Saalfeld Griggs, Chemeketa Center for Business & Industry, Salem Area Chamber of Commerce, and SEDCOR have partnered to present Willamette Valley Business Forum. The first presentation regarding “Financing and Closing Business Transactions in 2010” will be at CCBI on April 13th, 2010. Registration is now open. Please contact Gabrielle James at gjames@sglaw.com or 503-399-1070 for more information.

Doug Alexander was recently appointed to serve on the Advisory Board of LEGUS. Saalfeld Griggs is the only Oregon member of LEGUS, a worldwide association of prestigious medium-sized, independent law firms. Our lawyers have found the ability to collaborate with LEGUS colleagues in other jurisdictions is a significant benefit to our clients whose business interests take them beyond the borders of Oregon.

Jim Griggs received the Marion County Bar Association’s Professionalism Award at the annual awards dinner held on January 21st. Each year, the Professionalism Award is presented to an attorney or judge who exemplifies and promotes professionalism in the legal community. This award honors professionals who, by outstanding example and through teaching and mentoring, promote the Oregon State Bar’s definition of professionalism. The definition of professionalism reads: “Professionalism includes integrity, courtesy, honesty, and willing compliance with the highest ethical standards. Professionalism goes beyond observing the legal profession’s ethical rules; professionalism sensitively and fairly serves the best interests of clients and the public. Professionalism fosters respect and trust among lawyers and between lawyers and the public, promotes the efficient resolution of disputes, simplifies transactions, and makes the practice of law more enjoyable and satisfying.” Congratulations, Jim!

Erich Paetsch wrote on expedited civil jury trials in our latest issue of Litigation Briefs. 

Four of our attorneys were selected as Super Lawyers recently. Erich Paetsch, Shannon Martinez, and Christine Moehl were recognized as ‘Rising Stars,’ while Bob Saalfeld received the esteemed title as Super Lawyer!

The selections for Super Lawyers are made by Law & Politics, a division of Key Professional Media, Inc. of Minneapolis, Minn. Selections are based on independent evaluation of candidates by Law & Politics’ attorney-led research staff, a peer review of candidates by practice area, and a good-standing and disciplinary check. Only the top five percent of the lawyers in the state are named Super Lawyers.

Randy Sutton is currently serving as the Board President for the Enterprise in Employment and Education workforce development board.  The Enterprise is a public-private partnership focused on strategic workforce solutions. The organization identifies and manages training and other workforce development needs in Marion, Polk and Yamhill counties.

Doug Alexander, Randy Cook, Jim Griggs, and Bob Saalfeld were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2010 (Copyright 2009 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, S.C.).

Since its inception in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Because Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which more than 32,000 leading attorneys cast almost two million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their specialties, and because lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed, inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”

Jeff Moore was recently asked to join the Oregon Law Commission’s work group on the Oregon Inheritance Tax Project.

The Oregon legislature recently passed a very substantial increase in the tax rates that Oregon C corporations must pay. Our firm’s tax lawyers can review your current corporate status, help plan for the rising cost of C corporations, and help structure your company to minimize the financial burden.  Contact our Corporate and Tax Group to learn more about the tax increases, and your options under the new laws.

Under some circumstances you can be held personally liable for the losses that your employees incur in your retirement plan? In today’s down market, plaintiff’s lawyers are focusing their attention on retirement plan sponsors under “Breach of Fiduciary Duty” theories. The best defense to these types of law suits are carefully documented plan investment decisions.  If you would like more information on how to protect yourself from fiduciary liability claims, please ask for our Employee Benefits Group.