Portland Employment Lawyers

Employment lawyers can help Portland workers assert their rights under local, state, and federal laws that protect them. Some of these claims involve alleged violations of wage and hour laws, such as provisions requiring a certain minimum wage or overtime pay. Other cases arise from claims of sexual harassment, employment discrimination, retaliation for engaging in protected activities, or interference with the right to take leave for certain reasons. An employee also might have a wrongful termination claim against their employer if they got dismissed for a reason that isn’t allowed by the law or by their employment contract.

Statutes, regulations, and court decisions involving the employment relationship may have many nuances. It’s best to get a Portland employment attorney on your side if you’re considering legal action.

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Collin C. McKean
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Collin C. McKean
Portland, OR Employment Law Lawyer with 19 years of experience
(503) 567-7967 1140 SW 11th Avenue
Suite 400
Portland, OR 97205
Employment, Appeals, Business and Real Estate
Lewis & Clark Law School
I represent individuals and small business owners in Oregon and SW Washington. I specialize in complex and business related dissolution actions. My cases are typically in Washington, Multnomah or Clackamas Counties in Oregon and Clark, Cowlitz or Skamania Counties in Washington. I also handle cases other counties throughout Oregon and Washington, including Clatsop County, Lane County, Linn County, Marion County, Columbia County, and Grant County. Each county has different local rules that apply to family law cases. I am committed to making sure that I keep up to date on changes to rules of practice for each county I...
Paul Rundle
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Paul Rundle
Portland, OR Employment Law Attorney with 32 years of experience
(503) 234-1900 1000 SW Broadway
Suite 2300
Portland, OR 97205
Employment, Construction, Legal Malpractice and Real Estate
University of Pennsylvania Law School
Paul R. Rundle is an experienced civil litigation and trial attorney who offers aggressive representation for clients with claims against lawyers for legal malpractice. Mr. Rundle has over 25 years of litigation and trial experience in state and federal courts throughout Washington and Oregon, including over 70 trials and hundreds of other civil cases resolved by motion or negotiated settlement. A former top-ten law school graduate and deputy district attorney, Mr. Rundle was a partner at a medium-sized civil litigation law firm before opening The Rundle Law Firm in 2003, currently with offices in Portland, Vancouver, and Seattle.
Nathan Piers-VanderPloeg
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Nathan Piers-VanderPloeg
Portland, OR Employment Law Attorney with 13 years of experience
101 SW Main Street, Ste. 805
Portland, OR 97204
Free ConsultationEmployment, Criminal, Education and Personal Injury
Oregon State University
Nathan Piers-VanderPloeg is a native Oregonian born and raised in the Portland area. He graduated with a degree in Political Science from Linfield College in 2005 and earned his law degree from the University of Oregon in 2011. While working for the Lane County District Attorney as a third-year law student, Nathan tried and won five cases, including a seven count felony jury trial. Following his graduation from law school, Nathan worked as an associate in a general litigation firm, focusing his personal practice on the areas of Employment Law, Personal Injury, and criminal defense. He has handled a...
Aaron S. Ferreira
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Aaron S. Ferreira
Portland, OR Employment Law Lawyer with 24 years of experience
(503) 228-2495 525 SW Jackson Street
Portland, OR 97201
Employment, Business, IP and Real Estate
Lewis & Clark Law School
Aaron Ferreira grew up in Livermore, California. As an undergrad, he attended the California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly), first studying Computer Science and then graduating in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy. After graduation, he got his feet wet in the legal profession by working for three years as a legal assistant in Shell Beach, California.



In 1997, Aaron entered the Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College, in Portland, Oregon. While attending law school, he participated in law review as a Research Editor and then Articles Editor for the...
Paul Bullman
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Paul Bullman
Portland, OR Employment Law Lawyer
(503) 987-0000 1500 SW 1st Ave.
Suite 1000
Portland, OR 97201
Free ConsultationEmployment
I represent workers, never employers, in sexual harassment and other discrimination, harassment and retaliation cases. Our clients only pay our attorney fee if we win.
Justice J. Brooks I
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Justice J. Brooks I
Portland, OR Employment Law Lawyer with 10 years of experience
1001 SW Fifth Avenue, Suite 2000
Portland, OR 97204
Employment, Appeals, Business and Personal Injury
William H. Bowen School of Law
Justice primarily focuses his practice on business, commercial, employment, and tort litigation. Justice's objective is to obtain favorable outcomes for each of his clients though competent and responsive legal advocacy. Justice leverages his litigation experience, including multiple jury and bench trials to meet and often exceed client expectations.

Justice also advises clients concerning various business matters including, but not limited to, entity creation, contracts, real estate, and licensure. Justice utilizes an industry-focused approach to help clients naviagate their business issues.

