What's Happening at Hart Wagner
- Jason Cohen and Rachel Wolfard Named Partner
- Karen O’Kasey and Taylor Lewis Obtain Defense Verdict in Police Use of Force Case
- Hart Wagner Adds Gioia Fisk to Employment Litigation and Medical Malpractice Team
- Janet Schroer Successfully Defends Statute of Repose for Legal Malpractice
- Trial Attorney Aaron Potter Obtains Defense Verdict in Dental Malpractice Case
Hart Wagner Participates in the Second Annual Oregon Diversity Legal Job Fair
On Wednesday, March 9th, Hart Wagner will participate in the 2nd Annual Oregon Diversity Legal Job Fair. The one day virtual event is for diverse attorneys, paralegals and legal support professionals seeking employment with Oregon employers. The mission of the job fair is to bring together Oregon’s legal community to recruit and retain diverse legal professionals who will reflect the identity and values of the people and clients they serve. Hart Wagner is proud to be involved in this worthwhile endeavor, and we look forward to learning more about the candidates that are in our community.
Hart Wagner Adds Attorney Ellen Rall to Litigation Team
We’re pleased to announce that attorney Ellen Rall has joined our medical malpractice litigation team. Prior to joining Hart Wagner LLP, Ellen worked for a local small insurance defense firm where she honed her litigation skills. Ellen is a graduate of Gonzaga University School of Law, and is licensed to practice in Oregon and Washington. She is a member of the Multnomah Bar Association, Oregon Association of Defense Counsel, and Oregon Women Lawyers.
Litigation Attorney Taylor Lewis Named Partner
We’re pleased to announce that attorney Taylor Lewis has been named partner of the firm. Taylor’s practice focuses on defending hospitals, medical clinics, and healthcare professionals in medical negligence lawsuits and assisting medical professionals in licensing board matters. He also represents medical clinics in business disputes and provides advice on regulatory compliance.
Attorney Sarah Holmes Joins the Firm’s Employment Practice
We’re pleased to welcome associate attorney Sarah Holmes to the firm’s preeminent employment practice.
Sarah’s practice focuses on defending Oregon employers against a variety of employment claims. She represents employers in administrative proceedings as well as in state and federal court. Sarah also advises clients prior to litigation on policy compliance, pre-litigation strategies, and employer investigations.
Sarah began her career at Saalfeld Griggs in Salem, Oregon where she honed her employment litigation and advice and counsel skills working with individuals and businesses. She earned her J.D. from Willamette University College of Law, and her B.S. from University of Maryland Global Campus in Okinawa, Japan.
Hart Wagner Ranks in U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” 2022 Publication
Hart Wagner LLP is pleased to announce its recognition in the 2022 U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” list. The firm was recognized in a total of ten practice areas. This includes eight Tier 1 rankings, and a national ranking in Appellate Practice.
Firms that are included in the 2022 “Best Law Firms” list are recognized for professional excellence with consistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. Receiving a tier designation reflects the high level of respect a firm has earned among other leading lawyers and clients in the same communities and the same practice areas for their abilities, professionalism, and integrity.
Hart Wagner LLP received the following rankings in the 2022 U.S. News – Best Lawyers ® “Best Law Firms”:
National Tier 3
Appellate Practice
Metropolitan Tier 1
Portland – OR
Appellate Practice
Commercial Litigation
Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law
Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants
Litigation – Health Care
Medical Malpractice – Defendants
Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants
Metropolitan Tier 2
Portland – OR
Health Care Law
Metropolitan Tier 3
Portland – OR
Bet-the-Company Litigation
U.S. News – Best Lawyers – “Best Law Firms” 2022 Publication
Hart Wagner Welcomes Two Associates
We’re pleased to welcome Christian Jahn and Sara Ward to the firm’s preeminent litigation practice.
Christian Jahn’s practice focuses on defending hospitals, medical clinics, and healthcare professionals in state and federal courts, and assisting medical professionals in licensing board matters and other administrative proceedings. As an undergraduate he attended Portland State University where he graduated cum laude. He received his law degree from Lewis & Clark Law School, graduating magna cum laude. After law school, Christian worked as a Judicial Clerk at the Multnomah County Circuit Court, followed by two years at a small litigation firm in Portland where he gained valuable experience in personal injury, premises liability, product liability and insurance litigation.
Sara Ward’s practice focuses on employment litigation and medical malpractice defense. She received her undergraduate degree from University of Montana, and her law degree from Gonzaga University School of Law, Magna cum laude. Sara worked as a Judicial Clerk for the Honorable Kathleen M. Dailey in Multnomah County Circuit Court, and then went on to join a national law firm where she honed her litigation skills.
