Municipal Law & Governance

Our attorneys have over 100 years of combined experience serving both as general and special counsel to local governments. All of our attorneys are accustomed to attending public meetings of our local government clients, either in person or via remote technology such as Zoom, Teams, or over the phone, and we provide oral advice as needed to ensure the smooth running of meetings. Our attorneys are also active in statewide organizations related to this practice area and have served in leadership roles for both the Oregon State Bar’s Government Law Section and the Oregon City Attorney’s Association.

Our expertise covers all aspects of municipal law and governance, including:

  • Public Records and Meetings

Questions regarding public records and meeting law are a nearly daily occurrence in our office. Our attorneys regularly conduct trainings and presentations on these topics and often provide newly elected officials with initial training. We are accustomed to assisting with complex public records requests, including appeals of local government decisions. We are well versed in the lawful conduct of public meetings, hearings, and executive sessions. We have decades of experience advising elected and appointed officials in public meeting matters, including parliamentary procedure. We are recognized as experts in this area of law and are often asked to speak at statewide conferences.

  • Government Ethics

We are well acquainted with the law relating to ethics issues for elected and appointed officials. We often conduct training seminars for our clients and other attorneys on these and related topics and will work directly with clients to ensure compliance when needed in a given matter. Our lawyers have represented clients before the Oregon Government Ethics Commission and have served as special outside legal counsel to the Commission itself. We have also served on rules advisory committees for the Commission and work closely with statewide organizations such as the League of Oregon Cities and Association of Oregon Counties on ethics related legislation and rulemakings.

  • Election Law

We are experienced in representing our municipal clients on election law matters. Our work covers the full spectrum of election law issues, from creation of local election codes, to assisting with ballot titles, explanatory statements, initiative and referendum petitions and petition circulating, to post-election requirements. We have been retained to defend cities in election law challenges and ballot title challenges and frequently advise in matters under review by the Secretary of State. We also provide trainings and advice to government staff on state limitations on political activities by public employees.

  • Intergovernmental Agreements

Our attorneys have extensive experience in drafting, negotiating and implementing intergovernmental agreements, including agreements to create entities and provide a wide range of public services such as water, sewer and related utility services, police services, storm water management, planning and population forecasting, and service delivery (including building permits and other shared services).

  • Constitutional Law

Since we focus our practice on representing local governments, we must remain knowledgeable and up to date on state and federal constitutional limitations and requirements. Our attorneys are experienced in free speech and equal protection issues as well as due process and takings matters. We work diligently with our clients to ensure they are addressing the needs of their communities in a manner that protects the constitutional interests of their constituents. Lawyers in our office are often called upon to provide trainings in this area to other municipal attorneys and are recognized experts in providing risk management advice about constitutional rights and limitations.

  • Local Ordinances and Charters

As our many years of practice in municipal law likely makes evident, we have significant experience with charter and ordinance drafting and codification. We understand the differences between the various kinds of municipal enactments—such as resolutions, ordinances, and orders—and when each type of enactment should be utilized. Because we specialize in this field and limit our practice to representing local governments, we remain abreast of developments in the law and best practices for drafting codes, ordinances, resolutions, and administrative policies, and ensure that ordinances comply with applicable state statutes and constitutional limitations.

Significantly, with each of these types of documents, we maintain a large library of examples and templates that can be used for our various clients. For example, state statutes often require every city to enact legislation about a certain topic, and in these situations our ability to leverage the experiences of our various clients often saves time and money and creates a better overall work product.

Attorneys