2007 Archived News

Seven attorneys listed in 2007 Oregon Super Lawyers

November 15, 2007 – Stoll Berne proudly announces that seven of its partners have been selected in 2007 Oregon Super Lawyers.  Those recognized are Gary BerneTim DeJongKeith KetterlingSteve LarsonDavid LoktingRob Shlachter and Robert Stoll. In addition, Rob Shlachter was recognized as being one of the top ten lawyers in Oregon (and the top rated intellectual property litigator), and Gary Berne was recognized as being in the top fifty lawyers in the state. Super Lawyers is an annual listing of outstanding lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Only five percent of Oregon lawyers receive this honor each year. Independent polling, research and selection are performed by Law & Politics.

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Stoll Berne Recommended as Leading Business Litigation Firm in Portland

October 9, 2007 – The Benchmark Litigation Guide, described as the “definitive guide to America’s leading lawyers,” recommended Stoll Berne as one of the leading business litigation firms in Portland.  Specifically recognized individual attorneys include Gary BerneRob ShlachterSteve Larson. and Robert Stoll.

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Stoll Berne Presented with Corporate Philanthropy Award

October 8, 2007 – Stoll Berne was recognized by the Portland Business Journal as one of Portland’s leading philanthropic small companies. It was recognized as one of the top five companies for its corporate giving and employment involvement in the community. The firm is proud to support the non-profit organizations, public schools, and volunteer organizations that make the city work for all of its citizens.

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Shlachter to speak on Presenting Financial Information at Trial

October 1, 2007 – Rob Shlachter will be part of a distinguished panel of trial lawyers and experts sharing insights on how to present complex financial information at trial.  Rob was selected to share his insights and trial strategies to fellow lawyers of the Multnomah Bar Association on December 11, 2007. Rob has over thirty years experience presenting complex financial information to judges and jurors so that they can easily understand and properly use the information at trial.

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Larson and Shorr to speak at OSB Consumer Section Annual Meeting

September 28, 2007 – Steve Larson and Scott Shorr were both selected by the Oregon State Bar Consumer Law Section to give presentations to fellow attorneys at the section’s annual meeting. Steve will discuss recent rulings relating to the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Scott will discuss his argument before the United States Supreme Court and the standards established by the Court for proving willful violations of the law.

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Six of Stoll Berne Attorneys Named as Best Lawyers in America

September 17, 2007 – Six of the firm’s attorneys were recognized for being among the best lawyers in America by the Best Lawyers’ publication. Robert Stoll and Gary Berne were recognized as Best Lawyers for their work in mass tort and commercial litigation; Rob Shlachter was recognized for his work in both intellectual property litigation and commercial litigation; Tim DeJong was recognized for his work in intellectual property litigation; Keith Ketterling was recognized for his work in commercial litigation; and David Lokting was recognized for real estate and tax law.

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Stoll Berne Recognized for its Sustainability Practices

September 16, 2007 – Stoll Berne was recognized for the firm’s commitment to sustainability practices in an article in the September 17th edition of the National Law Journal (NLJ).  The NLJ cited the firm’s practice of creating an in-house sustainability class (modeled on those started by Portland attorney Dick Roy and the Northwest Earth Institute).  These classes have focused on reducing our use of natural resources and improving recycling at the firm.

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Oregon Drivers Join FedEx Suit

August 30, 2007 – Five Oregon contract drivers join FedEx suit. Excessive control is alleged. The drivers’ lawyer, Steve Larson, says the company takes advantage of drivers.  A federal judge has certified the class action against FedEx Ground on behalf of all Oregon current and former full-time drivers who drove out of a FedEx Ground terminal in Oregon from July 20, 1999 to the present.

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Hartford Fire Insurance Company Settlement Checks in the Mail

August 26, 2007 – Checks in the amount of approximately $175.00 were mailed to over 340,000 class members in a nationwide multi-million dollar class action settlement between Hartford Fire Insurance Company and its policyholders.This amounts to an aggregate amount of over $59 million. The policy holders alleged that Hartford Fire, and its subsidiaries, failed to provide notice in the form required by the Fair Credit Reporting Act when it used information in consumer credit reports in connection with the pricing of insurance.

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Rob Shlachter Appointed by Governor to Help Oregon Children and Families

August 24, 2007 – Rob Shlachter was appointed this week by Governor Ted Kulongoski to serve on the Oregon Commission on Children and Families. The Commission sets statewide policies and assists local communities in providing the best practices for serving children and families. Rob continues to represent clients in complex business and intellectual property litigation and serve as a mediator in such matters. He is honored to be selected by the Governor and help serve Oregon’s children and families.