Justice provides labor and employment training for employers. The training focuses on the prevention of claims and how to mitigate and...
Scott T. Cliff
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Scott T. Cliff
Portland, OR Employment Law Lawyer with 37 years of experience
7007 SW Beveland Road
Suite 213
Portland, OR 97223
Free ConsultationEmployment and Arbitration & Mediation
Lewis & Clark Law School
SOLUTIONS FOR EMPLOYMENT DISPUTES For more than twenty years, Scott T. Cliff has focused his practice on all aspects of employment law, representing both employers and employees and earning a reputation among clients, colleagues and even opponents for his well-balanced, cost-effective approach to resolving conflicts. He offers services covering the spectrum of appropriate conflict resolution strategies.
Ms. Shari L. Lane
Claimed Lawyer Profile
Ms. Shari L. Lane
Portland, OR Employment Law Lawyer with 23 years of experience
(503) 688-5162 205 SE Spokane Street, Suite 305
Portland, OR 97202
Employment
Lewis & Clark Law School
I enjoy getting to know clients and their business goals. We work together to balance legal obligations and restrictions, operational needs, and employee relations. This area of law is messy and unpredictable (it involves human beings, after all), but with patience and perseverence it is often possible to harmonize these three elements.
James M. Loren
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James M. Loren
Portland, OR Employment Law Lawyer with 29 years of experience
(800) 731-4878 6500 S Macadam Ave
380
Portland, OR 97239
Employment, Asbestos, Personal Injury and Products Liability
Shepard Broad Law Center, Nova Southeastern University
James Loren is a senior partner at Goldberg & Loren and an aggressive litigator with over 50 case verdicts throughout the country. He has completed thousands of injury claims leading to over half a billion dollars in settlements for his clients. Many of these personal injury verdicts and settlements were well in the excess of one million dollars. When it comes to personal injury cases he represents clients in the following areas of practice, including wrongful death, medical malpractice, car accidents, motorcycle accidents, trucking accidents, slip and fall cases, product liability claims, employment discrimination; overtime law; and civil rights actions. Mr....
Ryan Henry Ripp
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Ryan Henry Ripp
Portland, OR Employment Law Attorney with 4 years of experience
(971) 599-3498 Virtual Law Firm
Portland, OR 97239
Offers Video ConferencingVideo ConfEmployment, Business, Cannabis Law and Securities
Willamette University College of Law
Ryan Ripp founded RHR Business Law, LLC for the purpose of making the legal system more accessible to entrepreneurs, small business owners, and investors. He has experience forming entities, providing securities law guidance, and drafting a wide array of business and employment contracts. While in law school, his legal thesis focused on making employee stock option plans and agreements more accessible to the startup community. Licensed to practice in Oregon.
Jackie Ford
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Jackie Ford
Employment Lawyer Serving Portland, OR
Oregon Employment Law Lawyer with 15 years of experience
Santa Clara University School of LawCalifornia, Washington and Oregon
Aurelia Erickson
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Aurelia Erickson
Portland, OR Employment Law Lawyer with 12 years of experience
(503) 223-7555 65 SW Yamhill St
Suite 200
Portland, OR 97204
Employment and Stockbroker Fraud
Lewis & Clark Law School
Tamsen Leachman
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Tamsen Leachman
Portland, OR Employment Law Attorney with 32 years of experience
(503) 417-5513 851 SW 6th Ave., Suite 1500
Portland, OR 97204
Employment
University of Idaho College of Law
I am a partner with Dunn Carney Allen Higgins & Tongue LLP, and head up the firm's 11-member Employment and Labor Team. We are effective in assisting our clients because we broad industry focus and diverse skills. We are large enough to get the job done, yet small enough to keep it personal. My team and I help companies and organizations understand, avoid, and resolve legal issues that arise in the workplace and with employees. We provide proactive advice and counsel to businesses, and help guide their Human Resources and Risk Management strategy and efforts. We also defend employers...
Mr. Craig A Crispin
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Mr. Craig A Crispin
Portland, OR Employment Law Lawyer with 43 years of experience
(503) 293-5770 811 SW 6th Avenue
Suite 1000
Portland, OR 97204
Employment and Appeals
Willamette University College of Law
Mr. Crispin limits his practice exclusively to labor and employment matters primarily on behalf of individuals. He is sought out for his strategic representation of individuals in highly complex employment situations involving changes in employment, acceptance of a new position, promotions, demotions, developing exit strategies, negotiating severance, and litigating breaches of employment contracts. He often represents higher level executive employees, physicians, university professors, and other professionals. An experienced litigator, Mr. Crispin also represents individuals at all levels who have been discriminated against based on age, race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, workplace injury, or safety complaint; sexually or racially harassed; been...
Peter Vaughan Shaver
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Peter Vaughan Shaver
Portland, OR Employment Law Lawyer with 26 years of experience
(503) 473-8252 3939 NE Hancock Street
#308
Portland, OR 97212
Employment, Business, Communications and IP
University of Oregon School of Law
J. D., University of Oregon School of Law, certificate in Intellectual Property. B. A., University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.
Paul S. Bovarnick
Claimed Lawyer Profile
Paul S. Bovarnick
Portland, OR Employment Law Lawyer with 45 years of experience
(800) 998-9776 1205 NW 25th Ave
Portland, OR 97210
Free ConsultationEmployment, Construction, Medical Malpractice and Workers' Comp
University of Oregon School of Law
I decided years ago that I wanted to represent individuals against the powerful. Over the last 38 years, I have represented the victims of railroads, doctors and hospitals, negligent drivers and irresponsible corporations. I have tried and litigated all kinds of cases in Federal and state courts in Oregon, Montana, Colorado, Utah and Idaho.
Phil Nelson
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Phil Nelson
Portland, OR Employment Law Lawyer with 24 years of experience
111 SW Fifth, Ste 1740
Portland, OR 97210
Employment, Business and Real Estate
University of Washington School of Law
