Your Team of Collaborative Specialists

I believe everyone should have the right to work and earn their living free from discrimination and exploitation. I focus my practice on labor and employment litigation, with a special interest in employment discrimination.

I was born and raised in the Chicagoland area. After high school, I worked in the service industry—mainly as a server in restaurants—for many years. Although I have been justice-oriented from a young age, my restaurant experience was particularly formative in shaping my interest in workers’ rights.

In 2017, I moved to Oregon and studied history at Portland State University. My academic focus on modern society’s structures and systems led to my interest in law. While in law school, I realized that my personal and academic experiences crossed over in the area of labor and employment law. I’m thankful to be at Bennett Hartman where I can fight the good fight for workers’ rights.

Joined Firm

2023

Admitted to Practice

• Oregon State Bar (2023)
• U.S. District of Oregon (2023)

Education

• Northwestern School of Law at Lewis & Clark College (J.D., magna cum laude, 2023)
• Portland State University (B.S., summa cum laude, 2020)

I am happy to be working for Bennett Hartman as an attorney and to have the opportunity to help people who have been treated unfairly by their employers.

I have always been motivated to apply my intellect in support of justice.

I decided to go to law school because I wanted to have more power to make positive change. I enjoyed studying law at the Northwestern School Law at Lewis and Clark College. Much of my coursework focused on Indian law and I am always looking for opportunities to support tribes and indigenous activism. But I found my place in labor and employment law – working as a student law clerk for SEIU 49, and then for Bennett Hartman.

After graduating, I worked as a judicial clerk for Judge Matarazzo at the Multnomah County Circuit Court, both as a bench clerk and presiding clerk, and am grateful to have had the opportunity to see how the court works from the inside.

I was raised in suburban Maryland, and moved out to California for college, attracted by the progressive culture of the west coast. At the University of Santa Cruz, I immersed myself in anti-war and labor activism, creating forums for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to share their experiences and organizing student support for striking workers. As a Feminist Studies major, I studied oppression and social movements – how they operate through institutions, popular culture, and the law.

Once I graduated with my bachelor’s degree, I moved to Portland to be closer to family. I lived at the Tryon Life Community Farm for seven years, tending the land, animals, and land community; and worked a variety of jobs – nanny, film extra, flagger, but mostly as a math tutor. I also continued to support social movements and am proud to have helped launch the Burgerville Workers Union by networking with faith-leaders who appealed to the moral sensibilities of the company’s owners.

As an attorney, I am fortunate to have my livelihood converge with my passions, and remain committed to the pursuit of truth, justice, and empathy.

Joined Firm

2022

Admitted to Practice

• Oregon State Bar (2021)
• U.S. District of Oregon (2022)

Education

• Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College (J.D. cum laude, 2021)
• University of California, Santa Cruz (B.A., Honors, Feminist Studies, 2008)

Professional/Volunteer Activities

• Tryon Life Community Farm Board of Directors
  • Member 2013-Present
  • Secretary, 2014-2016; President 2016-Present
• Lewis and Clark Law School Faculty Committee
  • Student member 2019-2020
• Lewis and Clark Law School Honor Board
  • Student member 2018-2019

Publications

Michael Blumm, Kate Flanagan & Annamarie White, Right-Sizing the Supreme Court: A History of Congressional Changes, 72 Case Western Reserve Law Review 9 (2021).

For those readers interested in traditional “bio” information, feel free to skip to the end. Otherwise, please enjoy the following bits and pieces of personal background that shed some light on who I am and how I practice law.

I was born in Crescent City, California (the nearest hospital) and raised in Curry County, Oregon the fourth of six sons of attorney and Judge Samuel A. Hall and schoolteacher Jeanie Trice Hall. I drove tractor and moved irrigation pipe at fourteen and set chokers in the woods at eighteen. I worked construction and in the woods to pay for my college education. Being raised in rural Oregon influences my work ethic as a lawyer and my ability to understand and appreciate my clients and their claims.

My work as a lawyer began in Portland in 1985, with my first jury trial in Federal court just weeks after becoming a new lawyer. My practice has always focused on representing individuals in personal injury cases and employment related claims. I write and argue cases in Oregon courts. I am a trial lawyer. I have represented hundreds of clients with workers’ compensation claims, cases involving injuries on the job caused by the negligence of third parties, vehicle accidents, medical malpractice lawsuits, “slip-and-fall” cases, and disability claims. These cases include serious permanent injury and death. I represent firefighters all across Oregon and take great pride in having drafted legislation that provides professional firefighters with a legal presumption that certain cancers are covered as work related claims. I work with doctors and specialists every day. Whether it is educating myself about a particular cancer or the forces applied to the human spine in a motor vehicle collision, I am motivated by the opportunities to learn. Getting to know my clients as individuals, educating them so they understand what is being done and why, and bringing them some degree of peace of mind – and, of course, justice – is why I do what I do every day.

