Bill has practiced law since 1975, and since 1997 has devoted himself almost exclusively to family law with Gevurtz Menashe, in Portland, Oregon. He was named in Best Lawyers in America as the “2009 Lawyer of the Year - Family Law, Portland, Oregon,” and he is one of 10 family law lawyers from Oregon included from 2005 to the present by Best Lawyers. He has also been honored in Super Lawyers and Portland Monthly and in many other publications for many years. Bill has received Martindale Hubbell's highest "AV" rating for over 35 years. In addition to many years of active practice, which includes prevailing in several landmark appellate cases in Oregon, Bill has devoted an enormous amount of time and energy to family court reform. He served as the Vice-chair of Oregon’s Statewide Family Law Advisory Committee (SFLAC) from 1998 through 2020, having been appointed and reappointed by four Chief Justices; served as Chair of the Family Justice Initiative of the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (IAALS); served for many years as President of the Oregon Family Institute; served two terms as president of the Oregon Academy of Family Law Practitioners; served on the Board of Directors of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC); and was appointed by Governor Barbara Roberts and reappointed by Governor Kitzhaber as Chair of the Oregon Task Force on Family Law from 1993 to 1997. Bill has also served as pro tem Circuit Court Judge, a mediator for the Oregon Court of Appeals and has served as a private mediator. Among his many commendations, Bill was awarded the 2003 Pro Bono Challenge Award for donating the Highest Number of Pro Bono Public Service Hours by the Oregon State Bar and in 2021 was awarded the SFLAC’s Wallace P. Carson Outstanding Achievement Award by Oregon Chief Justice Martha Walters. In addition, Bill has made over 150 presentations at family law conferences and at other venues in the United States, Canada, Australia, Europe and South Africa, authored many articles on family law-related matters and consulted with several jurisdictions regarding family law reform.
Bill's practice includes all areas of family law with special emphasis on premarital agreements, complex property issues and appeals.
When handling divorces, Bill recognizes that divorce is a process, not an event. Divorce re-constellates but does not end a family. Clients need and deserve sensitive, tenacious, and highly competent guidance through this difficult process. Bill's goal in every case is that his client feels that their matter has been concluded with professionalism and integrity and in a way that leaves them prepared to embrace their future with confidence.
In his spare time, Bill and his wife produced the musical play Recognition, which was awarded the PMTA award for Best Ensemble in 2012 and Mark LaPierre’s Zombie Strippers, which was chosen to play on Broadway in July 2014, as part of the New York Musical Festival. Bill enjoys time with his wife, son, grandchildren, stepfamily, traveling, windsurfing, hiking, reading and a wide variety of charitable activities.
Mediation Certification, Willamette University College of Law, 1996
Publications
Finding the Balance: Ethical Challenges and Best Practices for Lawyers Representing Parents When the Interest of Children are at Stake, with Hugh McIsaac, Family Court Review, Volume 46, Number 1, January 2008.
Oregon Task Force on Family Law - Creating a New Family Conflict Resolution System, Healing Currents Journal, February, 199
Unbundling Legal Services: A Part of the Oregon Task Force on Family Law Reform Package, Oregon State Bar Bulletin, 1997
Activities
Chair, Oregon Task Force on Family Law, 1993-1997 (Appointed by Gov. Roberts and re-appointed by Gov. Kitzhaber)
Vice Chair, Statewide Family Law Advisory Committee. (Appointed by Chief Justice Carson and re-appointed by Chief Justice DeMuniz)
Member, Board of Directors of Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (Various Years)
Oregon Family Institute, Board of Directors and President, 2004
Former President (two terms) and Board Member for many years, Oregon Academy of Family Law Practitioners
Former Member, Juvenile Court Improvement Advisory Committee
Former Member, Oregon Dispute Resolution Advisory Committee
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