Paul J. Sundermier

I attended Willamette University College of Law along with my 1954 Austin-Healey that I shipped out here. I graduated in 1982, sold my Healey to take the bar review and, luckily, passed the bar. I clerked for the United States Attorney, Sid Lezak, in my second year. There I was able to try several cases in magistrate’s court and argued motions in US District Court. I clerked for Paul De Muniz at Garrett Hemann Robertson in my third year and assisted at trials. I clerked for a short time at the Oregon Department of Justice involving a government corruption investigation.

I was hired by the Oregon Department of Justice in 1982. I worked first as the Chief Investigator for Trial Division until I was made an Assistant Attorney General in the new Financial Fraud Section. I became the State’s antitrust lawyer, the primary civil RICO litigator and also did consumer fraud cases until 1989. I was involved in several multi-district litigation cases with the National Association of Attorneys General antitrust task force. I initiated the investigations into workers compensation fraud against SAIF by a cabal of chiropractors and tried the three successful racketeering cases that resulted in verdicts for SAIF. I led the investigation against former Speaker of the House and Chairman of SAIF, Monty Montgomery, which led to his prosecution.

I then became counsel to many of the professional licensing agencies at the State, including the Real Estate Agency, Board of Medical Examiners, Racing Commission, Chiropractic Board, Naturopathic Board, and others. I estimate that I did in excess of 1,000 contested case hearings over nine years. Many of my cases became “APA black letter law” in the appellate stage.

In 1998, I re-joined the Trial Division where I became one of two litigators handling eminent domain matters. I have tried direct condemnation week-long jury trials all over Oregon. I have tried several inverse condemnation cases, including the two Spotted Owl cases that affirmed the “whole parcel rule” in regulatory takings cases in Oregon. I also tried several construction contract cases successfully for ODOT. I was lead counsel for the Ross Brothers racketeering case that led to the debarment of that firm. I litigated the KT Contracting case in Marion County which resulted in a voluntary dismissal by the plaintiff at the end of the first week of trial and sanctions on the contractor. I became a mentor to many newer Assistant Attorneys General.

I began lecturing on eminent domain matters about 10 years ago. I am now the co-chair of the annual Eminent Domain Seminar held in Portland in June. I have attended many of the ALI national eminent domain seminars. I am recognized by my peers and many judges as one of the dozen or so eminent domain expert litigators in Oregon.

I “retired” from the Department of Justice at the end of 2011 (after 29 years). I started my own practice – CondemnationJustice.com – located in Salem. With only a couple of exceptions, my practice is all eminent domain cases.

I look forward to my association, of counsel, with Saalfeld Griggs, PC, both because of its business/professional reputation and because I know and have enjoyed the camaraderie of many of its lawyers. In fact, Hunter Emerick and I were classmates (even though he’s much younger). Jim Griggs was one of the first lawyers I talked to professionally in Salem – when I was in law school and starting Discovery School. He kindly gave me some free advice that I took to heart.