Oregon is at-will, but state and federal carve-outs do most of the work in wrongful termination cases.
Oregon is an at-will employment state, which means most firings are legal. The exceptions are where the cases are: discrimination under ORS 659A and federal Title VII, retaliation for protected activity (workers' comp, OSHA, whistleblower), breach of a written or implied contract, and termination in violation of public policy. The right Portland wrongful termination attorney knows BOLI (Oregon's Bureau of Labor and Industries) intake, the Oregon Workplace Fairness Act, and which Multnomah County judges set good jury trial dates.
These ten Portland wrongful termination firms were selected based on Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers recognition, Oregon Trial Lawyers Association membership, published verdicts and settlements, and consistent surfacing on Avvo, Justia, and Expertise.com. We do not accept payment for placement.
How we picked these 10: We do not accept payment for placement, and we do not write sponsored reviews. More on our methodology → | How to compare firms →
Practice focus: Wrongful termination, discrimination, retaliation
Multi-state employee-side firm with a Portland office; attorneys include former deputy prosecutors and Super Lawyers Rising Stars.
Strong fit when the case is straightforward discrimination or retaliation and you want a firm with infrastructure across multiple jurisdictions.
Practice focus: Wrongful termination, discrimination, retaliation, wage claims
Portland employee-side boutique with substantial Oregon and federal employment law experience.
Strong fit when you want a small, focused team with direct attorney access through the matter.
Practice focus: Wrongful termination, retaliation, severance
Portland-based boutique with 20+ years combined employment law experience.
Strong fit for severance review and pre-litigation negotiation, where avoiding a public lawsuit may serve the client.
Practice focus: Wrongful termination, discrimination, retaliation
Founder Robert K. Meyer has Oregon-wide wrongful termination experience.
Solo-led practice with statewide reach. Strong fit when you want a single, named attorney handling the case end to end.
Practice focus: Wrongful termination, discrimination, retaliation
Founder Erik Gunderson has 25+ years of Portland-metro employment law practice representing both employees and employers.
Strong fit when you want a practitioner who has seen the other side — employer-side experience sharpens settlement value assessments.
Practice focus: Wrongful termination, wage disputes, employment law
Portland practice since 2005; covers wrongful termination, wage claims, and broader employment matters.
Strong fit when the wrongful termination overlaps with unpaid wages, missed breaks, or other wage-and-hour issues.
Practice focus: Wrongful termination, civil rights, complex litigation
Portland plaintiffs' firm with substantial civil rights and employment trial experience.
Strong fit when the case involves a public employer, civil rights overtones, or constitutional claims alongside the wrongful termination.
Practice focus: Wrongful termination, retaliation, executive employment
Portland boutique focused on workplace law including wrongful termination, executive separations, and retaliation matters.
Strong fit for executive- and professional-level matters — equity, deferred compensation, restrictive covenants in the separation.
Practice focus: Employment, complex litigation, class actions
Portland litigation firm with employment and class-action experience.
Strong fit when the termination affects multiple employees and a class or collective action is viable.
Practice focus: Wrongful termination, unpaid wages, retaliation
Pacific Northwest plaintiff's employment firm covering Oregon and Washington.
Strong fit when wages and termination both need to be litigated — combined wage and wrongful-termination claims are common in the food service and construction industries.
Tell us about your situation and we will match you with vetted wrongful termination attorneys in Portland. Free, confidential, no obligation.
Request Free Consultation →Ten firms is a lot to evaluate. Three filters will get you to a short list of two or three in an afternoon.
Fit your situation, not just the practice area. A wrongful termination firm that does mostly executive-level matters is a different fit from one that does mostly hourly-worker matters. Call the firm and ask: "What does a typical client look like for you? What does a typical case look like?" If the answer is your situation, you are in the right place.
Ask who actually handles the case. Many firms market on the senior partner and route the day-to-day work to a junior associate. That is not automatically bad — junior associates can be excellent — but you should know who you are working with. Ask: "Who will I be talking to day-to-day? How often does the senior partner sit in?"
Compare quotes side by side. Most Portland firms on this list offer a free or low-cost initial consultation. Use two of them. Compare fee structure, retainer, and the answers to the same set of questions across firms.
Portland wrongful termination cases typically run on contingency — 33%-40% of recovery, with 40% triggering after a complaint is filed or after the start of trial. Some firms charge an hourly hybrid for severance-only matters: $300-$550/hour with a small fixed-fee component. Severance review and negotiation (no litigation) often runs $1,500-$5,000 flat depending on complexity. Costs (depositions, experts, BOLI filings) are usually advanced and reimbursed from any recovery. ORS 659A.885 lets prevailing employees recover attorney's fees from the employer.
Most Oregon wrongful termination claims start with a BOLI (Bureau of Labor and Industries) intake. The agency may investigate, conciliate, or issue a right-to-sue letter. From filing in Multnomah County Circuit Court: employer answer in 30 days, written discovery 6-9 months, depositions 9-14 months, mediation typically 12-15 months, trial 18-22 months in average cases. Most matters settle at or before mediation. Severance negotiation runs 2-6 weeks.
