Page Tag: Attorneys

Travis W. Hall brings a wealth of expertise to Samuels Yoelin Kantor, focusing on Commercial Real Estate and Business Law, especially with respect to businesses owning or investing in commercial properties. Specifically, Travis has long served as loan counsel for companies desiring to acquire or refinance real estate holdings. Over his career, Travis has closed $1.5 Billion worth of transactions and developed national professional relationships in the commercial lending industry. With specialized experience in closely held businesses – particularly those involving family relationships – Travis offers invaluable guidance when personal dynamics impact business stability. He assists clients with business restructuring and has served as an expert witness, providing strategic advice on voluntary transfers and payment terms.

Representing both commercial landlords and tenants, Travis is adept at negotiating leases, managing non-traditional lease arrangements, and resolving disputes. His background as a litigator offers unique insight into risk avoidance, which has benefited clients he has represented in Oregon and Washington appearing in State and the Federal Courts, the Oregon State Appellate Courts, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Travis was previously a shareholder at Bateman Seidel in Portland from 2005-2024. Before joining the civilian legal field, Travis spent nearly two decades in military service, including six years with the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps. He completed 14 years of dedicated service as a sergeant and commissioned officer. While serving in conflict zones, Travis had a reputation for delivering results through diplomacy and de-escalation. In addition to his law practice, Travis has taught International Law and National Security Law at his alma mater, the Lewis & Clark College of Law, and was part of the Working Group of the Counter Terror with Justice Campaign based on his experiences serving.

His international experience has enabled him to assist both domestic and foreign businesses in cross-border commercial disputes and enforce foreign arbitration awards. Travis also practices military law, representing active duty, reserve, and National Guard members in administrative proceedings and courts-martial.

Outside of his legal work, Travis is passionate about coaching competitive youth soccer and enjoys experimenting with culinary techniques. He and his wife enjoy sharing their love of the outdoors and food & travel, especially with their three children.

Brooke Eide is an associate at Samuels Yoelin Kantor LLP. She received her law degree from Lewis & Clark Law School (2023) after receiving her B.S. in Marketing (2017) from Oregon State University. Brooke’s keen analytical skills and attention to detail are at the forefront of her work with business clients and employment law issues. During law school, Brooke was a legal extern at the Oregon Court of Appeals where she gained knowledge on the inner workings of the Oregon appeals process.  She is known for her dedication to community service and volunteering, exemplified by her collegiate volunteer work for the organization Be The Match.

In her free time Brooke enjoys hiking, cooking, and spending time with her friends and family.

Adriana is a graduate of Lewis & Clark Law School. Originally from Sacramento, California, Adriana received her Bachelor’s degree in Earth Systems Science from the University of California, Merced in 2018. She received her Juris Doctorate in 2021, while exploring a variety of practice areas such as immigration, family law, and personal injury, always focusing on fostering a client-centered approach and working to understand the nuances of each case. She is also particularly passionate about working with Hispanic and Latino clients and families, and is fluent in Spanish.

When she’s not working or studying, Adriana loves making music, knitting, baking and hiking in the Columbia River Gorge.

Adriana sits on the boards of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office Foundation, the Oregon Hispanic Bar Association, and the Member Services Committee of the Oregon New Lawyer’s Division.

Brandon Torkelsen is a focused and talented tax and business attorney, providing a specialized and individualized approach to issues in tax, business and estate planning. Because legal circumstances or objectives can be complicated, he focuses on breaking down complex problems into manageable pieces with achievable outcomes.

Brandon attended the University of Oregon School of Law, participating in the business law clinic and earning certificates in business transactions and estate planning.  Brandon holds an LL.M. in Taxation from the University of Washington School of Law and is licensed to practice law in Oregon and Washington.

Outside of work, Brandon enjoys spending time with his family and exploring the Pacific Northwest.

Jessica McConnell submerges herself in the world of tax and bankruptcy law. Her tax practice focuses on federal, state, and local tax controversies, including both the determination and collection of tax liabilities. Her debtor-creditor practice focuses on representing debtors in all matters relating to insolvency. She has helped hundreds of businesses and individuals efficiently resolve major tax and financial problems. Ms. McConnell has been admitted to the Oregon State Bar, the U.S. District Court – District of Oregon, as well as the U.S. Tax Court.

Well-versed in all areas of tax controversy, Ms. McConnell excels in her practice. She often handles matters regarding complex tax audits, employment tax liabilities, trust fund recovery penalties, and third party tax liabilities such as successor in interest, alter-ego and transferee liability claims. 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. Ms. McConnell assists clients in resolving outstanding tax liabilities with penalty abatements, offers in compromise, installment agreements, collection holds, and discharging taxes in bankruptcy.

Ms. McConnell is an experienced debtor-creditor attorney. She handles a variety of insolvency and bankruptcy matters; a majority of which have tax complexities. Ms. McConnell assists businesses and individuals experiencing financial distress through business liquidations, creditor negotiations, bankruptcy, and by offering financial and operational advice to limit risks or reduce claims against the business and its officers. Ms. McConnell assists creditors with claim protection and collecting judgments.

Ms. McConnell was recognized as a Rising Star in the area of tax law by Oregon Super Lawyers. The annual Rising Stars list identifies the best attorneys who are 40 or under, or who have been practicing for ten or fewer years. No more than 2.5 percent of attorneys in the state receive the honor.

A natural leader, Ms. McConnell works closely with the Oregon State Bar. Dedicated to the practice of law, and sharing her knowledge of her field, Jessica plans and regularly presents educational seminars, serves on legislative work-groups, and pens articles about developments in the law. She volunteers at the Bar’s bankruptcy clinic and provides legal assistance through other pro bono opportunities.