I am a business lawyer who thinks like a businessman. Providing the kind of services my business clients need really is that simple. My practice focuses on litigation solutions that are consistent not at odds with my clients' business needs. My firm, Slinde Nelson, offers full service, innovative solutions to business clients throughout the region. We handle entity formation, buying and selling of businesses, employment law matters and employee relations issues, intellectual property matters, trade secrets, real estate and construction matters, and just about any other issue that comes up in the business setting.
Jason R Polen
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Jason R Polen
PORTLAND, OR Employment Law Lawyer with 8 years of experience
(503) 564-8434 401 NE 19TH AVE
STE 200
PORTLAND, OR 97232
Free ConsultationEmployment, Business, Communications and IP
Lewis & Clark Law School
Jason is a self-starting, go-getting lawyer who takes a pragmatic approach to helping his clients. He co-founded Fortify Law because he was not satisfied with the traditional approach to providing legal services. He firmly believes that legal costs should be predictable, transparent and value-driven. Jason’s entrepreneurial mindset enables him to better understand his clients’ needs. His first taste of entrepreneurship came from an early age when he helped manage his family’s small free-range cattle farm. Every morning, before school, he would deliver hay to a herd of 50 hungry cows. In addition, he was responsible for sweeping "the shop" at...
Colin Rockey Hackett
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Colin Rockey Hackett
Portland, OR Employment Law Attorney
(503) 764-9746 2100 Northeast Broadway Street
Portland, OR 97232
Free ConsultationEmployment, DUI, Personal Injury and Workers' Comp
Colin Rockey Hackett Law serves clients primarily in Workers' Compensation, Criminal Defense and Family Law matters in the counties of Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas. Mr. Hackett's office is located in Portland and Beaverton, Oregon.
Andrew M. Schpak
Claimed Lawyer Profile
Andrew M. Schpak
Portland, OR Employment Law Attorney with 21 years of experience
(971) 275-7935 601 SW 2nd Ave
Portland, OR 97204
Employment
Cornell University
Andrew Schpak represents management in employment litigation and provides advice in employment matters. He has worked with both public and private entities, and has handled litigation and advised clients on state and federal discrimination claims, class actions, and employee handbooks. He is Vice Chair of the American Bar Association YLD Labor and Employment Law Committee, a YLD fellow to the American Bar Association Labor and Employment Section, and President of the Multnomah Bar Association Young Lawyers Section. Andrew is a Board Member of the NW EEO/Affirmative Action Association and President of the Board of Directors of Film Action Oregon. He...
Seth H. Row
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Seth H. Row
Portland, OR Employment Law Attorney with 23 years of experience
(503) 243-2300 2300 US Bancorp Tower
111 SW 5th Ave
Portland, OR 97204
Employment, Construction, Environmental and Products Liability
Georgetown University Law Center
Elliott P. Dale
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Elliott P. Dale
Portland, OR Employment Law Lawyer with 12 years of experience
(503) 224-5560 805 SW Broadway
Suite 1900
Portland, OR 97205
Free ConsultationEmployment, Business and Real Estate
Lewis & Clark Law School
Gabriel A Watson
Claimed Lawyer ProfileOffers Video ConferencingQ&AResponsive Law
Gabriel A Watson
Portland, OR Employment Law Lawyer with 6 years of experience
1822 SE Taylor Street
Portland, OR 97214
Free ConsultationOffers Video ConferencingVideo ConfEmployment, Business, Personal Injury and Workers' Comp
Lewis & Clark Law School
Mitra Shahri
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Mitra Shahri
Portland, OR Employment Law Attorney
(503) 243-4545 1500 SW 1st Avenue, Suite 800
Portland, OR 97201
Employment
As Mitra Law Group’s founding partner, Portland employment law lawyer Mitra Shahri represents Oregonians who have been mistreated in the workplace. Attorney Shahri has been practicing law since 1993. Ms. Shahri is a member of the Labor & Employment and Education committees of the Oregon State Bar. Attorney Shahri obtained her Juris Doctor from the University of Utah, where she was an editor of the law review. She is currently licensed to practice in both Oregon and California.
Jonathan Parker Edwards
Claimed Lawyer Profile
Jonathan Parker Edwards
Portland, OR Employment Law Attorney
(503) 446-6261 510 SW 5th Ave., 4th Floor
Portland, OR 97204
Employment, Business, Education and IP
Prior to moving to Portland, Oregon, Jonathan Edward spent most of legal career working in higher education, as general counsel for Francis Marion University, and as an instructor in the FMU School of Business. There he advised the University's president, board of trustees, and the V.P.'s of each department in senior administration on a variety of legal matters. Now he is licensed in Oregon and Washington and focuses his practice on advising businesses before problems arise, and protecting them through litigation when necessary. As general counsel and in private practice, Jonathan has handled a variety of legal matters, involving...
Randal Acker
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Randal Acker
Portland, OR Employment Law Lawyer with 33 years of experience
(503) 228-2495 525 SW Jackson St
Portland, OR 97201
Employment, Business, Estate Planning and Probate
Firm Founder/Managing Attorney. Randal attended Portland’s Wilson High School before heading to California for college and then New York for law school. He was lured back to Portland in 1991 to work for a large, regional law firm. Thereafter, he started his own practice in Portland, OR. Randal offers significant trial experience and has represented a variety of businesses in most industries. Randal oversees all firm matters and focuses primarily on business representation and litigation
Mathew J. Riberdy
Claimed Lawyer Profile
Mathew J. Riberdy
(503) 245-5677 434 S Iowa St.
Portland, OR 97239
Portland, OR Employment Law Attorney with 7 years of experience
Employment, Insurance Claims, Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury
University of Oregon School of Law
Kyle Abraham
Claimed Lawyer Profile
Kyle Abraham
Portland, OR Employment Law Lawyer with 19 years of experience
kyletabraham@gmail.com
Portland, OR 97229
Employment, Administrative, Arbitration & Mediation and Military
Willamette University College of Law
Dennis Steinman
Claimed Lawyer Profile
Dennis Steinman
Portland, OR Employment Law Lawyer with 29 years of experience
(503) 222-3531 520 SW Yamhill St
Portland, OR 97204
Employment, Business, Civil Rights and IP
Lewis & Clark Law School
Daniel Snyder
Claimed Lawyer Profile
Daniel Snyder
Portland, OR Employment Law Lawyer
(503) 241-3617 1000 SW Broadway
Portland, OR 97205
Employment and Civil Rights
I have been an active member of the Oregon State Bar since 1978. I was admitted by the United States District Court in 1985 and by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in 2001. I am also admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court. Currently, we have a case pending before the United States Supreme Court.

