Slinde Nelson

Focusing on Avoiding and Exiting Employment Litigation

This lawyer is licensed to practice in Oregon and has no record of discipline from the Oregon bar association.*

Firm Overview

Slinde Nelson is a Portland, Oregon full service business, real estate and employment law firm. We practice law a little differently because we're a little different than other lawyers. We are former and current business owners. We know what business clients want when they come to a law firm. They don't want churning out billable hours. They want real solutions that are driven by their business needs, not by the needs of their law firm. They want lawyers who speak their language.

Our business law practice spans across the region. We practice business law throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington. We advise businesses from Portland to Salem, Eugene and Corvallis, the Oregon Coast (Astoria, Seaside, Lincoln City, Cannon Beach) to Vancouver, Washington and Central Oregon (Bend, Redmond and surrounding areas).
Slinde Nelson formed in 2008 and merged with Du Val Business Law in 2010. The firm is made up of former and current small business owners who have built and sold businesses of their own. We left some of the largest firms in town to form Slinde Nelson because we thought business law should be and could be practiced a little bit differently. The goal should be to prevent legal problems from invading a client's business. When those legal problems are unavoidable, they need to be resolved quickly and efficiently in line with the business needs of the client. That is job one.

Example cases

My firm offers a full suite of innovative employment law solutions to our business clients. We don't put your case on a conveyor belt when you come in the door. If there is a creative, convenient and cheap way out of an employment related problem, we will find it and we will execute it. Above all, though, we know that the best defense is a good preventative maintenance plan. Stale and outdated employment agreements, outmoded or ignored procedures, lax protection of your businesses most sensitive information—this is how our business clients end up in litigation. Keep your contracts fresh and relevant, and avoid as many employment disputes as you can. When you can't avoid them, find a solution driven by your business needs, not those of your lawyers. This is how employment law should be practiced. Your employees should be on your team. We strive to keep it that way.

Main Office

Main
111 SW Fifth
Suite 1740
Portland OR 97204

Phone

(503) 417-7777

Fax

(503) 417-4250

Websites

Fees

Free Initial Consultation?

We offer free initial legal consultations with same day or next day visits.

Services Offered For Fixed Fees?

We offer more creative fee structure arrangements than any other firm I know of in Portland, Oregon or Vancouver and Southwest Washington. We offer hourly, flat fee, contingent fee and hybrid fee arrangements, depending on the case and the needs of our business clients.

Hourly Rates

Depends on the case.

Office Information

Office Hours

Monday through Friday
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Available for free consultations evenings and weekends.

Office Manager

Shelly Galbreth

Emergency After Hours

Yes

Languages Spoken

Spanish

How did your firm decide on the primary area of practice(s)?

Solving my clients' problems so they can go back to running their business. That's the result that every single one of my clients seeks, every time.

What is your firm's point of view regarding clients educating themselves on legal issues?

Our clients are busy people, but our clients are smart and successful people. That means they can be huge assets in their representation, but they have varying degrees of time availability to help. Part of our job is to prevent or solve a business problem for you, so you can focus on your core business. That is what we do. On the other hand, an informed and involved client is a successful client. We strive to strike the balance between gaining efficiencies through capitalizing on your inherent knowledge of the facts of your case, while taking the problem off your hands and solving it.

Is your firm willing to review documents prepared by clients?

You simply won't find a more prepared business attorney. Like in business, in law you win by being prepared. Period. By the time your case is underway, there won't be a single person more informed about the documents that form the basis of your claims than your lawyer. That is how it should be. At Slinde Nelson, that is how it is.

Is your firm willing to coach clients who want to represent themselves?

I have many, many long term clients. We take a long view of our representation. It's not about one case; it's about a long term relationship with a client. Our business clients call us with questions all the time, sometimes daily for long stretches. I very frequently advise my clients to attempt to resolve problems without my involvement. Where a business solution is available, it is almost always a better solution than a legal one. I learned that as a businessman myself, and it is a central principle of my Portland business law practice.

Nicholas Slinde

Phil Nelson

After law school, I went to work for Portland's largest law firm. There I gained invaluable experience in the technical practice of law. After that, I went to work for one of Portland's most well-decorated sole practitioner business lawyers. There, I learned the business of law. In between, I formed, grew and operated a business. I've seen and been on both sides of the lawyer-client relationship and I get what my business clients want.

Business litigation is what I do. While other lawyers in my firm specialize in business advice, contract negotiation and drafting, acquiring and selling businesses, I'm a litigator. Resolving disputes, whether it's through negotiation or trial was a natural fit for me. Finding leverage points, gathering evidence, building an understanding of complex disputes, that is my focus and my specialty.

I have a wife and a young daughter. We spend time at our vacation homes on the Oregon Coast and on Mount Hood. I am an avid Blazers and Ducks fan.

License

Bar Number: 003900
Oregon , 2000

Education

University of Washington
Juris Doctorate , 2001
Seattle, WA
Moot Court Honor Board, Pacific Rim Law and Policy Journal

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