Portland wrongful termination cases are heard in Multnomah County Circuit Court for state claims, U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon (Portland Division) for federal Title VII / ADA / FMLA claims. BOLI handles administrative intake. Many federal employees use the federal sector EEO process before litigating.
Oregon wrongful termination has its own contours. The state law landscape differs in meaningful ways from California and Washington next door.
Oregon is at-will. Most firings without cause are legal. The case is built on a recognized exception: discrimination, retaliation for protected activity, breach of contract, or violation of public policy.
Oregon Workplace Fairness Act. Limits enforceability of NDAs and no-rehire clauses in discrimination and harassment settlements. Changes severance negotiation strategy.
Statute of limitations is short. BOLI charge: one year from the act. Federal EEOC: 300 days. Common-law claims: usually two years. A few weeks of delay can foreclose claims.
Multnomah County juries tend to be employee-friendly. Compared to many Oregon counties, Portland juries return higher employment verdicts on average. Venue matters.
The first hundred Google results for "wrongful termination lawyer Portland" include thousands of firms. Most are competent. A handful are problems. The patterns to walk away from:
Guaranteed outcomes. No ethical attorney can guarantee a result. If a firm promises a specific recovery or dismissal, leave.
The vanishing partner. You meet a senior name at intake, then never speak to them again. Ask in writing who handles your case from day to day.
Pressure to sign immediately. Reputable firms give you the retainer in writing, time to read it, and the option to take it home. High-pressure intake is almost always a volume mill.
No verifiable track record. The firm should be able to point to published verdicts, settlements, peer rankings, or bar association recognition. "We have helped thousands of clients" is marketing. Specific cases, numbers, and third-party rankings are evidence.
Vague fee terms. Every legitimate Portland lawyer will give you a written engagement letter with the fee structure, what is covered, what triggers extra charges, and what happens if you fire them. If the firm cannot put that in writing, walk away.
We will connect you with vetted wrongful termination attorneys in Portland. No fee to use this service.
The free consultation is short — usually 30 to 45 minutes. The lawyer cannot give you a serious case assessment without the documents. Bring the file. Most consultations turn into useful guidance only after the attorney has seen the paper trail.
The paper trail. Every email, text, and letter that touches the matter. Print or PDF the threads in chronological order. If you have a contract or written agreement, bring the signed version and any drafts that show what was negotiated. For court matters, bring every filed document and any orders that have issued.
A written timeline. One page. Bullet points. Date on the left, what happened on the right. Lawyers think in chronology — a timeline is the single most useful artifact you can prepare.
Names and contact information. Everyone involved on the other side, anyone who witnessed the events, your prior attorneys (if any), the relevant insurance carriers or institutions. A lawyer needs to run a conflict check before taking the case; a short list saves time.
Your goals, in writing. What does a good outcome look like? What does an acceptable outcome look like? What is non-negotiable? A lawyer who knows your goals can tell you whether the case is worth the cost.
Most Portland wrongful termination firms on this list offer a free or low-cost initial consultation. Use it. Bring a list of questions, write down the answers, and compare across two firms before you sign.
Yes — Oregon is at-will. Employers can fire for any reason, no reason, or a bad reason, as long as it is not an illegal reason (discrimination, retaliation, contract breach, public policy violation).
One year to file with BOLI for state discrimination claims. 300 days for federal EEOC. Common-law claims (breach, wrongful discharge in violation of public policy) generally have two years. Always confirm with a Portland wrongful termination attorney — deadlines are short and unforgiving.
For state discrimination claims under ORS 659A, you generally must file with BOLI first and obtain a right-to-sue letter. The agency may investigate or conciliate. Common-law claims (wrongful discharge in violation of public policy) can sometimes go directly to court.
Often, no — most severance agreements include a release of claims. Read it carefully before signing. A Portland wrongful termination attorney can review a severance agreement before you sign and tell you what you may be giving up.
A 2019 law limiting enforceability of NDAs and no-rehire provisions in settlements of discrimination, harassment, and sexual assault claims. Effectively gives employees the option to talk about what happened even after settlement.
Lost wages (back pay and front pay), emotional distress, punitive damages (in cases involving malice), and statutory attorney's fees under ORS 659A.885. Federal claims may include compensatory and punitive damages subject to statutory caps based on employer size.
Document everything — dates, witnesses, communications. Use the employer's internal complaint process if one exists. Talk to a Portland wrongful termination attorney before quitting; constructive discharge claims are harder to prove than termination.
Depends on the strength of the claims, your financial situation, and your tolerance for litigation. A Portland wrongful termination attorney will model both paths — expected severance value vs. expected litigation value — before you decide.
One last thing. Choosing a lawyer is personal. Read the reviews. Call two or three firms before you sign. Ask each one: How many cases like mine have you taken to verdict in the last three years? The answer tells you what you need to know. — The LawFirmSquare team