I am a graduate of the University of Notre Dame Law School. While in law school I was a legal aid clinic volunteer. In my third year of law school, I worked full time while attending school as a law clerk...
Benjamin Rosenthal
Claimed Lawyer Profile
Benjamin Rosenthal
Portland, OR Employment Law Attorney with 42 years of experience
(503) 226-6409 1023 SW Yamhill St
Portland, OR 97205
Employment, Business, Civil Rights and Personal Injury
David F Sugerman
Claimed Lawyer Profile
David F Sugerman
Portland, OR Employment Law Lawyer
(503) 228-6474 520 SW 6th Ave
Suite 920
Portland, OR 97204
Employment, Asbestos, Civil Rights and Consumer
Scot J. Eliot
Claimed Lawyer Profile
Scot J. Eliot
Portland, OR Employment Law Lawyer with 24 years of experience
819 SE Morrison Street
Suite 220
Portland, OR 97214
Employment, Arbitration & Mediation, Consumer and Divorce
Peter Stutheit
Claimed Lawyer Profile
Peter Stutheit
Portland, OR Employment Law Lawyer with 23 years of experience
(503) 493-7488 2300 SW 1st Avenue
Suite 101
Portland, OR 97201
Employment, Civil Rights and Legal Malpractice
Carl L Post
Claimed Lawyer Profile
Carl L Post
Portland, OR Employment Law Attorney with 19 years of experience
(503) 241-3617 1000 SW Broadway Ste 2400
Portland, OR 97205
Employment, Appeals, Civil Rights and Personal Injury
University of Oregon School of Law
Mr. Joel Christiansen
Claimed Lawyer ProfileBlawg Search
Mr. Joel Christiansen
Portland, OR Employment Law Attorney
(503) 841-6722 812 NW 17th Ave
Portland, OR 97209
Employment
Ganhua He
Claimed Lawyer Profile
Ganhua He
Portland, OR Employment Law Lawyer
(971) 221-4819 1020 SW Taylor St
STE 660
Portland, OR 97205
Employment, Business, IP and Trademarks
Devra Hermosilla
Claimed Lawyer Profile
Devra Hermosilla
Portland, OR Employment Law Lawyer with 24 years of experience
(503) 248-1134 1000 SW Broadway
Portland, OR 97205
Employment and Business
Timothy J. Bernasek
Claimed Lawyer Profile
Timothy J. Bernasek
Portland, OR Employment Law Lawyer
851 SW 6th Ave. Suite 1500
Portland, OR 97204
Employment
Daniel Ellis
Claimed Lawyer Profile
Daniel Ellis
Portland, OR Employment Law Lawyer
(503) 452-0334 6915 SW Alden St
Portland, OR 97223
Employment
Christy Alisa King
Claimed Lawyer Profile
Christy Alisa King
Tigard, OR Employment Law Lawyer with 31 years of experience
(503) 968-8111
Ext. 13
6665 SW Hampton St
STE 200
Tigard, OR 97223
Employment, Business and IP
Employment Laws in Portland

