Experience

Jim Zehren is a real estate development attorney whose practice is concentrated in construction and design law, including business transactions, preventive law, and dispute resolution. Jim's practice emphasizes preparation and negotiation of contract documents; licensing, registration and code compliance issues; and construction lien and bond claims.

Professional Honors & Activities

• Selected by his peers as one of Oregon's "Super Lawyers" Recipients
• Mayor's Spirit of City Award, City of Portland

Presentations

• Financial Defaults on Construction Projects: The Contractor's Perspective, Stoel Rives LLP Seminar, March 2009
• Financial Defaults on Construction Projects: The Owner/Developer's Perspective, Stoel Rives LLP Seminar, March 2009
• Green and Sustainable Design and Construction, Oregon construction Law, The Seminar Group Seminar, Portland, September 2009
• Facility Development & Sustainable Management: Construction, Best Practices for Owning and Operating a Winery, The Seminar Group Seminar, Napa, California, February 2009
• Winery Design and Construction Law, 2nd Annual Stoel Rives LLP Wine Law Breakfast Seminar, McMinnville, Oregon, February 2009
• Legal and Regulatory Issues in Green Development: Contracting for Green Design and Construction, Law Seminars International, Seattle, Washington, January 2009
• Owners and Developers Construction Tips & Traps Under the New AIA Forms and ConsensusDOCS, Stoel Rives LLP Seminar (with Eric Grasberger), Portland, Oregon, June 2008
• Winery Design & Construction Law, 1st Annual Stoel Rives LLP Wine Law Breakfast Seminar, Walla Walla, Washington and McMinnville, Oregon, June 2008
• Climate Regulation: It's All in the Details, Climate Change: Positioning Your Business (Moderator), Northwest Environmental Business Council and Oregon Business Association, Portland, Oregon, June 2008
• Overview Of Green Building: What's It All About? and What Should An Owner Desiring a LEED-Certified Project Include In Its Contracts?, Going Green: Advising Clients In the New World of Sustainability, Oregon Law Institute, April 2008
• Overview of Green Building and Development and Legal Issues Regulating Green Building, Sustainable Development, Lorman Educational Services Seminar, Portland, Oregon, March 2008
• Winery Construction 101, Best Practices for Owning & Operating a Winery, The Seminar Group Seminar, Napa, California, February 2008
• Current Issues in Design Professional Contracts, 3rd Annual Construction Law Seminar, State Bar of Montana Construction Law Section and CLE Institute, Bozeman, Montana, October 2007
• Major Considerations in Design Professional Agreements, The Seminar Group Seminar, Portland, Oregon, June 2007
• Top Ten Issues in Negotiating An Architect/Engineer Contract on A Major Project and Building Information on Modeling (BIM), Lorman Educational Services Seminar, Portland, Oregon, May 2007
• Contracting for Design and Construction, Best Practices for Owning and Operating a Winery, San Francisco, California, March 2007
• Common Mistakes Project Owners Make In Design and Construction Contracting, Building Owners and Managers Association Meeting, Portland, Oregon, January 2007
• AIA Contracts, Lorman Educational Services Seminar, Portland, Oregon, July 2006; Developer Licensing, Stoel Rives LLP Annual Development Law Executive Update, Portland, Oregon, March 2006
• Ten Factors for Oregon Building Owners to Consider Regarding Design and Construction Issues, Building Owners and Managers Association Meeting, Portland, Oregon, January 2006
• Construction Contracts, Contractors Association of Truckee/Tahoe Fall Seminar Series, Truckee, California, November 2005
• Owner-Oriented Concerns Regarding Contractor Licensure Requirements Under Oregon Law, Stoel Rives LLP Annual Construction & Design Conference, Portland, Oregon, October 2005
• Six Ways For Project Owners to Avoid Construction Lien Claims on Oregon Projects, Stoel Rives LLP Annual Construction & Design Conference, Portland, Oregon, October 2005
• Relationship Between Use of Electronic Technology and Contract Documents, Construction Specifications Institute Seminar, Portland, Oregon, May 2002 & 2004
• The Relationship of Technology to Contract Documents, Stoel Rives Technology and Construction Seminar, Portland, Oregon, May 2001
• Bonding on Public Projects in Oregon, Lorman Education Services Seminar, Portland, Oregon, December 1999 & 2000
• Selected Practice Tips Regarding Oregon Construction Lien Law, Oregon State Bar Debtor Creditor Section Annual Meeting/CLE, Newport, Oregon, December 1999
• Project Delivery Alternatives Risks and Rewards, The Cambridge Institute Seminar, Portland, Oregon, September 1998
• The A/E's Collection Rights, The Cambridge Institute Seminar, Portland, Oregon, December 1994
• Summary of Oregon Construction Lien and Bond Notice and Filing Requirements for Commercial Industrial and Public Improvement Projects, The Cambridge Institute Seminar, Portland, Oregon, September 1993

