FRANCIS HANSEN & MARTIN LLP has been providing legal services to the Central Oregon business community for over 25 years. We are a full service law firm representing clients in the areas of Civil Trials and Appeals, Business Law, Real Estate, Land Use, Banking Law, Utilities Law, Homeowners' Association Law, and Estate Planning.

Civil Trials and Appeals

Our firm brings a wealth of experience in the area of trial work. Many lawyers fancy themselves as “litigators” but that is not what most clients need. Litigators are simply skilled in filing motions and pushing paper while not resolving a case. Trial lawyers have the skills, ability and the experience to actually take a case from beginning to end through trial. When opposing parties are faced with doing battle in court with an experienced trial lawyer, verses simply a litigator, an entirely new perspective develops in the case. These cases tend to resolve in favor of the party with the experienced trial lawyer.

FRANCIS HANSEN & MARTIN has five experienced trial lawyers that bring nearly 70 years of trial experience to work to solve our clients’ problems. The trial lawyers at our firm have had hundreds of jury trials at both the State and Federal Court levels. They have extensive experience before the Oregon Supreme Court, Oregon Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and other Federal Appellate courts.

When our clients come to us with disputes that can only be resolved in court, they know they have a trial lawyer on their side with a statewide reputation for being able to do battle in court, if necessary, and achieve the results desired by the client.

Business Law

Our attorneys provide advice on each step of a business’s evolution, from the choice of entity on formation, through taxable and nontaxable acquisitions and divestitures, to termination of the business through sale or liquidation. In addition to changes in the business organization, our attorneys work to achieve the most tax-advantaged structure for other transactions involving such issues as capital changes through debt or equity issuances, recapitalizations and redemptions, financing alternatives, ownership transition of family-owned businesses, leasing, licensing, and day-to-day business operations.

Real Estate Law

Our firm has expertise in real estate practice including experience with both residential and commercial real estate. Our firm represents both buyers and sellers of real estate. Specialized work includes reviewing of purchase and sale agreements; assisting in financing; review of title materials and reports; obtaining all necessary documents for closings including title insurance.

Estate Planning

Our attorneys have expertise with estate planning, including the preparation of Wills, General Durabel Powers of Attorney and Health Care Proxies. Our law firm also assists clients with large estates that wish to minimize the impact of wealth transfer taxes.

Services for Employers

Our attorneys have years of specialized experience representing employers in all aspects of employment law. Our services range from drafting company employment manuals, policies, and employment and noncompetition agreements, to representing employers in employee separation disputes, regulatory proceedings and employment litigation.

Banking

The attorneys at our firm have represented numerous banks over the years and even the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. This banking experience covers the gambit of regulatory, transactional foreclosure and litigation. Our attorneys have been to court on many occasions to enforce bank obligations and to defend banks from claims. This experience is also useful for our firm’s business clients who themselves, on occasion, act as lenders or borrowers with some of the same issues that face the our bank clients.

Utilities

Our firm represents a number of regional electric, telecommunication, waste management and water utilities. While these clients are corporate businesses with all of the typical demands in the area of employment, transactional, litigation and other areas, they also have special regulatory needs that are met by our experienced attorneys.

Homeowners' Associations

The attorneys at FRANCIS HANSEN & MARTIN draw on their experience in the areas of real estate, corporate and municipal law, civil litigation and alternative dispute resolution to provide practical and effective solutions for the broad range of issues that arise when representing common interest communities ("CICs") and homeowners' association. The Firm's attorneys have experience with commercial and residential CICs, planned developments (townhouses), condominiums, master-planned communities, residential/golf course developments, senior condominiums, and conversion of multi-unit buildings to condominiums or townhouses.