I graduated from Oregon State University in 1977 and attended graduate school at Bowling Green State University, Ohio on a teaching assistantship. I met my wife, Patti Hennessy there. We have been married since 1979 and have two sons. We lived in Bakersfield, California for two years; Patti worked as a speech pathologist and I worked for the high school district in a “drop out” recovery program, then for a non-profit within the state prison system, as well as a bit of part-time teaching at the community college. Though I loved teaching and counseling, I grew up planning to be a lawyer, so in 1981 we moved “home to Oregon” where I attended Northwestern School of Law at night while working full time as a law clerk for a personal injury trial firm. I graduated with my law degree in 1985.

I practiced law with the personal injury firm until 1993 when I opened my own law practice. The ink had not even dried on my new stationary when Governor Barbara Roberts appointed me to the Oregon Workers’ Compensation Board, where I served for five years, including two years as the Chair. I returned to the practice of law in 1998, joining my partners here at Bennett Hartman Morris and Kaplan. Not wanting to give up teaching altogether, I taught workers’ compensation law at my alma mater as a member of the adjunct faculty between 1994 and 2002.

Outside of work, I spend as much time as I can with my family; yard work is my chance to get my hands in dirt; I try to be self-sufficient and take care of my own home repairs and chores. I love baseball, though I was a lousy baseball player as a kid, and drive to Seattle to watch a few games each year. We still find a few weekends to camp and canoe each summer and we try to get down to my childhood home a time or two each year. As they say, you can take the kid out of the country but you can’t take the country out of the kid.

Admitted to Practice

Oregon Bar 09/1985

Education

• Northwestern School of Law Lewis & Clark College (J.D. 1985)
• Bowling Green State University (Graduate studies and teaching assistantship, 1978-79)
• Oregon State University (B.S., Speech Communication, 1977)

Prior Experience

Workers’ Compensation Board, Salem, OR
Appointed by Gov. Barbara Roberts
Member/Chair 1995-97
11/01/1993 to 10/01/1998

Pozzi, Wilson, Atchison, Attorneys at Law
Portland, OR
1981-85 – Law clerk
1985-93 – Attorney at Law

Professional/Volunteer Activities

Northwestern School of Law
Adjunct Faculty/Workers’ Compensation Law
1994 to 2002

Oregon State Bar:
Local Professional Responsibility Committee (Multnomah County)
1988-91;

Alternative Dispute Resolution Section
1997-2000 (Treasurer 1997, Chair 1999-2000);

Judicial Administration Committee
1996 (3-year term);

Workers’ Compensation Section
Treasurer 1992-93
Indigent Defense Task Force III

Multnomah Bar Association:
Ad hoc Committee on Professionalism 1986-1988

Oregon Dispute Resolution
Commission/Advisory Committee

Kids’ Chance of Oregon
Board of Directors

Publications

• Oregon State Bar Torts, “Claims Arising from Employment”, 2000 Supplement and 2005 Revision
• “Elements of Balance in a Worker’s Comp/Personal Injury Case” – Trial Lawyer Magazine, Fall 2013 Click here »

Martindale-Hubbell Rating ©

AV

**PLEASE NOTE** At this time, Linda Larkin is only taking clients who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.  For more information about the vaccination process, please visit the CDC’s website here.

After years of working in a variety of legal fields – I am limiting my practice to Mediation, serving as a Parent Coordinator, estate planning and probate practice, and oversight of the boutique practice of Multi-employer Trust Fund and Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) collections work.

I was raised in Dallas Texas, San Francisco, and Milwaukee, completing my B.A. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1973 where I was President of the Wisconsin Student Association from 1972-1973. In late 1973 I escaped the Midwest to McMinnville, Oregon, then moved to the Portland area in 1975 to attend The Lewis and Clark Law School. I’ve stuck around ever since.

I served as President of the Domestic Violence Resource Center, in Hillsboro, Oregon, and was a member of the statewide Domestic Violence Advisory Committee. I’m active in my church, Westminster Presbyterian in NE Portland; love my kids, my English Cocker “Dottie,” and my spouse – though not always in that order.

