> About The Firm > Firm History

Roy Harland founded our firm in 1932. The firm has honored the principal that clients deserve the highest quality service, and that lawyers must work to find practical solutions to legal issues presented to them. In the early years, the firm was a general practice. Over time, our firm has developed into a highly specialized business firm focused on meeting the needs of our business clients.

As our client's needs have expanded, so have our areas of practice and depth of expertise. We now regularly represent clients throughout the Pacific Northwest and across the United States and Canada. Our team is composed of 20 lawyers and a support staff of 20 legal secretaries, paralegals, and other administrative personnel. Rather than maintain a general understanding of many areas of the law, each lawyer in our firm focuses their practice. As a team, our practice group approach gives our clients the benefit of working with lawyers who are highly trained and experienced in handling difficult and complex legal issues. Although we have grown to meet our clients' needs, we have not forgotten that client service and the highest quality innovative legal advice are the cornerstones upon which the firm is built.

We stress the need to be innovative in our approach to solving legal problems. There may be many ways to address any particular legal matter, but we strive to find the solutions that can be practically implemented with the greatest benefit to our clients. We see our role as counselors to help our business clients achieve their goals in the most cost effective and practical way possible.

Another lesson learned from our founder, Mr. Harland, is the need to give back to our community. All of our lawyers are actively involved in the Salem community. Many of our lawyers are leaders in prominent local charitable, business, and governmental organizations. Our community involvement was recognized in 1999 when the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce named the firm the 1999 Business of the Year.

Our clients are confident in our legal ability and experience. We honor that confidence by delivering high-quality legal services tailored to each client's needs. In our office, the most important person is You, our client.