Civic Activities

• President, City Club of Portland
• Chair, Executive Committee and Board of Directors, Oregon Business Association
• Chair, Greenspaces Policy Advisory Committee, Metro; Metro Policy Advisory Committee, Metro
• Growth Management Committee, City of Portland
• City of Portland Fire & Rescue Building Oversight Committee
• Parks and Recreation Board, City of Portland
• Board of Trustees, Pioneer Courthouse Square of Portland, Inc.
• Executive Committee and Vision Team, City of Portland 2020 Parks Study
• Chair, Board of Trustees, First Unitarian Church, Portland
• Chair, Board of Directors, Livable Oregon, Inc.
• Board of Governors and Chair of Research Board, City Club of Portland
• Regional Policy Advisory Committee, Metropolitan Service District
• Board of Directors, West Portland Park Neighborhood Association
• On loan policy staff, Oregon Progress Board, State of Oregon

Publications

• "Project Investments Require Protection," The Daily Journal of Commerce, September 18, 2009
• "When Payment Becomes a Sticky Issue," The Daily Journal of Commerce, August 20, 2009
• "Phrasing Is Key to LEED Contracts", The Daily Journal of Commerce, April 18, 2008
• "Common waiver an all-too-common problem", The Daily Journal of Commerce, November 16, 2007
• "Oregon Construction Lien Law Applicable to Commercial and Industrial Projects," coauthor, Construction Lending News, Granite Loan Management, Third Quarter 2007
• "Oregon Court Affirms Additional Defect Claims by Building Owners," The Daily Journal of Commerce, February 16, 2007
• Oregon Chapter, Fifty State Construction Lien and Bond Law, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1996-1999 Supps
• Aspen Publishers, Inc., 2000 & 2002-2008 Supps
• "Contracting Mistakes Are Best Avoided Early", The Daily Journal of Commerce, August 18, 2006
• "Practitioner Note: Federal Judge Enforces Additional Insured Coverage of Private Contracts, Notwithstanding Prior Oregon Supreme Court Decision in Walsh v. Enumclaw", Construction Contracts Law Report, Thompson/West, June 23, 2006
• "Despite Walsh, Judge Enforces Additional Insured Coverage", The Daily Journal of Commerce, February 17, 2006
• "Owners Have Multitude of Alternatives for Construction Project Contracting", The Daily Journal of Commerce, June 17, 2005
• "Technology In Construction," coauthor, Construction Law Ch. 11, Or CLE 2004 Rev
• "Contract Provision Requiring Sub To Obtain Additional Liability Insurance And Name Contractor As Additional Insured Is Void," coauthor, Construction Contractors Law Report, West, March 19, 2004
• "Feature Comment: The Relationship of Technology to Contract Documents", Construction Contracts Law Report, West Group, December 28, 2002
• Oregon Chapter, The Design/Build Process: A Guide to Licensing and Procurement Requirements in the 50 States and Canada, coauthor, American Bar Association, 1997, 2000 & 2004
• "Licensing and Registration," Construction Law Ch. 1, Or CLE, 1993 Supp
• "Indemnity and Contribution," coauthor, Torts Ch. 9, Or CLE, 1987 Supp

Education

• Lewis and Clark Law School, J.D., 1985, magna cum laude
• University of Minnesota, M.A., anthropology, 1976
• University of Minnesota, Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, M.A. public affairs, 1975
• North Dakota State University, B.S. industrial engineering, 1970

Admissions

• Oregon

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