Joined Firm

2001

Admitted to Practice

• Oregon State Bar: 1979
• U.S. District Court: 1980
• U. S. Ninth Circuit: 1995

Education

• B.A. University of Wisconsin, 1973 J.D.
• The Lewis & Clark Law School, 1979

Prior Experience

• Carney, Buckley, Kasameyer & Hays, 1980 to 2001
• Carlos Boyer, Hillsboro Oregon 1979-1980

Martindale-Hubbell Rating

AV

Most people have no idea what workers’ compensation is until they are in the middle of it.  What does it cover?  How long does it last?  What other benefits does it provide?  The same was true for me when I first entered the industry as a claims processor for a national insurance company in 2013.  Now, after having worked my way up through the ranks and (most importantly) experiencing both sides of the law – previously representing employers/insurance companies and now injured individuals – I have a deep understanding of workers’ compensation claims and the stakes involved.

I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon to a family of immigrants.  My mother and father were from Hong Kong and came to America in the 1960s.  As a kid, I watched my mom juggle two jobs while my dad worked long hours in tech manufacturing.  When I became old enough to work during high school, I started out bussing tables at a Chinese restaurant.  In college, I held a work study position as a file clerk in the university’s student records office.  In the summertime, I worked a multitude of jobs from making sandwiches in a deli, to painting apartments, and working graveyard shifts at a local newspaper printing and distribution center.   All of these experiences have helped me develop a perspective and insight into the rigors of the labor most of my clients are required to perform on a daily basis.  As a result, I fully understand why what some may perceive as a negligible injury/condition can in fact be very disabling for people with strenuous jobs.

While in law school at The University of Oregon, I focused my education on business law with a concentration on corporate formation, mergers and acquisitions, and forensic accounting.  After school, I clerked for two years in a personal injury law firm.  There, I gained experience in civil litigation, mostly working on motor vehicle accidents and medical malpractice cases.  I was involved in civil pleadings practice, trial work, and appellate briefing for the Oregon Court of Appeals.  From there, I went on to process workers’ compensation claims for The Hartford Insurance Group.

After mastering claims processing, I became a claimants’ attorney with an emphasis on ensuring the appropriate administration of disability benefits to my clients.  I then had a short stint as a workers’ compensation defense attorney at a large law firm that represents many local claim administrators and insurance companies.  I soon realized, however, that my true passion was actually in vigorously representing injured workers who were involved in this complicated insurance system and I have now returned to serving individuals.  I am happiest when helping my clients navigate their claims to obtain the maximum benefits available under Oregon’s workers’ compensation laws.

Having been on both sides of the dispute, I have a unique ability to analyze a claim from multiple perspectives which allows me to determine the optimal strategy for my clients.  As a former adjuster and defense attorney, I understand what the employer’s/insurance company’s objectives and strategies are.  Then, drawing on my experience and knowledge, I do my best to forecast and explain each client’s options from the outset to create a legal strategy custom-tailored to meet their specific needs.

When I am not working, I enjoy spending time with my wife and daughter.  I am also enthusiastic about the outdoors, basketball, and western sports.  I am an avid foodie who eats recreationally and never shies away from trying new things.

Joined Firm

2021

Admitted to Practice

Oregon State Bar: 2012

Education

• University of Oregon School of Law (J.D., 2010)
• University of Oregon (B.S., 2007)

Volunteer Activities

• Asian American Youth Leadership Conference, Planning Committee, 2010 – 2019
• AAYLC Ambassador Engagement Series, Instructor, 2013 – 2018
• Robert Gray Middle School SUN School, Film Project Instructor, 2015
• Chinese American Citizens Alliance, Youth Basketball Coach, 2013

Successful business and real estate deals are all about good strategy and minding the details. So is chess. What’s the connection? As a former Oregon State Chess champion, I bring the same power of concentration it takes to win on a board with uniquely moving pieces and a determined opponent to create winning strategies for my business and real estate clients.

I enjoy assisting “Mom & Pop” clients with all nature of business, commercial, and real estate issues. As a strong legal researcher and writer, I also handle many of the firm’s cases before the appellate courts. I’ve worked with the Oregon Rules of Civil Procedure since they were adopted in 1979, so I’m often called upon as a resource for other attorneys on thorny procedural questions.

I was born and raised in San Francisco, California. After I graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1969 with a degree in Mathematics, I headed to Oregon to serve a two-year stint as a VISTA volunteer in Jackson County. I followed that up with another two years as Coordinator of a local public transportation program. In 1973 I married my love and moved to Salem to accept a position as a planner with the Oregon Mass Transit Division.

