Ed Cunningham

An energetic and talented tax attorney, Valerie is passionate about adding value to her clients’ businesses and having an immediate, positive influence. When working with individual clients, she strives to improve their lives by taking complex tax situations and breaking them into manageable pieces with achievable outcomes.

Ms. Sasaki specializes in jurisdictional tax consulting, working closely with Fortune 50 companies involved in audits before the Oregon or Washington Departments of Revenue. She also works with business owners on tax and planning issues in Oregon or Southwest Washington.
 

Valerie can be reached via email at vsasaki@SamuelsLaw.com

Practice Areas

Taxation
Business and Corporate

Professional Associations

Oregon State Bar
Oregon State Bar Taxation Section, Chair 2010
Oregon State Bar Tax Institute Planning Committee (2006-2011)
Washington State Bar
Portland Tax Forum, Chair elect, 2012; Executive Committee Member, 2010-Present
Oregon Asian Pacific American Bar Association, Founding Member
United States District of Oregon Courts
United States Western District of Washington Courts
United States Tax Court
Oregon Women Lawyers
Northwest Business for Culture and the Arts, Board Leadership Training Graduate, 2008
 

Education

Tulane University (B.A., 1998, magna cum laude)
University of Oregon School of Law (J.D., 2001)
University of Washington School of Law (LL. M., 2002)

Bar Admissions

Oregon State Bar (2001)
Washington State Bar (2001)
 

Alan M. Spinrad brings more than 30 years of experience as an attorney, arbitrator and mediator to serve his real estate industry clients. He regularly handles a broad range of real estate transactions on behalf of buyers, sellers, landlords, tenants, and borrowers. His clients include individuals, developers, real estate professionals, and a wide range of business entities. A skilled mediator, he also works to bring opposing parties together to resolve disputes outside of the courtroom.

Alan studied advanced mathematical methods at Carnegie-Mellon University, where he received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Industrial Administration. He then worked as a mathematical economist for an urban planning consulting firm, prior to law school at the University of Oregon. As a lawyer, Alan spent five years as a prosecutor before joining Samuels Yoelin Kantor in 1984. Alan litigated for the firm for a number of years, handling cases involving business and real estate disputes. That litigation experience has provided valuable insights for his transactional practice.

Alan enjoys time with his family, the outdoors, travel, and trying to learn other languages. He loves playing guitar and is a founding member of the Klickitat Street Basement Band.

Alan can be reached via email at ams@samuelslaw.com

Practice Areas 

• Real Estate
• Mediation And Arbitration

Professional Associations

• American Bar Association
• Multnomah, Clackamas, and Washington County Courts (Arbitrator)
• Oregon Court of Appeals (Mediator)
• Oregon Mediation Association
• Oregon State Bar Association (Member, Sections on Alternate Dispute Resolution, Construction, and Real Estate)
• United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
• United States District Court for the District of Oregon
• United States Tax Court

Education

• University of Oregon School of Law (J.D., 1978)
• Carnegie-Mellon University (M.S.I.A., 1974)
• Carnegie-Mellon University (B.S., 1971)

Bard Admissions

• Admitted to Oregon State Bar (1978)

Van M. White, III’s practice focuses on construction law and business litigation. His legal work regularly includes construction liens and collections; contract drafting and negotiating; the prosecution and defense of construction defect claims; bond claims; and general counsel to construction contractors, material suppliers, and small business owners.

Van’s clients include property owners, general contractors, subcontractors, material suppliers, and developers involved in residential, commercial and public works projects. He has also represented commercial lenders, title insurance companies, and investors in foreclosure and priority disputes. Significant matters recently handled include the defense of apartment developers in multiple lien foreclosure cases; the representation of a national lender in a lien foreclosure case (priority dispute involving major Central Oregon resort); and the foreclosure of an Oregon Coast property being developed as a resort.

Because Van understands that legal fees can add up quickly, he strongly advocates upfront risk management so that issues can be addressed before a project begins. He also regularly employs a cost-benefit analysis when helping a client make a decision, especially those involving payment disputes. He prides himself on being very hands-on with his cases and being a good communicator. By working with clients in a prompt, decisive manner, Van establishes solid channels of communication that allow the client to get the most out of his representation.

Van has authored a number of articles on Oregon construction law and related issues. He has also contributed to several articles in national publications. Some may recognize Van from his “Ask the Expert” column, which ran in the Sunday Oregonian real estate section and discussed how residential property owners should protect themselves with construction contracts. Van has also actively participated in construction trade associations over the years, including regular speeches and articles relating to construction law issues.

Van was a hearings advocate and law clerk at the Oregon Construction Contractors Board (“CCB”) from 1990-1992, while he attended law school at Willamette University College of Law in Salem, Oregon. While at the CCB, Van prosecuted numerous enforcement cases on behalf of the State of Oregon. He also performed legal research while he clerked at the CCB.

Prior to graduating from Willamette University College of Law, Van began teaching prerequisite CCB education classes to contractors. Since 1992, Van has instructed hundreds of prerequisite CCB education classes to thousands of contractors in a wide variety of areas, including contract law, construction lien law, the CCB, and laws and business practices. Van still regularly instructs classes and CCB electives to contractors in areas related to contract law and lien law. He has also given numerous speeches over the years to construction companies, lawyers, and at trade shows.

Van is a member of the CCB’s Training and Education Advisory Board. Van has also assisted the CCB with the instruction and education of contractors, including editing and updating of the ninth edition of the Oregon Contractor’s reference manual.

Van is a graduate of Washington State University and a huge Cougar fan. Van is involved with the Cougar Business Alliance in Vancouver as well as a WSU networking group in Pullman.
 

Practice Areas

• Construction
• Litigation
• Business and Corporate

Professional Associations

• American Bar Association
• Contractor Ed (Instructor & Consultant, 1997–present)
• Multnomah County Bar Association
• Oregon State Bar Association (Member, Sections on Construction Law, Real Estate & Land Use, Labor & Employment, Business Litigation)
• United States District Court for the District of Oregon
• Washington State Bar Association (Member, Construction Section)

Education

• Willamette University College of Law (J.D., 1992)
• Washington State University (B.A., 1984)

Bar Admissions

• Admitted to Washington State Bar (1992)
• Admitted to Oregon State Bar (1993)