Hart Wagner Welcomes Attorney Annie Vozar
We’re pleased to announce Annie M. Vozar, has joined the firm as an associate attorney. Annie joins the firm’s preeminent medical malpractice and general liability defense teams. Her work on these teams will include personal injury and wrongful death defense, premises and product liability defense, and insurance coverage litigation.
Annie earned her bachelor’s degree in philosophy, psychology, and classical studies from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. She received her law degree from Northeastern University School of Law, where she served as a senior editor on the Northeastern University Law Review and participated in a clinic where she successfully represented a prisoner serving a life sentence, winning parole on oral argument before the Massachusetts Parole Board. After law school, Annie gained trial experience as a Deputy Public Defender in Colorado before shifting her litigation practice to civil law. She is admitted to practice in Oregon and Colorado State Courts.
Mike Wiswall Named 2022 Best Lawyers®, “Lawyer Of The Year” in Portland, Oregon
Congratulations to Mike Wiswall for being recognized by Best Lawyers® as the 2022 “Lawyer of the Year” for Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law.
Only a single lawyer in each practice area and designated metropolitan area is honored as the “Lawyer of the Year,” making this accolade particularly significant. These lawyers are selected based on particularly impressive voting averages received during the peer review assessments.
Receiving this designation reflects the high level of respect a lawyer has earned among other leading lawyers in the same communities and the same practice areas for their abilities, their professionalism, and their integrity.
In addition to the “Lawyer of the Year” award, Mike Wiswall was also listed in the 2022 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the following practice areas:
Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law
Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants
Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants
Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants
Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence.
Nine Hart Wagner Attorneys Recognized In The 2022 Edition Of Best Lawyers In America®
We would like to congratulate nine of our attorneys that have been recognized and named to the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers In America®:
Troy Bundy (recognized since 2012)
Health Care Law
Litigation – Health Care
Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants
John Hart (recognized since 2011)
Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants
Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
Matt Kalmanson (recognized since 2016)
Appellate Practice
Commercial litigation
Litigation – Health Care
Rodney Norton (recognized since 2012)
Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law
Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants
Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants
Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants
Karen O’Kasey (recognized since 2012)
Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law
Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants
Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants
Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants
Aaron Potter (recognized since 2019)
Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants
Janet Schroer (recognized since 2006)
Appellate Practice
Bet-the-Company Litigation
Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants
Gordon Welborn (recognized since 2012)
Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law
Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants
Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants
Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants
Mike Wiswall (recognized since 2012)
Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law
Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants
Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants
Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants
About Best Lawyers®
Best Lawyers has published their list for over three decades, earning the respect of the profession, the media, and the public as the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals. Its first international list was published in 2006 and since then has grown to provide lists in over 75 countries.
Lawyers on The Best Lawyers in America list are divided by geographic region and practice areas. They are reviewed by their peers on the basis of professional expertise, and undergo an authentication process to make sure they are in current practice and in good standing.
Congratulations to our 2021 Oregon Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
Seven individual Hart Wagner attorneys have been recognized by Super Lawyers Magazine in their 2021 Oregon Super Lawyers® edition. The publication identifies the most outstanding attorneys in the state, as chosen by their peers and through the research of Super Lawyers, which is a Thomson Reuters business. Notably, Karen O’Kasey and Janet Schroer were recognized for being among the Top 50 attorneys in Oregon, and were included in the Top 25 women lawyers in Oregon.
The following Hart Wagner attorneys were recognized in these designated practice areas:
Troy Bundy – Personal Injury Medical Malpractice: Defense
John Hart – Personal Injury Medical Malpractice: Defense
Rodney Norton – Personal Injury Medical Malpractice: Defense
Karen O’Kasey – Employment Litigation: Defense
Janet Schroer – Appellate
Gordon Welborn – Professional Liability: Defense
Michael Wiswall – Personal Injury Medical Malpractice: Defense
Hart Wagner partner Stephanie Kucera, was selected to the 2021 Rising Stars® list. Stephanie was honored in the Civil Litigation: Defense category. While up to five percent of the lawyers in the state are named to the Super Lawyers roster, no more than 2.5 percent are named to the Rising Stars® list. Each year, the research team at Super Lawyers undertakes a multi-phase selection process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, independent evaluation of candidates by the attorney-led research staff, a peer review of candidates by practice area, and a good-standing and disciplinary check. The Super Lawyers lists are published nationwide in Super Lawyers magazines and in leading city and regional magazines and newspapers across the country. For more information, visit www.superlawyers.com