However, I became interested in law and entered Willamette University College of Law, where I received my Juris Doctorate, cum laude, in 1977. After serving as law clerk to Oregon Supreme Court Justice Thomas H. Tongue, I entered the law practice in Portland, emphasizing business, real estate and related litigation. I’ve been associated with Bennett, Hartman for over 25 years, first Of Counsel, as Partner in 2001, and Of Counsel since 2021.

I recently celebrated my 40th wedding anniversary and the birth of my first grandchild. I am indeed a former Oregon State Chess Champion, love the game, and am very active in the Oregon Chess Federation and the Portland Chess Club. Every summer, I look forward to my annual backpacking trip into Oregon’s magnificent wilderness areas. My wife and I also have been bitten by the travel bug and we have ventured to sites in Europe, South America and Southeast Asia.

Joined Firm

1988

Admitted to Bar

1977

Education

• A.B. Mathematics, University of California-Berkeley (1969);
• J.D. cum laude, Willamette University College of Law (1977).

Professional/Volunteer Activities

Portland Chess Club; former Oregon State Chess Champion; Mediator, Oregon Appellate Settlement Conference Program.

Publications

“Government Regulation of Franchises,” Advising Oregon Businesses, Ch. 67. Oregon State Bar Continuing Legal Education (2003 ed.)

Martindale-Hubbell Rating

AV

My law practice reflects my belief that everyone deserves respect and dignity in the workplace. I grew up in a large family in rural North Idaho and Eastern Washington. My grandfather, father, and brothers worked as flooring installers, and I spent summers throughout high school working on job sites. I’ve had many jobs since then, but my respect for hard work hasn’t changed.

I represent individuals whose rights have been violated in the workplace—claims such as unlawful harassment, whistleblower retaliation, medical leave violations, unpaid wages, and many others. I also regularly handle civil cases outside the employment arena when someone can’t find an attorney to represent them, and I’m convinced they have a righteous case.

In most cases I attempt to negotiate a fair resolution before litigating a case. If attempts at negotiation are unsuccessful, I will fight hard for my clients. Several of my clients have won significant victories in jury trials and arbitration hearings when their disputes could not be fairly resolved through negotiation. I’ve pursued claims in state and federal courts, state and federal administrative forums, and court-mandated and private arbitrations. I’ve also obtained victories on appeal.

Prior to law school I spent nearly a decade working as a legislative staffer and policy advocate in the Washington legislature. While in law school I clerked for Student Legal Services at Portland State University and the Community Development Law Center at Legal Aid Services of Oregon. I joined Bennett Hartman in 2013 and became a partner in 2017.

When I’m not at work, I enjoy bicycling around Portland and planning my next travel adventure.

Joined Firm

2013

Admitted to Practice

• Oregon State Bar (2013)
• U.S. District of Oregon (2014)
• Washington State Bar (2018)
• U.S. Western District of Washington (2018)

Representative Cases

• Hernandez v. Reed Group, Ltd. et al., 311 Or. App. 70, 490 P3d 166 (2021) (appellate victory against third-party benefits administrator that erroneously denied medical leave and claimed it could not be sued under Oregon employment laws)
• Vasquez v. Blubird World, LLC, Mult. Co. Circuit Court, Case No. 18CV41572 (jury verdict in favor of employee on claims of hostile work environment, disability discrimination, and constructive discharge)
• Hathaway et al. v. Colrich California Construction, Inc. et al., Mult. Co. Circuit Court, Case No. 16CV07602 (settlements on behalf of tenants of 300-unit apartment building that failed to remedy habitability defects)
• Thanane et al. v. Providence Health & Services – Oregon, U.S. Federal District Court of Oregon, Case No. 3:13-cv-01620-MO (class action wage claim settlement on behalf of 30,000+ employees for unpaid wages as a result of timecard rounding software and timecard manipulations by managers)

Education

• Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College (J.D., 2012)
• The Evergreen State College (B.A., 2001)

I have always believed in the power of collective action to make a difference. From an early age, I have rooted for the underdog and empathized with those who are in pain or trouble, even when they are unpopular. So when I graduated from law school, I identified my ideal job as one where I could practice employment, labor and family law – three areas that have a very real and immediate impact on people, both personally and collectively.