Here’s a look at some of the key rules governing workplaces in Portland. It describes the basics of issues such as minimum wage, employment discrimination, family and medical leave, and more. For any specific concerns, though, there’s no substitute for legal counsel.


Wage and Hour Laws in Portland and Oregon

Under Oregon law, employees in the Portland metro area are entitled to a higher minimum wage than people elsewhere in the state. (This includes parts of Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington Counties.) The minimum wage for this area is set at $15.95 per hour in early 2025. On July 1, 2025, it’s set to increase to $16.30 per hour. Oregon doesn’t allow employers to apply tip credits toward an employee’s hourly pay. An employee can’t waive their right to the minimum wage. Certain types of employees are excluded from the minimum wage law, such as some agricultural workers and some people engaged in administrative, executive, or professional work.

State law also requires most employers to pay overtime at a rate of 1.5 times the employee’s regular pay rate for hours worked over 40 hours in a workweek. (Again, certain employees are exempt). Special rules apply to employers such as hospitals, manufacturing establishments, and some agricultural employers. In addition, an employee gets two 10-minute paid rest breaks for each eight-hour work period, as well as one 30-minute unpaid meal break. The Oregon Bureau of Labor & Industries enforces the wage laws.

The definition of what counts as “hours worked” under Oregon law is broader than you might think. It includes any time that an employee is required to be on the employer’s premises, on duty, or at a prescribed workplace, and all the time that they’re permitted to work. Some examples of time that is generally considered “hours worked” include:

  • Preparatory and concluding activities that are integral and indispensable to a principal activity for which the employee is employed
  • Waiting time that is controlled by the employer and that the employee can’t use for their own purposes
  • On-call time when an employee is required to be on-call on the employer’s premises or so close to them that the employee can’t use the time for their own purposes
  • Time spent in meetings or trainings related to the job
  • Travel between worksites that is needed to accomplish the day’s work

Portland employees are also covered by a federal law called the Fair Labor Standards Act. However, this law generally offers less protection than the state law. For example, the minimum wage under the FLSA is only $7.25 per hour, and employers can apply a tip credit as long as they pay tipped employees at least $2.13 per hour. Federal law also doesn’t require meal breaks or rest breaks. The Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor enforces the FLSA.


Employment Discrimination Laws in Portland and Oregon

Portland employees are protected from discrimination under city, state, and federal laws. Discrimination may extend from refusing to hire a job applicant, firing an employee, and demoting or refusing to promote an employee to withholding benefits or training opportunities, paying less for the same work, and certain forms of harassment, among other conduct.

A Portland ordinance prohibits employment discrimination based on race, religion, color, sex, national origin, marital status, age (18 or older), disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, source of income, or familial status. An employee who thinks that their employer has violated the ordinance can file a complaint with the Commissioner of the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries.

Meanwhile, the main Oregon employment discrimination statute protects workers from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, marital status, age (18 or older), or an expunged juvenile record. Oregon also has some separate anti-discrimination provisions, including a statute that prohibits disability discrimination in the workplace if the employer has six or more employees. The Bureau of Labor and Industries enforces these laws. You have five years to file a complaint or lawsuit after an incident of discrimination.

