Oregon Women Lawyers (OWLS) stands with our national, state, and local bar associations, as well as various other affinity bar groups, who have voiced condemnation of the violent attack on our United States Capitol Building this past Wednesday, January 6, 2021. What was to be a historic day, the Congressional certification of the election of Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. to be our next President, and Senator Kamala Harris, to be our next, and first ever woman, Black and South Asian American Vice President, ended in a violent display of aggression and insurrection. The insurrection sought to disrupt the constitutional proceedings of the peaceful transition of power under our democratic system and it was an unprecedented attack on our democracy. Racism, hatred, and those who would use misinformation and incite it for their own political ends must never be tolerated, especially at the highest levels of our government. As attorneys, we have sworn an oath to support the Constitution and the laws of the United States. To that end, OWLS calls upon our state and federal elected leaders to strongly denounce the violence which occurred this past Wednesday, to condemn and prosecute all those who sought to engage in and provoke such acts, and to provide for a peaceful transition of power.
Workplace Leader Award Cancelled
CANCELED :: Workplace Leader Award
We hope you are healthy and sheltering in place.
Due to the COVID 19 pandemic, OWLS regrets that we have canceled the collection of nominations for the Workplace Leader Award, and will not be awarding it in 2020.
For consideration in 2021, please click here for award criteria.
Call for Nominations: 2020 OWLS Roberts & Deiz Awards
OWLS is accepting nominations for the 2020 Roberts & Deiz award through end-of-business (EOB) Monday, October 4, 2019. The dinner is Friday, March 13, 2020.
Click here for the nomination form.
Justice Betty Roberts (1923-2011) was a leader in Oregon politics, the first woman appointed to the Oregon appellate bench, and a beloved mentor and advocate for women lawyers.
Judge Mercedes Deiz (1917-2005) was a trailblazer in the Oregon Bar as the first black woman to practice law in Oregon and the first woman of color on the Oregon bench. She overcame racial bias throughout her career, and created opportunities for those that might otherwise be marginalized by society, to access legal resources and careers.
The OWLS Roberts & Deiz Award honors the legacies of both Justice Roberts and Judge Deiz as promoters of those from outside the dominant culture (e.g. women, people of color, LGBTQ, and those with disabilities).
OWLS and OAPABA Oppose Nomination of Ryan Bounds to Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
OWLS and OAPABA oppose the nomination of Ryan Bounds to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
In April, 2018, the Presidents of Oregon Women Lawyers and the Oregon Asian Pacific American Bar Association wrote to the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee of the United States Senate, the Honorable Charles Grassley, and to the Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee, the Honorable Dianne Feinstein, to oppose the nomination of Ryan Bounds to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. You can read the letter here.
Joyce Brake joins OHSU government relations team
Joyce Brake recently returned to the legislative advocacy arena as Associate Director of State Relations at Oregon Health & Science University. In this role, she lobbies Salem on OHSU’s public health, human services, higher education, and research issues.
Prior to her family’s Portland move, Joyce was the founding attorney of Columbia Counsel PLLC in White Salmon, Washington, where she took on rural legal services gaps through child advocacy casework and small business government relations. Joyce’s background includes policy counsel at the Washington State Senate and Moore & Van Allen PLLC, and she is a former German Fulbright Scholar and Bundestag parliamentary fellow.
Tonkon Torp Names Kristin Bremer Moore Chair of Labor & Employment Practice Group
Tonkon Torp has appointed partner Kristin Bremer Moore to chair its Labor & Employment practice group. Bremer Moore represents management in traditional labor matters and defends employers from claims of discrimination, retaliation, wrongful discharge, and other employment matters. She also represents clients seeking to enforce or defend against trade secret and noncompetition agreement violations. Bremer Moore joined Tonkon Torp in 2006 and was named as a partner in 2011.
About the appointment, Managing Partner Darcy Norville shared, “We’ve been proud to watch Kristin develop from a talented associate into a strong contributing partner. And now we are thrilled to help her take the next step in her career as a practice group chair.”
Bremer Moore takes over the role from outgoing chair Bob Carey, who continues his practice at Tonkon Torp, representing companies, professionals, and executives in employment litigation and other employment related issues.
