Description

Elena joined the practice in 2013 after graduating in the top 10 of her law school class. She represents clients in transactions and litigation involving real estate, business, estate planning, and employment law.

With expertise in real estate and landlord tenant law, Elena drafts leases, easements, purchase and sale agreements, land sale contracts involving seller financing, promissory notes, deeds of trust, and other transactional documents. She is seasoned in mediation, arbitration, and trials relating to boundary disputes, ejectment claims, fraud and breach of contract allegations stemming from property sales, and other real estate issues. Elena further educates homeowners and property management companies on rapidly changing landlord tenant laws, drafts rental policies and agreements, and represents landlords in disputes including eviction trials, property damage suits, and actions brought by the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Elena assists business owners in forming the corporate entity which best meets their individual needs. She counsels her clients on how to maintain all necessary corporate formalities, such as keeping accurate corporate minutes, and drafts substantive business contracts such as construction contracts. Elena also drafts and reviews business asset or stock sale transactional documents. She has extensive motion practice and civil litigation experience in breach of contract and other business disputes.

Elena also advises clients on estate planning issues such as how to provide for minor children. She drafts wills and trusts to meet her clients’ estate planning goals.

Additionally, Elena defends employers against wage and hour, discrimination, and other employee claims. She provides classes on best employer practices and drafts employee handbooks, rules and regulations. Elena became interested in employment law, in part, while clerking at Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto, LLP. The Washington, D.C. firm specializes in whistleblower law. She became familiar with whistleblower provisions in the 50 states and assisted in bringing a qui tam action on behalf of the federal government.