Welcome to SussmanShank.com

Professional Experience
Mr. Brecht is a member of the firm's Business Litigation and Employment Law groups. Jeff represents businesses in state and federal courts in Oregon and Washington in the areas of:

Professional Organizations
American Bar Association
American Health Lawyers Association
Federal Bar Association
      Federal Litigation Section
      Labor and Employment Section
Multnomah Bar Association
Oregon Health Care Association
Oregon State Bar
      Business Litigation Section
      Federal Practice and Procedure Committee (2004-2006)
      Health Law Section
      Labor and Employment Section
      Litigation Section
Portland Human Resource Management Association (PHRMA)
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
Washington Health Care Association
Washington State Bar
      Healthcare Section

Professional Activities
Jeff is a frequent speaker at employment law seminars sponsored by the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries. Additionally, he volunteers his litigation skills to represent victims of domestic violence through Legal Aid Services of Oregon. Jeff's articles on employment law issues appear regularly in Oregon Business Magazine, The Daily Journal of Commerce and other business publications.

Education
B.S., English, Illinois State University
M.S., English, Illinois State University
J.D., magna cum laude, Northern Illinois University

Civic Organizations
Jeff is a member of the Rotary Club of Portland where he chairs the Domestic Violence Solutions Committee and serves on the Programs Committee. Jeff also works with his local Lake Oswego Neighborhood Association to improve the community, with a special emphasis on safety issues for children.

Publications
"Oregon Employers May Have a 'Special' Duty to Employees," The Daily Journal of Commerce (2007)
"Forensic Analysis Gets Worker's Retaliation Claim Thrown Out," The Daily Journal of Commerce (2006)
"Medical Testing Prospective Employees," The Daily Journal of Commerce (2005)
"Workplace Defamation," Oregon Business Magazine (2005)
"Non-Competition Agreements that Won't Fly," Oregon Business Magazine (2004)
"Office Odor Sensitivity and the Americans with Disabilities Act," Oregon State Bar Bulletin (2004)
"Gimme my Personnel File," Oregon Business Magazine (2004)
"Federal Court Prognosticates on Oregon's Email Privacy Law," Portland Human Resource Management Association (2004)
"Arbitration Agreements in Oregon: A Primer for Employers," Oregon Business Magazine (2003)
"Is There a Hole in Your Deep Pockets?: Franchiser Liability for Bad Things that Can Happen at a Franchise," Franchise Times (2001)
"Prairie Justice: Oregon's Merry Ol' Town of 'Os'," Oregon State Bar Bulletin (1999)
"The Millennium Bug: Defending the Dilatory with Diligently Documented Due Diligence," Oregon State Bar Bulletin (1998)
"Armageddon and the Millennium Bug," The Administrator's Advantage (1998)
"Y2K: The Countdown has Begun," OLMANET: Oregon Legal Management Association (1998)
"Oregon's Procedural Due Process and the Necessity of Judicial Review of Punitive Damage Awards: Honda Motor Company v. Oberg," 15 Northern Illinois Law Review 337 (1995)
"9403 Illinois State Bar Association Couns, 7, (1994) (Reviewing Douglas Richmond, 'Products Liability: Corporate Successors and the Duty to Warn')," Baylor Law Review (1993)

Admitted to Practice
Oregon State Bar
      U.S. District Court, Oregon
Washington State Bar
      U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington
      U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Washington
U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals

Personal Interests
Jeff is an avid family hiker and camper and enjoys his membership in the local chapter of National Audubon Society.

Past Speaking Engagements
18th Annual Employment Law Conference: Bureau of Labor and Industry (BOLI) (2002)
19th Annual Employment Law Conference: Bureau of Labor and Industry (BOLI) (2003)
2003 Annual Employment Law Seminar: Sussman Shank LLP
2005 Annual Employment Law Seminar: Sussman Shank LLP
2005 Employment Law Conference: Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries
2006 Annual Employment Law Seminar: Sussman Shank LLP
2006 Employment Law Conference: Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries
2007 How to Prevent Employment Litigation
2008 Annual Employment Law Seminar: Sussman Shank LLP
2008 Employment Law Conference: Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries
2009 Employment Law Conference: Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries
At-Will Employment: Bureau of Labor and Industries (2002)
BOLI Employment Law Seminar: Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries
Discrimination: Bureau of Labor and Industries (2003)
Effective Supervisory Practices: Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) (2003)
Effective Supervisory Practices: Bureau of Labor and Industies (BOLI) (2002)
Employee & Benefit Issues for the Troubled Company (2007)
Harassment in the Workplace: Bureau of Labor and Industries (2003)
Lunchtime Employment Law Talk: Sussman Shank LLP
Oregon Wage and Hour Update: National Business Institute (2004)
Employment Related Background Investigations: Oregon Association of Licensed Investigators, Inc. Annual Meeting & Conference (2011)
Preparation of a Powerful Trial Notebook: Institute for Paralegal Education
Workplace Violence: How to Limit Employer Liability: Bureau of Labor and Industries (2003)

Representative Work

Successfully prosecuted wage claim discrimination claim against multinational electronic design corporation. Assisted with trial of those claims, where jury awarded client full amount of unpaid commissions, plus punitive damages.
Successfully defended international shipping company against breach of contract claims brought by worldwide supplier of shipping containers.
Successfully prosecuted breach of duty claims against former director of plumbing corporation. Defendant settled lawsuit on day jury trial was to begin.
Represented landowners at jury trial in prosecution of professional negligence claims against engineer who designed bridge that failed during moderate rainfall.
Successfully represented homeowner in prosecution of negligence and unlawful trade practices claims against contractor who sold and constructed home with defective roof and building envelope system.
Successfully enforced non-competition agreement, obtained injunction, and obtained damages through favorable settlement against former employee on behalf of national real estate training corporation.
Defended trucking company against former employee's claims of worker's compensation discrimination. After obtaining favorable testimony from plaintiff employee, negotiated favorable settlement, dismissal and release of all claims.
Successfully defended national tradeshow industry corporation and its employees against claims of unfair competition and breach of non-competition agreements.
Successfully represented widow and her children in federal district court in prosecution of breach of contract claims against national life insurance company for payment of life insurance proceeds.
Regularly provide advice, training and counsel to companies on a wide range of employment-related topics including terminations, non-competition agreements; appropriate and effective employee documentation; harassment and discrimination investigations, analyzing wage and hour issues, and severance agreements.
Regularly respond on behalf of employers to discrimination, wage and hour and other employment claims filed with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries ("BOLI") and the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ("EEOC").