the Employment Law Group
serving Oregon and Washington
Finding the right attorney for your case takes time and trust. The attorneys of Dolan Griggs LLP have a well-deserved reputation as committed and tenacious advocates. We have handled hundreds of employment-related matters, including negotiation, mediation, arbitration and trials. When the dispute cannot be avoided or resolved informally, we have the experience necessary to effectively represent clients in every forum where employment matters are heard, including arbitration, administrative agencies, and courts, both federal and state, in Oregon and Washington.
Mr. Dolan is a founding partner of the law firm Dolan Griggs LLP. He has an extensive background in employment litigation and has earned the distinguished AV® Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory. An AV rating is a significant accomplishment - a testament to the fact that a lawyer's peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence. A lawyer must be admitted to the bar for 10 years or more to receive an AV rating, a designation less than 15% of attorneys in the country attain.
In his 20 years practicing law, Mr. Dolan has clerked for the Iowa Court of Appeals, served as an honor's attorney in the Oregon Department of Justice, litigated in the Trial Division of the Oregon Department of Justice and been a partner with the law firm of Ramis Crew Corrigan and Bachrach.
Before pursuing a career in law, Mr. Dolan spent 6 years as a university professor at American University in Cairo and the University of Wisconsin at Madison teaching English and film. Prior to teaching at the university level, Mr. Dolan spent several years in East Africa with a relief services agency assisting African communities with basic food and infrastructure needs.
Mr. Dolan is admitted to practice before Oregon and Washington State and Federal courts, and the United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit.
Education: B.A. University of Notre Dame 1967; M.A. University of Wisconsin-Madison 1972; Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-Madison 1979; J.D. University of Iowa 1986.
Professional Affiliation: Mr. Dolan is a member of the Oregon State Bar and Washington State Bar, Multnomah County Bar Association and has been a member of the Oregon State Bar Association's Civil Rights and Labor and Employment Law Sections.
Community Activities/Publications: Mr. Dolan has long been active with the Mock Trial Program of the Oregon State Bar. He has successfully coached high school mock trial teams for many years. He has frequently spoken at conferences and seminars regarding litigation and employment issues.
Mr. Griggs is a founding partner of the law firm Dolan Griggs LLP. In addition to employment law, he practices in the areas of condemnation, contract, civil rights, and tort litigation as well as property tax appeals. Mr. Griggs is formerly with the firm Ramis Crew Corrigan and Bachrach, LLP in Portland, Oregon, where he practiced in employment, contract, and condemnation litigation. He also has experience as a business development manager and entrepreneur in the software field. While in law school, Mr. Griggs teamed with several classmates to start an internet software firm, Legal Anywhere LLC, that was ultimately acquired by a company that later became publicly traded, Niku Corp. Mr. Griggs served as a Business Development Manager for Legal Anywhere and later for Niku in the legal services sector.
While in law school, Mr. Griggs worked as a law clerk for the Oregon Department of Justice Trial Division and the Portland, where he worked on employment litigation matters for the State of Oregon. He also worked as a law clerk for the Oregon firm Bullivant Houser Bailey, where he worked primarily on employment matters.
Prior to entering law school, Mr. Griggs taught high school English in Japan. He and his wife were the first non-Japanese residents of a fishing and farming village on a small island in the East China Sea. Mr. Griggs is a member of the Oregon State Bar and Washington State Bar and is admitted to practice before the United States District Court, District of Oregon and Washington.
Education: Mr. Griggs received his undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Oregon (1991). He earned his law degree, cum laude, from Willamette University College of Law (1998), where he served as an editor for Oregon Law Online and on the Willamette Law Review staff. Mr. Griggs also holds an MBA from the Atkinson Graduate School of Management at Willamette University (1998).
Professional Affiliation: Mr. Griggs is a member of the Oregon State Bar Association and the National Employment Lawyer's Association (NELA.com).
Community Activities/Publications: Mr. Griggs has published several articles concerning the application of computer technology in legal practice in publications such as The New York Law Journal, Leader's Legal Tech Newsletter, Law Technology News, and The Internet Lawyer. He has also presented as a speaker at continuing legal education seminars on the topics of arbitration agreements in employment, litigation of employment claims, and use of technology in practice.
