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Oregon Office of Taxpayer Advocate: House Bill 3373

  In early 2021, Representative Fahey sponsored HB3373 in an effort to establish the office of the Taxpayer Advocate in the Department of Revenue. The bill is currently awaiting the governor’s signature and the office will become an active office in the Department of Revenue on January 1st, 2022. The purpose of the Office of

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Modification of Guardianship or Conservatorship: Lessons From Britney Spears

The media has been all abuzz in recent months, weeks, and years about Britney Spears’ conservatorship. We all remember the fateful photo from 2007, showing Spears gleefully buzzing her signature long, blond locks. Shortly after, her father was appointed conservator for her. Fans have long suspected that Spears is dissatisfied with the structures of her

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Changes Coming to Oregon Noncompete Agreements

Changes Coming to Oregon Noncompete Agreements On May 21, 2021, Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed Senate Bill 169, amending Oregon’s statute governing employee noncompete agreements, ORS 653.295. Effective January 1, 2022, employee noncompete agreements entered on or after that date will need to comply with four notable changes under the modified statute. Unlawful Noncompetition Agreements

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Pasieczny Appointed to FINRA’s National Arbitration and Mediation Committee

SYK is pleased to announce that attorney Darlene Pasieczny (“Pah-shetch-nee”) has been appointed by the Board of Governors for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) to serve a three-year term on the National Arbitration and Mediation Committee (NAMC).  Darlene will serve as one of the “Public” members of the national 13-person advisory committee.  The NAMC

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Lake Oswego Chamber of Commerce

SYK is pleased to announce that Anastasia Yu Meisner has recently been selected as an Ambassador for the Lake Oswego Chamber of Commerce. The mission of the Chamber is to strengthen local business though education, advocacy and community partnerships. The Chamber provides a wide range of business support including weekly networking events to promote local

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Police Training Needed to Raise Dementia Awareness

Police actions and training have been the focus for some time now, but our elders need to be included when there are conversations about reform.  Specifically, better training when it comes to identifying dementia and working with those that struggle with the insidious disease would necessarily lead to less frightful and concerning interactions. In Colorado,

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SYK Supports Oregon Harbor of Hope

Portland’s unhoused have been hit hard and a global pandemic certainly has not helped the situation.  Oregon Harbor of Hope is a non-profit dedicated to seeking solutions for this complex problem and SYK is proud to support their local efforts. “The city, county and state are working hard to address our crisis, but they cannot solve

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Robinhood Restricts GameStop, AMC, Other Securities – Do Investors Have Claims?

Can investors bring a claim against Robinhood and other self-directed platforms for the recent purchase restrictions on GameStop, AMC, and other securities? The internet is buzzing with talk of class action lawsuits.  Our office is fielding inquiries.  But – from a claimants’ attorney perspective – there are high hurdles to overcome. The securities trading platform

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Workplace Vaccination Requirements

Workplace Vaccination Requirements

What You Need to Know About Workplace Vaccination Requirements Now that the first round of COVID-19 vaccines is being distributed, many of people are wondering how to ensure that their employees are vaccinated as soon as possible. Below are answers to some of the most common questions employers have about workplace vaccine requirements. If you

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Between Two Screens: Bankruptcy Options

Please join us for the newest addition of SYK Studios – Between Two Screens. This latest episodes features attorneys Victoria Blachly and Jessica McConnell and focuses on bankruptcy.

Jessica McConnell is an experienced debtor-creditor attorney. She handles a variety of insolvency and bankruptcy matters; a majority of which have tax complexities. She regularly represents businesses, individuals, and estates with unfiled tax returns, compliance problems, and those with unpaid tax liabilities that are experiencing unwanted and unexpected tax collection.

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Inside the New Multnomah County Courthouse

We are excited to share a sneak peek into the new public building with this 4 minute video. 

