Ogletree Deakins Expands in Northwest with Litigators, Former Human Resources Executive

PORTLAND, Ore. – June 3, 2013 – Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. (Ogletree Deakins), one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management, is pleased to welcome Caroline Guest as shareholder and Ursula Kienbaum as of counsel in the firm’s Portland office. Both Guest and Kienbaum add depth to the Ogletree Deakins’ presence in the Northwest and expand the firm’s litigation, employment law, and traditional labor relations practice groups. Prior to joining Ogletree Deakins, Guest and Kienbaum were with the Portland office of Littler Mendelson P.C.   

Guest is a labor and employment attorney with nearly 20 years of experience in the Portland market. Her practice is a blend of complex litigation, counseling and training. In her litigation practice, she has successfully defended clients in a range of matters, including claims of breach of contract, wrongful discharge, and discrimination based on gender, age, disability, and sexual harassment. Guest also spends a substantial portion of her practice providing proactive and practical counseling to help clients avoid litigation and achieve continued compliance with federal and state employment laws and regulations. During a brief hiatus from private practice from 2008 to 2010, Guest served as the executive vice president of human resources for a national retailer with more than 27,000 employees throughout the United States and Canada.

An accomplished speaker, Guest regularly conducts seminars and training for human resources professionals, supervisors, and managers on topics including workplace harassment prevention, performance management fundamentals, and employee discipline and terminations. Guest is active in her community, serving on the board of directors for Morrison Child and Family Services and as a member of the Oregon Women Lawyers Association. She earned her J.D. from the University of Oregon, where she earned Order of the Coif honors, and earlier received an A.B. from Smith College.

“In addition to her decades of litigation experience defending employers against a full range of employment law issues, Caroline’s real world human resources experience enables her to intimately relate to the issues facing our clients,” said Jathan Janove, managing shareholder of Ogletree Deakins’ Portland office. “Caroline and Ursula are known for keeping clients informed about emerging issues and working proactively to find business-oriented solutions to complex legal problems. Their arrival will add new depth to our Portland office, which has grown to 12 attorneys since opening in 2010.”

Kienbaum, who joins Ogletree Deakins as of counsel, focuses her practice on traditional labor relations and employment law issues related to discrimination and harassment, hiring, performance management and terminations, and independent contractor misclassification issues. She has experience representing clients in unfair labor practice charges, labor arbitrations, complaints of discrimination, retaliation, and harassment, and agency audits.  Early in her career, Kienbaum served as a judicial clerk at the Multnomah County Courthouse and externed with Chief Judge Ann Aiken at the U.S. District Courthouse in Oregon. Kienbaum is ranked among her peers as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers. She earned her J.D. from the Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College, and earlier received a B.A., with honors, from the University of Montana. 

About Ogletree Deakins
Ogletree Deakins is one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management in all types of employment-related legal matters. The firm has more than 650 lawyers located in 44 offices across the United States and in Europe. Ogletree Deakins was named “Law Firm of the Year” in both the Litigation – Labor & Employment and the Employment Law – Management categories in the 2013 edition of U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” list. In addition to handling labor and employment law matters, the firm has thriving practices focused on business immigration, employee benefits, and workplace safety and health law. Ogletree Deakins represents a diverse range of clients, including more than half of the Fortune 50 corporations in the United States. For more information, please contact Ryan King or Mary Lou Baxter.