Various federal anti-discrimination laws also protect employees in Portland. These include Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. It’s worth noting that “sex” includes pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity. However, Title VII only covers employers with 15 or more employees. Two other notable federal laws are the Americans With Disabilities Act and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, although the ADEA only protects employees who are 40 or older. The ADA applies to businesses with 15 or more employees, while the ADEA applies to businesses with 20 or more employees. You can file a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission if you think that your employer violated one of these laws. The EEOC gives you 300 days to file a complaint if a state agency enforces a state law that prohibits discrimination on the same basis.


Workplace Sexual Harassment in Oregon

Many lawsuits against employers involve claims of sexual harassment, which is technically a type of sex discrimination. There are two main forms of sexual harassment, which are known as “quid pro quo” and “hostile work environment.” Quid pro quo (“this for that”) happens when a supervisor offers an employment benefit if an employee provides sexual favors. It also happens when a supervisor threatens to take a negative job-related action if the employee doesn’t comply with a sexual demand. For example, a manager likely engages in quid pro quo harassment if they tell an assistant who is dating them that they’ll get fired if they break up with the manager.

In contrast, a hostile work environment doesn’t need to involve a direct demand for sex. It arises from unwelcome verbal or physical conduct that is so severe or pervasive that it interferes with work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment. In other words, a single major incident could support a claim, as could a series of lesser incidents. Whether an environment is intimidating, hostile, or offensive depends on the perspective of a reasonable person in the employee’s position.

Under Oregon regulations, an employer is automatically liable for sexual harassment by a supervisor if this results in a tangible employment action against the employee. The employer is also generally liable for other sexual harassment by a supervisor, although the employer may have an affirmative defense in some cases. The employer is liable for harassment by coworkers or non-employees if it knew or should have known about the harassment and didn’t take immediate and appropriate corrective action. Federal law takes a largely similar approach.


Family and Medical Leave Laws in Portland and Oregon

Employees in Portland sometimes need to take time off from work for illnesses or to care for family members. Oregon has a sick time law that requires employers in Portland with six or more employees to provide at least one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours of work. Employers with five or fewer employees must provide at least one hour of unpaid sick time for every 30 hours of work. Employees must be allowed to accrue up to 40 hours per year. They can’t use sick leave during their first 90 days of employment with the employer. An employee can use this leave to address their own illness, injury, or health condition or a qualifying family member’s illness, injury, or health condition, among other reasons.

The state also operates a Paid Leave Oregon program. It covers most people who work for employers in the state, assuming that they’ve earned at least $1,000 during a certain period. Qualifying events for the program include having a serious health condition, having a family member with a serious health condition, or bonding with a child in the first year after their birth, adoption, or foster care placement, as well as completing necessary activities for an adoption or foster care placement or dealing with the aftermath of sexual assault, domestic violence, harassment, bias crimes, or stalking. Paid Leave Oregon provides up to 12 weeks of paid leave in a year, plus up to two additional weeks for reasons related to pregnancy or childbirth. Your job is protected while you’re on paid leave if you’ve worked for 90 consecutive days for the employer. Benefits are capped at 120 percent of the state average weekly wage.

A law called the Oregon Family Leave Act covers employers with 25 or more employees. To be eligible, an employee generally must have worked for the employer for the last 180 days, and for at least 25 hours per week on average during that time. A 2024 amendment greatly reduced the reasons for leave that the OFLA covers, removing certain reasons that are now covered by Paid Leave Oregon. It now provides unpaid but job-protected leave for reasons such as bereavement, pregnancy disability, and a need to care for a child who has an injury, illness, or condition that requires home care. An employee can take up to 12 total weeks per year for bereavement leave and leave to care for a child, while they may take pregnancy disability leave for an additional 12 weeks in a year. Leave under the OFLA is in addition to leave under the Paid Leave Oregon program, rather than concurrent.

A federal law called the Family and Medical Leave Act provides unpaid, job-protected leave to qualifying employees of covered employers. The FMLA generally covers private employers only if they have at least 50 employees, and an employee must work at a place where the employer has 50 employees within 75 miles. They also must have worked for the employer for at least 12 months and for at least 1,250 hours in the last 12 months. Most qualifying reasons for FMLA leave are already covered by Paid Leave Oregon, although there are a few additional provisions related to the military service of qualifying family members. (Oregon has its own provisions for military family leave as well.)