Leslie Johnson joined Samuels Yoelin Kantor LLP as Of Counsel in May 2017. Prior to that, she was in private practice elsewhere in downtown Portland.  In more than 25 years of practice, her focus has always been on complex business disputes and business law. She has earned expertise dealing with forensic and damages experts and voluminous, complicated discovery and analysis, beginning with boxes of paper but now calling for a working knowledge of digital analytics and AI.  Her practice has extended to wide range of businesses and  disputes, with emphases on contract issues, corporate governance, shareholder agreements and disputes, employment law, business and real property transactions, franchise disputes, securities, and lawyer and accountant malpractice.  While many disputes can be resolved by direct negotiation, mediation or private arbitration, she also appears regularly in the state and federal courts of both Oregon and Washington, and is available for local counsel and conflicts counsel engagements.    Her practice has included service to business clients in other jurisdictions, as well, including pro hac vice admissions in Utah, Colorado, California, and the Delaware Court of Chancery and US District Court there (so far).  In addition, she serves as an arbitrator with the Multnomah County Circuit Court arbitrations program.

Leslie is a life-long Oregonian. She obtained her undergraduate degree at Portland State University (B.S., 1991) and her law degree at the Northwestern School of Law at Lewis & Clark College (J.D., 1995). She is a current member in the Oregon and Washington State Bar Associations, the Multnomah (Oregon) and Clark County (Washington) Bar Associations, and the American Bar Association.  She currently serves in both the OSB and ABA House of Delegates.  She has served on a number of bar committees and task forces, wanting to stay engaged with current law updates and help to shape her state laws.

She was honored by her law school in 2005 with the Joyce Ann Harpole Award, given to a graduate who exemplifies a high standard of professionalism. She holds the highest rating (‘AV’) from publisher Martindale Hubbell. In 2014, she made the list of Oregon Super Lawyers for her business litigation work. Johnson has spoken at local and state bar association CLEs on practical litigation skills. She co-authored chapters of the Oregon State Bar publications INSURANCE (chapter 2, ‘Understanding and Interpreting Policy Language,’ 1996 revision and 1999 supplement); FEDERAL CIVIL LITIGATION (chapter 16, ‘Depositions,’ 1998 supplement); CIVIL PLEADING AND PRACTICE (chapter 25, ‘Depositions,’ 1998 supplement); an outline of Clark County [Washington] Practice and Procedure presented as a Multnomah Bar Association CLE in 2000, 2002 and 2003; and, most recently, two chapters of OREGON CIVIL PLEADING AND LITIGATION (2020 ed.).

Outside of her practice, Leslie enjoys a range of civic activities. These include a long and active membership in the City Club of Portland, as well as service on the advisory council for Profile Theatre Project and board. Leslie is also involved with activities in Portland’s neighborhood associations, volunteering and raising awareness.

A focused and driven attorney, Walker Clark believes in working directly with his clients to best meet their needs. Walker assists his clients in the areas of estate planning, trust and estate administration, taxation, and business planning. He has been recognized by Oregon Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in 2018-2024. Walker has been admitted to the Oregon and the Washington State Bar.

After graduating from the University of Oregon with a degree in Political Science, Walker spent two years working for a local law firm. There he assisted with pleadings, hearings, and trial prep on a day to day basis. He went on to earn his law degree from the University of Oregon School of Law. Between his second and third year of law school, Mr. Clark clerked for Federal Magistrate Judge John V. Acosta. Mr. Clark received a pro-bono certificate for his work for Judge Acosta. During his third year he not only received certificates of mastery in taxation and estate planning, but also participated in a non-profit clinic. There he reviewed bylaws and worked directly with the board of a nonprofit to assess the board’s governance. After completing his law degree, Walker obtained an LL.M. in Taxation from the University of Washington School of Law.

Outside of work, Walker enjoys spending time with his family and is an avid supporter of the Portland Trail Blazers and Oregon Ducks.

Victoria Blachly is a fiduciary litigator. She is a trial attorney, representing individual trustees, corporate trustees, beneficiaries, and personal representatives in often difficult and challenging cases. Blachly’s cases including trust and estate litigation, will contests, trust disputes, undue influence, capacity cases, claims of fiduciary breach, financial elder abuse cases, and petitioning for court instructions, as well as contested guardianship and conservatorship cases. Since moving on from her state and then federal clerkships in the 1990’s, she found reward in helping her clients with complex family situations. Blachly is licensed in both Oregon and Washington.

Recognized by her peers and her clients.

Since 2014, she has been recognized as an Oregon Super Lawyer in the areas of Trust and Estate Litigation. Only 5 percent of Oregon attorneys are selected by Super Lawyers; these attorneys have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Since 2018, she has been included in Best Lawyers in America ©, for trust and estate litigation. In 2014, she was appointed to the Governor’s Commission on Senior Services, in 2016, Blachly was appointed to the Uniform Law Commission. The ULC works on nonpartisan proposed legislation to “bring clarity and stability to critical areas of state statutory law.” She was named a 2015 Portland Business Journal “Woman of Influence.” In addition, Blachly was “described by a peer as ‘very thorough,’ and is well known in the Oregon legal community for her expertise in fiduciary litigation,” in the Chambers High Net Worth 2016 publication.

A national speaker.

Blachly has been writing for and lecturing at national and state legal seminars pertaining to trusts and estates since 2001, and she has engaged in state and national lobbying for updating laws for fiduciaries and vulnerable adults.