehrbani has been an active member of the committee since 2009.

Kimberlee A. Stafford ’05 was elected to partnership with Tonkon Torp. She practices in the firm’s real estate and land use practice group, and also regularly works with the environmental and natural resources and energy practice groups. Stafford is a member of Oregon Women Lawyers, the Oregon Minority Lawyers Association, and Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW). For four years, she served on the executive committee of the Oregon State Bar Environmental and Natural Resources Section. Stafford has been active on the Tonkon Torp sustainability committee for many years, and currently serves as chair of the committee.

Elisa Dozono ’06 was honored with the Multnomah Bar Association Young Lawyer Section Pro Bono Spotlight. In addition to devoting countless hours to pro bono work, Dozono is helping to foster a culture focused on serving underrepresented communities by encouraging others to follow her lead. Now a partner at Miller Nash, she has been recruiting and supervising associates who help her with pro bono projects.

Kathryn Roberts ’06 joined Ogletree Deakins as an associate. Roberts will practice in the firm’s employment law and litigation practice groups.

Jennifer Bragar ’07 is an Oregon League of Conservation Voters board member. She is an associate with Garvey Schubert Barer, whose practice is focused on land use, municipal, and environmental law. Bragar represents business, community, and government entities in matters unique to land use planning and municipal law. She has appeared before the Land Use Board of Appeals and is a frequent lecturer and author on Oregon land use law.

Matthew C. Ellis ’07 opened the Law Office of Matthew C. Ellis. His practice continues to focus on plaintiff’s employment law, housing discrimination law, and general civil rights law. He continues to serve on the executive committee of the Oregon State Bar Civil Rights Section and to be active with the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association and the Owen M. Panner American Inn of Court. His office is located at 621 S.W. Morrison Street, Suite 1050, Portland, Oregon 97205. He can be reached at 503-765-5396 and matthew@employmentlawpdx.com.

Merrill Maiano ’07 was honored with the Multnomah Bar Association Young Lawyer Section Public Service Spotlight for her volunteer work with Oregon Food Bank’s Nutrition Education Program. Maiano, an attorney at Wyse Kadish whose practice focuses on estate planning and administration, attended culinary school and worked in the restaurant business before attending law school. She volunteers periodically to teach program participants the skills necessary to make healthy and affordable meals in their own homes.

Jeanne K. Sinnott ’07, who practices in the areas of debtor-creditor litigation, real estate litigation, and bankruptcy, was elected to partnership with Miller Nash. Sinnott is also president-elect of the Young Lawyer Section of the Multnomah Bar Association.

Duke Tufty ’07 joined Wyse Kadish and became a partner in the firm in January. His practice will continue to focus on alcohol regulatory law and helping businesses in the Pacific Northwest understand the regulatory environment, obtain the right licenses and permits, and stay in compliance.

Harry Wilson ’07 joined the Portland business litigation firm Markowitz, Herbold, Glade & Mehlhaf. Previously, Wilson worked in Oregon state and federal trial and appellate courts as an assistant attorney general at the Oregon Department of Justice. Most recently, he served a two-year clerkship with the Honorable Michael H. Simon, U.S. District Judge for the District of Oregon.

Damien R. Hall ’08 joined Ball Janik’s land use and real estate group as an associate. Hall’s background is in urban planning and development, and in addition to his land use practice, he regularly assists clients with real estate transactions, natural resources law, municipal law, and formation and organization of business entities.

Melanie Kebler ’08 joined the Oregon Crime Victim Law Center as a staff attorney. Kebler previously served as a prosecutor in both Lincoln and Yamhill counties, focusing on crimes of domestic violence and sexual assault. At OCVLC, Kebler will be handling cases involving victims of any crime around the state.

Micah Steinhilb ’08 began his one-year term as Multnomah Bar Association Young Lawyer Section secretary on July 1, 2013. Steinhilb is an associate with Gordon & Polscer and practices in the areas of insurance, products liability, construction defect, and environmental law. He is also an adjunct professor at Lewis & Clark Law School. 

Sandra D. Fraser ’09 joined Tomasi Salyer Baroway in the firm’s estate and construction law practice group. Her practice focuses on construction and timber litigation and a broad range of business disputes. She also advises clients on matters involving entity formation, sales or construction contract language, borrowing, and real estate lease and sale transactions. Fraser recently managed a solo practice, Fraser Law, and previously worked at the James Law Group.

Kelly Riggs ’09 joined the Portland office of Littler Mendelson as an associate. As an employment litigator, Riggs represents employers on a broad range of employment matters. She frequently represents clients before federal and state courts and administrative agencies. Previously, Riggs was an associate at Hart Wagner, where she represented health care facilities and providers and specialized in advising clients in a variety of litigation, administrative, health law, and employment matters, as well as defending civil sex abuse lawsuits. 

Shelby Rihala ’09 joined Jordan Ramis. She focuses her practice on government law, including public contracting, government ethics, and public records. She has extensive experience drafting ordinances, Intergovernmental Agreements, contracts, and other legal documents. She also has experience in sustainability, environmental, natural resources, land use, and wetlands law. Rihala advises city councils and lead department staff on various legal issues. Previously, Rihala served as city attorney for several Oregon municipalities. She also worked as the chief of staff to an Oregon state senator and as a government affairs associate for Washington County, Oregon.

Emery Wang ’09 established Emery Wang P.C. in Gresham, Oregon. He will continue to focus on plaintiff’s personal injury cases, with an emphasis on serving the east county and the Chinese-speaking community.

Evelyn E. Winters ’09 was named a 2013 Washington Rising Star by Super Lawyers Magazine. Winters is a member of the commercial litigation group of the Seattle and Portland offices of Bullivant Houser Bailey.