Susan Marmaduke
Shareholder | Portland Office
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"When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, be energetic and faithful, and you will accomplish your object. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Hard Work, Creativity, and Judgment
Successful businesses are built by hard work, creativity, and good judgment. When the product of that effort is threatened, whether by internal dissension or by external challenges, litigation often results. Susan’s goal is to solve those problems through the legal system without letting the enterprise, and the people who make it successful, be harmed in the process.
For more than 30 years, Susan has advocated for her clients at the trial court level and on appeal. She has obtained favorable results in disputes over ownership and valuation of businesses, patents and other intellectual property, and a variety of other subject areas. She is admitted to practice in Oregon, Washington, California, and in numerous federal courts, including the Federal Circuit and the US Supreme Court.
Susan received her law degree from the University of California – Berkeley Law School (Boalt Hall) in 1977, and her undergraduate degree from Portland State University in 1974. After earning an Arabic Language Certificate at the Bourguiba Institute of Modern Languages in Tunis, Tunisia, she served as Associate Country Director for the Peace Corps in Yemen.
Professional Recognition
Susan’s professional expertise has been recognized by various organizations, including:
- Best Lawyers in America® in the fields of commercial litigation and appellate practice every year since 2009.
- AV® rating ("signifying the highest level of professional excellence") by Martindale-Hubbell National Law Directory’s confidential peer reviews.
- Super Lawyers® listing in the area of business litigation.
- American Bar Foundation, Lifetime Fellow.
Professional Involvement and Community Service
Susan has written reference resources for lawyers, including the Oregon State Bar’s Barbooks chapters on “Jurisdiction, Removal and Remand,” “Statutes of Limitations and Statutes of Repose," and "Special Writs: Writ of Review and Quo Warranto." She has given instructive presentations to lawyers on shareholder derivative actions, business valuation disputes, and various other litigation and appellate topics.
Susan is a director of the Lawyers Campaign for Equal Justice, which raises money to support legal aid services to indigent Oregonians, and she is a member of the amicus committee of the Oregon Association of Defense Counsel. She has served on the boards of the national Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the Multnomah Bar Association. Susan served on the Local Rules Advisory Committee for the US District Court of Oregon for a decade and chaired the committee for three years.
The legal community has recognized Susan’s commitment to improving the legal profession and her service to the community with honors that include:
- The Award of Merit, given by the Multnomah Bar Association in recognition of Susan’s pro bono work in the disaster recovery centers on the Mississippi Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina.
- The Hon. James M. Burns Federal Practice Award, given by the Oregon Chapter of the Federal Bar Association in recognition of her work to improve the practice of law in the federal District Court of Oregon.
Representative Cases
- James v. Clackamas County, 2013 WL 1686276 (Or Apr 11, 2013) (SC S059680). Represented Clackamas County in obtaining Oregon Supreme Court’s reversal of trial court judgment regarding retirement benefits.
- FLIR Systems, Inc. v. Gambaro, 486 Fed Appx 878 (Fed Cir 2012). Represented publicly traded company in obtaining Federal Circuit’s affirmance of trial court judgment dismissing patent infringement claim.
- Confidential arbitration (2010). Successfully represented closely held company in dispute over business valuation in forced buy-out of shareholder under ORS 60.095.
- Ram Tech, Inc. v. Koresko, 346 Or 215 (2009). Represented closely held business and its owners in obtaining Oregon Supreme Court’s reversal of trial court judgment dismissing fraud claim.
- Fields v. Coe Manufacturing Company, USDC (Oregon), No. CV 02 1025 AA and Fields v. Three Cities Research, Inc. et al., No CV 02 975 AA (2005). Successfully represented former CEO and sole shareholder in dispute over his sale of the company.
Portland Office
1001 SW Fifth Avenue16th Floor
Portland, OR 97204-1116
Tel: 503.242.0000
Fax: 503.241.1458
Practice Emphasis