Ms. Bleeker is an associate attorney for Dolan Griggs LLP. Her practice focuses primarily on employment law with an emphasis on litigating claims of discrimination, retaliation, sexual harassment, unpaid wages, and other matters arising during employment. Prior to becoming an associate with Dolan Griggs LLP, Ms. Bleeker practiced law in North Portland, gaining experience in family law, with an emphasis on child custody and guardianship matters.
Professional Affiliation: Ms. Bleeker is a member of the Oregon State Bar (2006) and is admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the District of Oregon (2007). Ms. Bleeker is member of the Portland Human Resource Management Association, the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association, and the Multnomah Bar Association.
Education: Ms. Bleeker received her BS from Southern Oregon University in 2001, majoring in Human Communications and Political Science. In 2006, she received her JD from Willamette University College of Law and her MBA from Atkinson Graduate School of Management, Willamette University. During her studies at Willamette she also received a Certificate in Dispute Resolution and volunteered as a mediator for Neighbor-to-Neighbor in Salem, Oregon.
Mr. Swilley is an associate attorney for Dolan Griggs LLP. His practice focuses primarily on employment law with an emphasis on litigating claims of discrimination, sexual harassment, violations of civil rights, unpaid wages, and other matters arising during employment.
Mr. Swilley is a member of the Oregon State Bar (2005) and is admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the District of Oregon (2007).
Education: Mr. Swilley received his BA from Willamette University in 2000, majoring in Environmental Studies. He received his JD from Lewis & Clark Law School in 2005, where he focused his studies on employment and labor law. During the 2003-04 school year, he was the American Bar Association's Representative for Lewis & Clark Law School and attended the national convention in Atlanta, Georgia on its behalf. He also represented the school at the 2005 regional mock negotiations competition held in Vancouver, B.C.
Professional Affiliations: Mr. Swilley is an active member of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association and the Multnomah Bar Association, where he currently sits on the Membership Committee for the Young Lawyers' Section.
Ms. Dolan is an associate attorney for Dolan Griggs LLP. Her practice focuses primarily on employment law with an emphasis on discrimination, sexual harassment and other civil rights issues. A recent law school graduate, Ms. Dolan worked as a law clerk for three years in the area of employment law research and litigation.
Education: Ms. Dolan received her BA from the University of Oregon in 2000, majoring in Comparative Literature and Spanish. She received her JD from Willamette University in 2006. In law school, she emphasized employment law and litigation clinics.
Professional Affiliations: Ms. Dolan is a member of the Oregon State Bar. She is admitted to practice in Oregon State and Federal courts.
Ms. Dolan is an associate attorney for Dolan Griggs LLP. Her practice focuses primarily on employment law with an emphasis on discrimination, sexual harassment and other civil rights issues. A recent law school graduate, Ms. Dolan worked as a law clerk for three years in the area of employment law research and litigation.
Education: Ms. Dolan received her BA from the University of Oregon in 1999, majoring in Anthropology and International Studies. She received her JD from the University of Oregon in 2006. In law school, she emphasized employment law and litigation clinics.
Professional Affiliations: Ms. Dolan is a member of the Oregon State Bar. She is admitted to practice in Oregon State and Federal courts.
Ms. Hefty is our Law Office Administrator/Legal Assistant, and is responsibile for the staff management, office operation, and bookkeeping, in addition to her legal assistant and supervisory duties. She brought 15 years of significant legal assistant experience to the firm and has been with the firm since its opening in January 2002.
Education: She is a graduate of the College of Legal Arts Legal Assistant program.
Ms. Homnick is an Investigator/Legal Assistant at Dolan Griggs LLP. Combining her interests in both law and spanish, Holly lived in Ecuador for 10 months while working in Environmental Law. She has traveled throughout much of Western Europe and Mexico, and hopes to visit Cuba and Brazil one day. After four years off and on as a Starbucks barista, she can still make a mean cup o' coffee.
Education: Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Journalism from the Robert Clark Honors College and the University of Oregon.
Activities: Holly ran her first marathon with Team in Training in October 2006, thanks in part to sponsorship by Dolan Griggs, took part in several Triathlons in college, and is an avid yogi and soccer player. She also loves photography and dancing salsa.