Hannah Hoffman

Hannah specializes in government and election law, complex litigation, including high-stakes business and contract disputes, and employment litigation, particularly non-competition disputes.

Recent cases:

• Foraker v. Hendricks et al. (Multnomah County Circuit Court): Represented two solo-practice attorneys in counterclaims brought pursuant to their contingency fee agreement with a former client. Hannah briefed, argued, and won summary judgment in favor of her clients on all counterclaims, securing their entitlement to more than $1 million in fees under the disputed fee agreement. Hannah then briefed and won an award of attorney fees and costs of approximately $750,000 in favor of her clients in Multnomah County Circuit Court.

• Millennium Health v. Barba et al. (U.S. District Court, Oregon): Defended two employees accused of violating their non-competition agreements in the U.S. District Court of Oregon. The case involved a potential $12 million in damages and multiple tort and contract claims against the defendants and their employer. The case was settled two months before trial.
  

• Portland General Electric Company re OSBEELS (Oregon State Board of Examiners for Engineering and Land Surveying): Defended PGE employees against claims that they violated State engineering licensing laws when reviewing independent system impact studies submitted by interconnection applicants. Oregon State Board of Examiners for Engineering and Land Surveying agreed with PGE’s arguments and dismissed the complaints.

Amicus Briefs

• Johnson v. City of Grants Pass, 20-35752 (9th Cir.) (in support of respondent’s petition for rehearing en banc)

• Oregon ex rel. Kristof v. Fagan, S069165 (Or. Sup. Ct.) (in support of respondent’s opposition to appellant’s writ of mandamus)

Presentations

• Social Media and the First Amendment, Oregon City Attorneys Association/Oregon State Bar Local Government Law Section, October 20, 2023
• The Top Three Legal Issues Facing Cities, League of Oregon Cities, October 13, 2023
• From Employee Speech to Public Comment and Protests: The First Amendment's Impact on Cities, NLC-RISC Trustees, May 11, 2023
• From Employee Speech to Public Comment and Protests: The First Amendment's Impact on Cities, League of Oregon Cities, April 26, 2023
• From Protests and Rallies to Employee Speech and Public Comment: The First Amendment's Impact on Cities, League of Oregon Cities, October 6, 2022

Prior to joining Markowitz Herbold, Hannah clerked for the Honorable Michael W. Mosman of the U.S. District Court of Oregon. She was also an assistant attorney general with the Oregon Department of Justice’s Solicitor General’s Office, where she argued ten cases before the Oregon Court of Appeals and drafted and filed 45 appellate briefs, and a Clackamas County deputy district attorney, where she managed a caseload of 200 cases, tried five cases to verdict, and prosecuted multiple civil commitment petitions.

During her journalism career, Hannah reported on politics, government, and education for Willamette Week, McMinnville News-Register, and the Statesman Journal.

Hannah is a graduate of the University of Oregon School of Journalism and the University of Michigan Law School.