– SYK is a founding member of the MBF CourtSupport program, which is funding the CourtNavigator at the new Multnomah County Courthouse
– SYK Partner Victoria Blachly is the secretary/treasurer for the Multnomah Bar Foundation (“MBF”), which is the charitable arm of the MBA
– SYK Partner and manager Tim Resch is on the board for the Multnomah Bar Association (“MBA”)
– SYK Partner Leslie Johnson is on the MBA Court Liaison Committee

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New Podcast from Chris Cline at Riverview Trust Company

One of the #silverlinings of the 2020 COVID-19 situation is that people are doing some really creative things to help educate folks and make their communities better. In this occasional series, we like to highlight the neat things that friends of our firm are doing.

Christopher Cline is the President and CEO of Riverview Trust Company. Chris has been an important part of the local Trusts and Estates community for quite some time and we have a number of common clients. He just started a podcast to explain some of the basics of estate planning in a really user-friendly way. I like it because these are questions that clients may think are too basic to ask, but really need to know. I’m going to encourage my Mom to take a listen. Chris’s podcast is on Spotify now and will be on and Apple and Google soon. Definitely check it out!

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Beloved Actress Nichelle Nichols Alleged Victim of Elder Abuse

Nichelle Nichols, best known for her role as Lt. Uhura on the original Star Trek television series, finds herself in the midst of litigation at the age of 87, as the alleged victim of elder abuse at the hands of her personal manager. The complaint tells a painful story of a vulnerable adult, surviving a stroke, dealing with dementia and short-term memory loss, falling victim to social isolation, loss of financial and medical control, and even removal from a rehabilitation facility against medical advice. 

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Estate Planning: Mistakes or Misunderstandings

We have all heard the phrase: nothing in this world can be certain in life, except death and taxes. As an estate planner, I address these two issues every day. I counsel clients on the best strategies to pass their estates to their loved ones, how to efficiently manage their affairs if they can’t make decisions for themselves, and advise them on the most financially efficient ways to accomplish their goals. With nearly 20 years of estate planning experience, I have collected a list of common mistakes or misunderstandings.

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Oregon Health Authority Orders New Statewide Face Covering Guidance

As COVID-19 continues to impact our daily lives, Governor Kate Brown has authorized the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to create new guidance on masks, face coverings and face shields (collectively referred to as “face coverings”). On August 13, 2020, masks, face shields, and face coverings became required statewide for offices and indoor public spaces and in outdoor public spaces when physical distancing is not possible.

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Oregon WINGS Posts “Get a Life Plan”  

Oregon’s Working Interdisciplinary Networks of Guardianship Stakeholders (WINGS) posted a solid plan for what we should all consider, as part of planning for your life – and death.

These are a good place to start, but for most of us, to obtain a comprehensive Life (and Death) Plan, it is best to talk to an estate, trust and tax planning attorney to set you and your legacy up for success. Fortunately, we have a whole wing of such talent here at SYK.

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Between Two Screens: Tax Law….”Why Not?!?”

Join us for the next episode of SYK Studios presents Between Two Screens, with SYK’s tax section leader, partner Valerie Sasaki. 

Valerie responds with passion, keen intellect, and an abundance of good humor to the question put to her: “Why tax?” As she explains, “Why not tax?” Her perspective on how the tax laws mirror our societal values will give you a whole new appreciation for tax lawyers and the hard work they do.

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Emoji Court

Emojis in Court: The Rise of Case References

With colorful caricatures ranging from mind-blown facial expressions ? to coconut shrimp ?, there are hundreds of emoji to express a multitude of different feelings, thoughts, and emotions. In the last decade, emoji have cemented a permanent place in the world of e-communications. Emoji now represent a diverse array of skin tones ✋✋?✋?✋? and physical disability ? ?. Oxford Dictionaries’ 2015 Word of the Year was awarded to the Face with Tears of Joy Emoji ?. It should stand as no surprise that everyone’s favorite new way to communicate has permeated its way into our legal system.

Let’s start with the prevalence of emoji in our virtual vernacular. According to Slate, 92% of the online population uses emoji. As of 2016, 2.3 trillion mobile messages incorporate emoji annually as of 2016. That means nearly 10 trillion emoji-laced messages have been sent in the past four years.

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