It is clear that today's business and governmental environment involves increasing regulatory scrutiny, including the anticipated passage of substantial legislation directly affecting professionals. In addition, there is a ground swell of litigation against chiropractors, dentists, lawyers, medical doctors, naturopaths, nurses, nursing facilities, optometrists and other professionals stemming from a volatile business climate. Amidst these developments, professionals are required to make more independent decisions and exercise a greater degree of judgment than ever before, heightening liability concerns. In today's and tomorrow's world, there is no question that effective legal representation for professionals is not only critical, but essential.

• Legal Malpractice Issues: Malpractice suits against lawyers are an increasingly common feature in today's legal landscape and can have serious repercussions. Severe financial consequences and irreversible damage to a professional’s reputation make these cases extremely significant to law firms. With our record of success and the resources to handle all facets of these significant and high-risk cases, the firm is positioned to handle the most serious and complex malpractice claims any law firm anywhere might face.

• Medical, Chiropractic, Naturopaths and Other Health Care Providers: The present state of the health care industry is now as much about the management and avoidance of malpractice claims as about the practice of medicine. For health care practitioners and institutions, the fear of a medical malpractice lawsuit has become as pervasive as that of an infectious disease. Our lawyers have successfully defended such healthcare providers as chiropractors, dentists, medical doctors, naturopaths, nurses, optometrists, and skilled nursing facilities at every stage of a malpractice action, from pre-litigation claims, discovery and depositions to litigation in Oregon and Washington. We understand the difficulties unique to malpractice defense, where the evaluation of damages primarily focuses upon alleged psychological injury and issues of medical causation. We work closely with our clients' insurance providers to limit the impact of such proceedings on their practice or business. Given the extensive depth of our work, we have developed a network of medical and health care professionals in Oregon who can assist us in the defense of our health care clients. Our lawyers are familiar with the scientific issues involved and the need to build an early team of the experts. Our clients retain us specifically because of our relationships and ability to work with medical experts and prepare them for trial, culminating in a successful trial result.

• Professional Liability Cases: Our practice handles professional liability claims on behalf of numerous clients and insurance carriers and we are experts in analyzing, advising on and litigating coverage disputes under professional liability policies. A large portion of our practice relates to the defense of professional liability cases; therefore, we are experienced in locating experts, organizing the facts so as to best explain our client's position, and providing our client with reinforcement and support during a difficult time. When professional services firms are sued for negligence, the consequences can be expensive, time-consuming and, for the individuals concerned, traumatic. Our practice has been helping major professional services firms deal with these issues for more than two decades. We are competent in acting in the defense of claims arising from a variety of high-value and complex corporate, commercial and financial transactions and are well versed in handling the unique tactical and legal issues that arise in the defense of professional liability claims. In many cases, the claims we handle are sensitive and confidential. We are accustomed to dealing with such matters tactfully and with discretion, with careful consideration of the reputation and confidentiality concerns of our clients.

• Investigative Board Matters: HLGR provides representation to a wide variety of clients, including chiropractors, dentists, medical doctors, naturopaths, nurses, nursing facilities, optometrists and other health care providers, appearing before professional administrative and state licensing boards in civil malpractice actions as well as in disciplinary proceedings. In addition, members of this practice group have substantial expertise in the evaluation of insurance coverage issues and the litigation of declaratory judgment and contract actions in the context of professional malpractice matters.

• Litigation: The members of our Malpractice Defense group have extensive experience in the defense and litigation on behalf of chiropractors, dentists, lawyers, medical doctors, naturopaths, nurses, nursing facilities, optometrists and other professionals in malpractice actions in both Oregon and Washington. The firm's commitment to malpractice defense has fostered an appreciation of the unique issues presented in such litigation. The firm is frequently called upon to pursue the resolution of professional liability matters through arbitration, mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution. We represent lawyers and law firms in a wide variety of lawsuits, but particularly those alleging legal malpractice, breach of fiduciary duty or malicious prosecution. To defend those cases, we draw on our substantial experience as business litigators in such diverse fields as securities litigation, real estate litigation, business disputes and other commercial matters. Our lawyers combine that sophisticated litigation experience with specialized knowledge of the complicated rules governing lawyers, delivering a powerful response to claims against lawyers and law firms.