At-Will Employment and Wrongful Termination in Oregon

Employment relationships in Oregon, as in most other states, are governed by a principle called “at-will employment.” The good news is that you’re free to quit your job at any time and for any reason. The bad news is that your employer generally can fire you at any time and for any reason as well. However, at-will employment has some limits. Your employer can’t fire you in violation of an anti-discrimination law, for example, or to punish you for doing certain legally protected activities. These include filing a complaint or assisting with an investigation of discrimination or harassment in your workplace, serving on a jury, pursuing workers’ compensation, or reporting a workplace health or safety violation, among other examples.

Your employer also can’t fire you in violation of an employment contract. Some of these agreements provide that an employer can terminate employment only for certain reasons. In narrow situations, an employer also might create an “implied contract” with an employee that limits reasons for their termination. These cases are often challenging, and an employee should make sure to work with an attorney if they’re considering a wrongful termination claim on this basis.


Workers’ Compensation in Oregon

If an employee suffers a job-related injury, they may want to pursue workers’ compensation benefits. These are available regardless of fault, although the tradeoff is that you can’t bring a personal injury lawsuit against your employer. (You could sue someone else if they contributed to your injuries, such as a manufacturer of defective equipment.) You should tell your employer about your injury as soon as possible, but at least within 90 days of an accident. Once you notify your employer, their insurer has 60 days to accept or deny your claim. If it’s denied, you’ll get a letter explaining how to appeal.

In addition to getting reimbursed for medical bills, you’ll get disability payments if your doctor says that you need time off from your job to recover, or if you lose wages because you’re restricted to lighter work. However, you won’t be paid for the first three days that you miss work unless you can’t return to work for 14 days. If you’re completely unable to work, you’ll generally get two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a cap. Payments are issued every two weeks and are not subject to tax. An employee will keep getting payments until they return to work or until their condition is considered medically stationary, which means that it’s not expected to improve further. At this point, they might get permanent disability payments.


Unemployment Benefits in Oregon

The Oregon Employment Department provides unemployment insurance benefits as a partial replacement for lost earnings if an employee has lost their job or has had their hours reduced. An employee may be eligible for benefits if they earned enough wages in the 12-18 months before filing their claim. They also must have stopped working for their last employer through no fault of their own. For example, an employee isn’t likely to get unemployment benefits if they were fired for misconduct or if they quit their job without a good reason. Finally, an employee must be able and available to work, and they must actively look for work.

Unemployment benefits are usually available for up to 26 weeks in the 52-week benefit year. The weekly amount is calculated as 1.25 percent of the claimant’s total wages during what’s called their “base period,” subject to a minimum and maximum. To maintain your eligibility for benefits, you will need to file a claim for each week, report any hours worked and money earned during the week, and continue to actively seek work by completing at least five work search activities. Two of these activities must involve direct contact with employers.


Major Employers in Portland

According to Greater Portland, a regional public-private partnership, some of the largest employers in Portland include:

  • Providence Health & Services
  • Oregon Health & Science University
  • Legacy Health
  • Kaiser Permanente
  • Fred Meyer Stores
  • Portland State University
  • U.S. Bank
  • Daimler Trucks North America
  • Precision Castparts
  • Portland General Electric

Some of the surrounding cities also have major companies, including Intel in Hillsboro, Nike in Beaverton, and Lam Research in Tualatin.


Portland Employment Law Resources

If you’re concerned about a potential violation of your workplace rights, you might want to contact the agency responsible for enforcing the law at issue. For most Oregon employment laws, such as the wage law, the anti-discrimination laws, the sick leave law, and the Paid Leave Oregon program, the agency to contact is the Oregon Bureau of Labor & Industries. The Oregon Workers’ Compensation Division oversees the workers’ comp program, while the Oregon Employment Department manages the unemployment benefits process.

Key federal agencies to know include the U.S. Department of Labor, which enforces the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act through its Wage and Hour Division, as well as the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which enforces most federal anti-discrimination laws. In general, though, local and state laws tend to be more favorable to employees than their federal counterparts.


Employment Law Resources at Justia

If you want to read more about your workplace rights, the Employment Law Center in the Justia Legal Guides provides a useful free overview. To ask a specific question about a concern involving your employment, you can use our Justia Ask A Lawyer platform. An employment lawyer in Portland or elsewhere in Oregon might share some useful insights based on their knowledge and experience. (Keep in mind that this lawyer doesn’t become your attorney or owe you any of the duties that an attorney-client relationship involves.)

Once you decide that you need legal counsel or representation, you can look through the attorneys listed on this page. We’ve designed the Justia Lawyer Directory in a way that allows consumers to easily compare attorneys and contact those who interest them. Your choice could make a big difference to the outcome of any dispute with your employer, so it’s important to thoroughly evaluate your options.


