Executive Committee - Solo & Small Firm Section

Hertsel Shadian (2019 Chair)

Hertsel Shadian is the owner and manager of Hertsel Shadian, Attorney at Law, LLC, located in Tualatin, Oregon, which firm he formed in April 2008. Hertsel’s practice focuses on taxation (including tax controversies), business and transactional matters, estate planning, and nonprofit law. Hertsel graduated from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Political Science in 1993, graduated from the Gonzaga University School of Law with a JD (including a tax and business certification) in 1997, and obtained a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Taxation from the University of Washington School of Law in 1998.

Hertsel has been a member of the Oregon State Bar since 2000, and a member of the Washington State Bar since 1998. He is the 2019 Chair of the Executive Committee of the Oregon State Bar Solo and Small Firm Practitioner Section, and formerly served as a member-at-large for the Executive Committee of the Oregon State Bar Taxation Section from 2014-2017. Hertsel also formerly served as a member, co-Chair, and contributor for the Oregon State Bar Taxation Section Newsletter Committee. Hertsel has authored and/or been a contributing editor for several legal books and treatises for Thomson West, and also has written numerous articles on various tax topics, including for Mertens Law of Federal Income Taxation, Current Developments and Highlights, and for the Oregon State Bar Taxation Section Newsletter. He further has spoken on various tax topics.

Jorden Piraino (2019 Chair Elect)

Jorden is a solo practitioner in Portland, practicing in estate planning and business law. Born and raised in Southern California, Jorden received his bachelors in Sociology and Criminal Justice Studies from Cal State University San Marcos in 2008. It was during this time that he discovered his passion for the law, consequently, he attended Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego California and received his Juris Doctor in 2013. Jorden moved to the Portland area in 2015 to build his practice and support his family. His hobbies include hiking, volleyball, basketball, guitar (very poorly played) and general tomfoolery. Jorden handles the technology at our SSF Legal Lunchboxes and plans half-day SSF CLEs.

Scott D. Schnuck (2019 Past Chair)

Scott is a partner in Altus Law LLC, a firm that represents small and mid-size businesses, including contractors and professional service providers, throughout litigation, transactions, and regulatory compliance matters. He brings a wealth of business education and experience to the table. He has an MBA, and worked in operations and management positions for 17 years before enrolling at Lewis and Clark Law School, where he focused on business law. Scott was a member and associate editor of the law review. He received several scholarships and awards relating to business law, and he graduated with honors. He has been recognized by Super Lawyers in the area of construction law. Scott is also a frequent guest lecturer with the University of Oregon business program and is an adjunct professor at Lewis and Clark Law School, where he teaches Law Practice Management. Scott is the 2017 SSF Executive Committee representative to the OSB Futures committee and presents at the Legal Lunchbox.

Heather Wright Decker (2019 Secretary)

Heather is an attorney and practice coach, with both her BA and her JD from the University of Oregon. After more than a decade as a solo practitioner and in small firms, and a turn at Tonkin Torp LLP as their Director of Attorney Professional Development and Recruiting, Heather opened her own consulting firm. At tcb coaching + consulting, Heather helps lawyers, service professionals, and small business owners implement lasting and positive changes in their work and life that lead to greater well-being and career satisfaction. With over 20 years experience in the legal profession, Ms. Decker has a unique perspective on what lawyers experience at work – and how to make it better. Ms. Decker offers individual and small group coaching, consulting, and retreat facilitation, focusing on skill building and workplace solutions. Ms. Decker is an active member of the Oregon State Bar, and works on the SSF Legal Lunchbox committee.

Arnold H. Wuhrman (2019 Treasurer)

Since 1985, Arnie Wuhrman has been on the front lines of the battle for financial security for his clients. After receiving a B.S. in Business Administration from Washington University in St. Louis, and a J.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles, Arnie embarked upon a career in financially related legal services. Arnie’s experience includes representing hundreds of taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service and various State taxing agencies, as well as conducting dozens of lawsuits in numerous courts around the country, and handling thousands of bankruptcy cases – from small consumer cases to reorganizations of companies worth tens of millions of dollars.

Dona Marie Hippert (2019 Member at Large)

David James Robinson (2019 Member-at-Large)

Mr. Robinson is a solo attorney with office locations that serve the Portland metro and Newport. His practice areas include estate planning and probate, business transactions, nonprofit law, and government law. In addition to his private practice, he is also the City Attorney for the City of Toledo, OR.

Caitlin M. Wong (2019 Member-at-Large)

Caitlin Wong focuses her practice on taxation, estate planning, trust and estate administration, business formation and transactions, tax controversy, business succession planning and wealth preservation, and trust and estate (fiduciary) litigation. She helps families prepare and plan for the future when they need to pass money, property, and business interests, all while avoiding unnecessary taxes and disputes between family members after the death of a loved one. She also represents companies seeking to navigate their tax and business legal risks through practical solutions. Caitlin has an LL.M. in Taxation and is admitted to practice law in Oregon (since 2009) and Washington (since 2013).

Andrew D. Ginis (2019 Member-at-Large)

Andrew Ginis is an attorney at Myatt & Bell PC in Southwest Portland. He is a Michigan native, receiving an undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor before moving to Portland where he received his J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School. He also holds an LL.M. in Taxation from the University of Washington School of Law in Seattle. Andrew’s practice focuses on estate planning, trust administration, and tax issues. Outside of the office, Andrew enjoys cooking, mushroom hunting, cycling, and spending time with his husband and two dogs.

John C. Koch (2019 Member-at-Large through 2019)

John Koch is a solo practitioner and the founder of Koch Law, LLC. He lives and works in Lake Oswego, and serves clients in the tri-county area. His practice focuses on estate planning and administration, elder law, and closely-held/family businesses. He earned his J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School, where he served as an editor of the Lewis & Clark Law Review. He earned his B.A. from Rice University. He volunteers with the Senior Law Project of Legal Aid Services of Oregon, and in 2018 the Multnomah Bar Association named him “Senior Law Project – Volunteer of the Year.” John joined the SSF because he sees the value in solo and small firm attorneys addressing their practice issues together. He enjoys basketball, literature, photography, and traveling to Eastern Oregon.

Rob Hofmann (2020 Member-at-Large)

Christopher J. Graves (2020 Member-at-Large)

Andrew E. Levine (2020 Member-at-Large)

Ellyn R. Stier (2020 Member-at-Large)

Diane C. Cady (2020 Member-at-Large)

Diane Cady, owner of Trillium Law PC is a native Oregonian. She grew up in Bend and attended college at Western Oregon University in Monmouth, Oregon. Ms. Cady studied law at Willamette University with an emphasis on employment and also served as executive editor of the Willamette Law Review.

Ms. Cady has experience in several different areas of practice, including discrimination in employment, claims for unpaid wages and unemployment benefit hearings and appeals, administrative law and appeals, drafting and reviewing contracts, and drafting wills, trusts and other estate planning documents. She spends her spare time with her family, volunteering in the children’s schools, and enjoying the outdoors.

LIAISONS

Bill C. Penn- OSB Liaison

Bill Penn is the Assistant Director Oregon Law Foundation/Legal Services Program at the Oregon State Bar. Previously, Bill was the Assistant Director of Legal Aid Services of Oregon, and an Adjunct Professor and Director of Public Interest Law at Lewis and Clark Law School. He has a JD with a Tax Certificate from Lewis and Clark Law School, and a BA in astronomy from the California Institute of Technology.