Bremer Moore has been consistently recognized by Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA, and Super Lawyers as among the best attorneys in the nation. She is a frequent speaker on labor and employment issues, and is actively involved in Oregon’s legal community. Bremer Moore graduated cum laude from Willamette University College of Law in 2003 and earned her B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin.
Tonkon Torp‘s Labor & Employment practice group provides practical solutions to labor and employment problems for a diverse group of Pacific Northwest employers. The firm helps clients promote positive employee relations, set rules and standards for employee conduct, protect competitive positions, deal with union activity, and defend against – or minimize exposure to – employment litigation.
Katharine von Ter Stegge Appointed to Multnomah Co. Circuit Court
OWLS member Katharine von Ter Stegge was recently appointed by Governor Brown to the Multnomah County Circuit Court.
The Multnomah County Circuit Court presently has three vacancies, created by the retirements of Judge Henry Kantor and Judge Julie E. Franz, and by the elevation of Judge Bronson James to the Oregon Court of Appeals. To these vacant positions Governor Brown appoints Katharine von Ter Stegge (Position 10), Christopher A. Ramras (Position 15), and Benjamin N. Souede (Position 30).
Katharine von Ter Stegge is an attorney in the Multnomah County Attorney’s Office, where she has worked since 2010. She previously worked as a trial attorney at the Oregon Department of Justice and as a prosecutor in the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office. She began her career as a law clerk for a federal judge in West Virginia. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia and the University of Virginia School of Law. She is a member of the Oregon State Bar’s Board of Governors.
An active member of OWLS, von Ter Stegge is also president of Queen’s Bench, our Portland-area chapter, as well as a citizen-member of the Independent Police Review Board for the City of Portland and is a volunteer lawyer for the Oregon Crime Victim Law Center.
Rogoway Awarded by Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
Attorney Edie Rogoway was named the recipient of the 2017 Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association’s (OCDLA) President’s award, an honor to distinguish individuals who have shown exemplary service to the Association.
The award recognizes Rogoway for her pro bono work organizing volunteer attorneys and interpreters to assist people affected by President Trump’s Muslim travel-ban Executive Order. Ms. Rogoway exemplifies the spirit of the award by “… standing up for the defenseless and holding those in positions of power accountable for the harm they cause …for being a rock of strength and a beacon of hope for people subject to abuses of power.”
Robyn Ridler Aoyagi appointed to the Oregon Court of Appeals
OWLS member Robyn E. Ridler Aoyagi was recently appointed to the Oregon Court of Appeals.
The Oregon Court of Appeals presently has three vacancies, created by the elevations of Justice Meagan A. Flynn and Justice Rebecca A. Duncan to the Oregon Supreme Court, and by the retirement of Judge Timothy J. Sercombe. To these vacant positions Governor Brown appointed Robyn E. Ridler Aoyagi (Position 4), Judge Bronson James (Position 2), and Steven R. Powers (Position 7).
In an official release, Governor Brown stated, “Oregonians will be rightly proud to welcome this group of exceedingly talented and diverse lawyers into judicial service.” Governor Brown added, “These appointments draw from every corner of the legal profession: prosecutors and defenders of the accused, advocates for injured persons, civil defense attorneys, government lawyers, and even a state representative. This group entrusts some of Oregon’s finest lawyers with the fair and impartial administration of justice in our state.”
Robyn E. Ridler Aoyagi is a trial and appellate litigator at the Tonkon Torp law firm, where she has worked since 2000. She began her legal career as a law clerk on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. She is a graduate of Tufts University and Harvard Law School. She is a member of the board of directors of Portland Story Theater and recently chaired a project on e-briefing for the American Bar Association Council of Appellate Lawyers, of which she is an executive board member. She also is past chair of the Oregon State Bar Appellate Practice Section Executive Committee.
Welcome to the Newest OWLS Chapter–Gorge OWLS (GROWLS)
On behalf of the entire board of directors for Oregon Women Lawyers, we are thrilled to announce and welcome the newest OWLS Chapter, “Gorge OWLS” or “GROWLS”. The OWLS Board approved the chapter at its January 28, 2017 board meeting.
Chapter organizers are well on their way to providing programming and recruiting members. The first planned CLE will be timely – a discussion of the current state of immigration law in the U.S. on March 1 in Hood River. The presenters will be MariRuth Petzing and Diana L. McDougle.