How a Portland Employment Lawyer Can Help

Most employers have defense counsel on their side when they’re facing a claim by an employee or former employee. This makes it important to level the playing field by hiring an attorney of your own. Their familiarity with employment laws, regulations, and court decisions could have a critical impact on the outcome of your case. This area of law changes frequently and tends to have many subtle nuances that you might not uncover on your own. A lawyer can help you make sure that you leave no stone unturned and thoroughly protect your interests.

A lawyer also can take certain burdens related to your case off your shoulders. They can manage the process of gathering evidence to support your claim, which could be a headache if you’re not familiar with how the logistics work. They can guide you through settlement negotiations, helping you understand the pros and cons of settlement offers so that you can make a knowledgeable decision about whether to take one of them. If your case proceeds to a trial in court or another type of adversarial hearing, your lawyer can put together a cohesive plan for how they’ll persuade the judge or jury that the law is on your side. Both judicial and administrative processes involve precise procedural rules, and your attorney’s understanding of how these work will prevent your case from falling into pitfalls that you might not be able to spot by yourself.


How to Find a Portland Employment Lawyer

There’s a broad range of employment lawyers in Portland and the surrounding communities, and you should take your time to assess their relative strengths. Even if you get a referral from someone whom you know, it’s probably good to take a look at your options online. The Justia Lawyer Directory is one of the tools that you can use to evaluate attorneys.

You should make sure to choose an attorney who is familiar with the type of legal issue in your case. Employment law consists of many diverse sub-areas, and not all attorneys are equally skilled in all of them. For example, if you don’t think that your employer paid you overtime as required, you should work with a lawyer experienced in wage and hour claims. If your employer didn’t give you a reasonable accommodation for your pregnancy, you should look for an attorney who has handled pregnancy discrimination cases.

Attorneys and law firms often list some of their most memorable achievements on their websites. You should check out their track record, but you shouldn’t stop there. It’s also important to look at client reviews, which can discuss issues such as how well an attorney communicates and whether they genuinely care about their clients. If an attorney has endorsements from their peers, this might indicate that they have a strong reputation in the legal field. This could improve your prospects when they’re arguing before a judge or negotiating a settlement with opposing counsel.

The Oregon State Bar imposes various rules of professional conduct to make sure that attorneys meet certain standards of ethics and integrity. You likely don’t want to work with a lawyer who has a tendency to repeatedly violate these rules, which could undermine your case. However, a small transgression a long time ago might not warrant crossing an attorney off your list if they seem like a good fit for your needs otherwise.

Ideally, you should put together a shortlist of options and meet with each attorney to go over the basics of your situation. As the lawyer gives you their impressions, you can think about whether they seem knowledgeable and worthy of trust. You should make sure to work with a lawyer who relates well to you and who puts you at ease discussing sensitive matters with them.


FAQs
  1. What will it cost to hire an employment lawyer?

    You may need to pay your attorney an hourly fee, which means that the cost of their work will depend on how much time they spend. If your case goes to trial rather than ending in a settlement, their fee may become more expensive. However, some employment lawyers handle cases for contingency fees, which means that they don’t get paid unless they get money for a client. They take their fee as a percentage of the money that they recover. In limited situations, you might be able to pay a flat fee to an attorney to do a certain routine task.

  2. What is the distinction between employees and independent contractors?

    Determining whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor involves factors such as the degree of control over the work, whether the worker is engaged in a distinct occupation, the level of supervision, and how the worker is paid. Misclassifying a worker as an independent contractor instead of an employee can make the employer liable for unpaid wages and taxes.

  3. Do I have a right to severance pay if I’m laid off?

    Oregon law generally does not require employers to provide severance pay when laying off employees. However, you might have a right to severance pay under your employment contract or an employer policy or collective bargaining agreement. If your employer doesn’t follow the terms of these documents, you might be able to take legal action to enforce them.

  4. What is constructive discharge?

    Constructive discharge occurs when an employer makes working conditions so intolerable that a reasonable person in the employee’s position would feel compelled to resign. Although Oregon is an at-will employment state, an employee may have a claim for wrongful termination based on a constructive discharge if they’re forced to quit by being subjected to misconduct such as discrimination, harassment, or retaliation.

  5. Are employers required to offer health insurance to employees?

    Oregon doesn’t have a state law that universally requires employers to provide health insurance to all employees. However, the federal Affordable Care Act places certain requirements on employers with 50 or more full-time employees. Smaller employers may choose to offer health insurance as a benefit, but it’s generally not mandatory under the law.

Employment Lawyers in Nearby CitiesEmployment Lawyers in Nearby Counties

Portland Employment Legal Aid & Pro Bono Services

Legal Aid Services of Oregon
(503) 224-4086
Portland, OR


Oregon Law Center Pro Bono Program
(503) 295-2760
Portland, OR

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