MHGM Managing Shareholder Lynn Nakamoto appointed to the Court of Appeals

Governor Ted Kulongoski today announced his appointment of Lynn Nakamoto to the Oregon Court of Appeals. Ms. Nakamoto will fill the vacancy that will be created when Judge Jack Landau is sworn in as a Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court on January 3, 2011.

Ms. Nakamoto is the managing shareholder at the Portland law firm of Markowitz, Herbold, Glade & Mehlhaf P.C. While most recently specializing in employment and business related litigation, Nakamoto has previously practiced with Marion-Polk Legal Aid and had been a staff attorney with Bronx Legal Services in New York. Nakamoto received her J.D. from New York University School of Law and her bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College. She has practiced in Oregon since 1988.

“Lynn Nakamoto is an outstanding lawyer with broad legal experience and an outstanding reputation in the legal community.” said Governor Kulongoski. “Her significant experience in civil litigation at both the appellate and trial levels, and diverse substantive background that spans from poverty law to commercial litigation will make her a tremendous asset to the Court of Appeals.”

Nakamoto was a founding member of the Oregon Minority Lawyers Association and is a past board member of the Q Center, a GLBT community center in North Portland. She has been a long time advocate for equality, serving on the Oregon State Bar’s Affirmative Action Committee and performing pro bono work for the Senior Law Project and the ACLU of Oregon, including preparing an amicus brief on the groundbreaking Tanner v. OHSU decision that helped secure equal benefits for same sex domestic partners and their families in Oregon.

Ms. Nakamoto will be the first Asian American from Oregon to serve as a judge on any state or federal appellate court within Oregon. With her joining the ten-member Court of Appeals, the Court will be more reflective of the state’s population, including four female jurists and two ethnic minorities.