I’ve been fortunate to have a practice that fulfills that vision and more. For nineteen years, I had my own firm, practicing labor, employment  and family law. Over the years, I added a unique expertise in election law, advising unions and other progressive organizations like Basic Rights Oregon, Planned Parenthood and Our Oregon on a variety of issues arising out of Oregon’s initiative process. In 2009-2010, I left private practice to serve as Special Counsel to Attorney General John Kroger where I advised the Attorney General on election and administrative law issues and oversaw the Department of Justice’s work in the areas of child support and child welfare.

I returned to my roots in 2011, joining Bennett, Hartman, Morris & Kaplan to restart my election, labor, employment, and family law practices. I enjoy being engaged in policy discussions, while at the same time helping resolve concrete problems. I listen well, get the big picture, and then provide practical, strategic advice that seeks to resolve the immediate dispute in a manner that maintains long term relationships, whether between labor and management, or between parents with children. I not only provide the effective advocacy that the people I work with need, I also let them know that I care about them – it’s as important as the law.

Joined Firm

2011

Admitted to Practice

• Oregon State Bar: 1988
• Washington State Bar: 1988

Education

• Northeastern University School of Law (J.D., 1987)
• Williams College, B.A., Political Economy 1981

Prior Experience

• Special Counsel, Office of the Attorney General Oregon Department of Justice (2009 – 2010)
• Private Practice (1988-2009)
• Partner, Smith, Gamson, Diamond & Olney (1994-2008)
• Judicial Clerk for Judge Jonathan Newman, Oregon Court of Appeals (1987-88)

Professional Activities

Oregon State Bar Labor and Employment Section

Oregon State Bar Family Law Section

Oregon Administrative Law Section

Oregon Women Lawyers

Washington Labor and Employment Law Section

AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee

Oregon Law Commission
Government Ethics Workgroup (2005-2007)
Juvenile Law Workgroup (2009-2010)

Oregon State Bar – Parenting Plan Workgroup; (2010)

State Family Law Advisory Committee (2009-2010)

Foster Care Review Team (2009-2010)

Joint Legislative-Judicial Task Force on Child Welfare (2009-2010)

Publications

• “Oregon Campaign Finance & Ballot Measure Guide,” Alliance for Justice; http://bolderadvocacy.org/navigate-the-rules/state-resources
• Legislative Update, OLI Annual Employment Law Update, 2013, 2014
• “Election Law and Government Ethics,” OSB Oregon Legislation Highlights, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008.
• “Meeting the Challenge of Inclusion: Strategies & Resources” Oregon Education Association, 1997, updated 2003.

Martindale-Hubbell Rating ©

AV

Awards

Oregon LERA MAGGIE, 2016. Letters of Nomination

I am a former administrative law judge and an experienced practitioner of labor and employment law. My work with Bennett Hartman focuses on representing labor organizations. I also litigate cases in civil court on behalf of individuals who have legal claims against their employers.

I was born and raised in Idaho and grew up working retail, restaurant, and childcare jobs. I moved to Washington to attend college, where I interned in the Washington State Legislature and became fascinated with the power of language in the law. Following graduation, I worked as a data analyst for the Washington Judicial Conduct commission, continuing to learn more about the impact of law on people’s lives. Based on these experiences, I was inspired to attend law school.

After graduating law school and passing the bar exam, I returned to my home state to serve as a judicial clerk in the Third Judicial District. Shortly after, I became a Deputy State Appellate Public Defender and later became acting in-house counsel for Ada County as a Civil Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, specializing in employment law and tort defense.

Wanting to experience adjudication again, I became an Administrative Judge for the National Appeals Division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This was my first position as a union employee. I quickly learned the crucial role unions could serve in protecting employees against unjust actions by employers. I became actively involved in my AFSCME local, serving as a bargaining team member, E-board member, Vice President, and ultimately President.

When I learned of a position as an Administrative Law Judge before the Oregon Employment Relations Board, I was excited for the opportunity to integrate my adjudication, employment, and union experience into a single opportunity. I served in that position for approximately five years, learning the intricacies of Oregon labor law.

Since leaving the Oregon Employment Relations Board, I have focused on labor and employment law in private practice, first with Tedesco Law Group and more recently with Bennett Hartman.

My spare time largely involves running a coastal vacation rental, and serving the relentless needs of my dogs, cat, chickens, and recently neighborhood crows.

Joined Firm

2022

Admitted to Practice

• Idaho State Bar (2001)
• Oregon State Bar (2016)
• U.S. District of Oregon (2022)

Education

• The Evergreen State College, B.A. (Interdisciplinary Studies)
• University of Utah College of Law, J.D.

Professional/Volunteer Activities

Board Member – Joys of Living Assistance Dogs