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Rob Shlachter Appointed to Jewish Federation of Portland Board of Directors

August 15, 2007 – Rob Shlachter, a shareholder at Stoll Berne, has recently been appointed as a board member of the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland. Previously, Rob was a board member from 1992-2004 and served as President from 2001-2003.

The Jewish Federation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to assure the building and strengthening of the Jewish community locally, nationally, overseas, and in Israel.

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California Court of Appeals Rules FedEx Drivers are Employees

August 15, 2007 – The California Court of Appeals upholds the trial court’s decision in Estrada v. FedEx Ground Package System, which held that California FedEx drivers were employees not contractors. The drivers’ lawyer, Steve Larson, believes this decision will be very persuasive in the Oregon case.

To see news releases regarding this decision, go to: www.fedexdriverslawsuit.com

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Keith Ketterling Gives Speech About TICs

July 18, 2007 – Keith Ketterling gave a speech before the Oregon State Bar Securities Section titled “Teaching an Old Dog New ‘TICs’: The Challenges Facing Broker-Dealers in Selling TIC Real Estate Securities”. Keith, and associate Jake Gill, are experts in advising broker-dealers and others on the duties they face in selling tenancy-in-common (“TIC”) real estate securities. The sale of TIC real estate securities has exploded in recent years and regulators have started to closely examine these investments.

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Stoll Berne Attorneys Establish Law at the United States Supreme Court

June 4, 2007– Stoll Berne attorneys established new law at the United States Supreme Court that will assist consumers and others in enforcing future “willful” violations of federal statutes. The Supreme Court agreed with the arguments presented by attorneys Steve Larsonand Scott Shorr that a lower recklessness standard is sufficient and rejected arguments of the insurance industry that a higher knowing standard is necessary to prove a willful violation. Safeco Ins. Co of Amer. v. Burr, No. 06-84 (2007).

Dick Rubin of the National Consumer Law Center called the case a “major victory for consumers” seeking to enforce the law. Steve Larson originally filed these cases against several insurance companies and pursued them to the highest court. Scott Shorr, the firm’s appellate specialist, argued the case before the Supreme Court. He is one of the youngest attorneys to argue before the Court this term. They were joined on the briefs by Scott Nelson of Public Citizen.

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Portland Monthly Announces Top Lawyers

June, 2007 – Portland Monthly announces Portland’s top lawyers including Robert StollGary Berne (Commercial Litigation and Mass Tort Litigation) and Rob Shlachter (Commercial Litigation and Intellectual Property Law).

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$14.5m for Former Portland School District Custodians

April, 2007 – The Federal Court approves $14.5 million settlement on behalf of former Portland School District custodians. Robert Stoll and Jennifer Wagner (along with other members of class counsel) negotiated a $14.5 million settlement in a federal civil rights class action against the Portland Public School District (the “District).

Plaintiffs, on behalf of a class of 280 former custodians, alleged that they were illegally terminated by the District in 2002 as a result of the District’s decision to contract out for custodial services. Stoll and Wagner joined the trial tean and negotiated a precedent-setting settlement for the class. This is one of a number of successful cases brought by the firm on behalf of a class of wrongly terminated employees. As reported by The Oregonian, this is the largest settlement ever paid by the District.

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Keith Ketterling Receives “Mentor of the Year” Award

April 19, 2007 – Stoll Berne is proud to announce that Keith A. Ketterling, our managing shareholder, was recognized as one of Commerce Magazine’s 2007 Rainmaker finalists. He also received “Mentor of the Year”, a special award honoring his contributions to the firm.

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Oregon Federal Judge Approves Multi-Million Dollar Consumer Class Action Settlement Against Hartford

February 27, 2007 – An Oregon federal judge approved a multi-million dollar settlement in a consumer class action brought by Stoll Berne attorney Steve Larson and co-counsel Charlie Ringo on behalf of a class of customers of Hartford Fire Insurance Company.  The suit alleged that Hartford treated consumers adversely based on their credit scores without providing them notice under federal law.  Under the settlement approved by the court, class members are entitled to payments of at least $150.  There are over 700,000 class members that may benefit from this settlement.

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Rob Shlachter presents Patent Litigation to Oregon State Bar

February 2007 – Litigation attorney Rob Shlachter gave a presentation before the Oregon State Bar section for business litigators called “Everything You Need to Know About Patent Litigation But Were Afraid to Ask.”  Rob is one of the top patent litigation attorneys on the West Coast and often teams up with in-house and outside intellectual property counsel to help them devise a patent litigation strategy that will be understandable and convincing to judges and juries who are not technical experts.  Rob was part of a panel that included the Honorable Michael Mosman of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon and one other top patent litigator in Portland.

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