HARRIS & BOWKER LLP
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Gregory E. Harris gharris@harrisbowker.com Leanne M. Bowker lbowker@harrisbowker.com Deanna L. Franco dfranco@harrisbowker.com General Information secretary@harrisbowker.com |
FIRM PROFILE
Harris & Bowker LLP is a business and estate planning law firm providing services to business entities, families and individuals. We are especially attuned to the needs of family and closely-held businesses and individuals and serve our clients in areas relating to entity choice and formation, purchase and sale of businesses, tax planning, individual estate planning, family business succession planning and commercial and residential real estate.
Business Advice. In our capacity as general counsel to our business clients, we advise them regarding all aspects of creation, day-to-day business operations and relationships with employees, customers, suppliers and distributors.
Business Dispositions and Acquisitions. Many times, family businesses are sold rather than passed on to succeeding generations and/or employees. Our firm has been active in representing both sellers and buyers of family businesses. We are attuned to representing family businesses being acquired by larger foreign or domestic purchasers.
Corporate and Tax Planning. We maintain pro-active involvement with clients to assist them in the most tax-effective method of operation. This includes tax planning and periodic review of corporate records to ensure legal and tax effectiveness and compliance.
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A crucial part of this function is making sure corporate documents comport with how the business is operating.
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Each corporation we represent receives an annual questionnaire well before the scheduled Annual Meetings of Shareholders and Directors. Based on our client's responses, we then either attend the meeting and/or prepare annual minutes and other corporate documents as needed.
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We assist in the design and implementation of qualified and non-qualified retirement plans, as well as compensation and employee incentive plans.
Estate Planning. We assist individuals and business owners passing wealth to succeeding generations, both during their life and upon their death.
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We handle all aspects of estate planning, including the use of Wills, Lifetime Gifting Programs, Revocable Living Trusts, Family Limited Partnerships, Family Limited Liability Companies and other methodologies utilizing discounts and probate-avoidance techniques, where appropriate.
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We assist and facilitate Family Business Succession Planning affecting succeeding generations and/or employees.
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We handle probates and all aspects of post-mortem disposition of decedents' assets.
Real Estate. Our firm represents clients in all aspects of real estate transactions, including commercial and residential transactions.
GREGORY E. HARRIS BIOGRAPHY
Gregory E. Harris, founder of the firm, was educated in Oregon and graduated in 1978 from the University of Oregon School of Law. He has practiced in Portland since 1980. His practice emphasizes business, tax and estate planning for closely-held businesses and their owners.
Mr. Harris has been accorded an “AV” rating by the Martindale-Hubbell lawyer rating service, the highest rating given, as a result of a survey of his peers.
He is a member of the American Bar Association, Washington Bar Association, Oregon State Bar Computer Law, Corporate Counsel, Estate Planning, Real Property and Taxation Sections, the Multnomah Bar Association and the Estate Planning Council of Portland and speaks frequently on issues related to tax law, corporate law and estate planning for business owners and individuals.
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS:
- American Bar Association
- Washington State Bar Association
- Oregon State Bar - Computer Law, Corporate Counsel, Estate Planning, Real Property and Taxation Sections
- Multnomah County Bar Association
- Estate Planning Council of Portland
EDUCATION:
- B.A. Political Science Lewis & Clark College (1975)
- J.D. University of Oregon (1978)
FORMER POSITIONS:
- Knappenberger, Poole, Cyr & Moe, Portland, Oregon (1980-1985)
- Arthur Andersen & Co. (1978-1980)
- Oregon Corporation Division, Securities Section (1977)
LEANNE M. BOWKER BIOGRAPHY
Leanne M. Bowker has been a partner at Harris & Bowker, LLP since 1997. She is a native Oregonian, raised in Oregon City. In 1983, Ms. Bowker received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Walla Walla College and subsequently attended Northwestern School of Law of Lewis and Clark College, receiving her Juris Doctorate in 1986.
Ms. Bowker has extensive experience and expertise in the areas of estate planning, probate, business planning, commercial and residential real estate. She has been accorded an “AV” rating by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating given as a result of a survey of her peers by the lawyer rating service and speaks frequently on issues related to estate planning for business owners and individuals.
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS:
- Member of the Oregon State Bar Association - Business, Real Property, Trust and Probate Sections
- Member of the Washington State Bar Association – Real Property and Trust Section
- Member of Estate Planning Council of Portland, Inc. and Multnomah Bar Association
EDUCATION:
- Northwestern School of Law of Lewis and Clark College, Portland, Oregon - J.D. (1986)
- Walla Walla College, College Place, Washington, B.A. Business Administration (1983)
FORMER POSITIONS:
- Gregory E. Harris, Attorney at Law, Portland, Oregon (1989-1996)
- Cyr,
Moe & Benner, P.C., Portland, Oregon (1986-1989)
DEANNA L. FRANCO BIOGRAPHY
Deanna L Franco joined the firm as an associate attorney in February, 2006. She is a native Oregonian, raised in East Multnomah County, and graduated in 1997 with Honors from Portland State University. Ms. Franco graduated from Willamette University College of Law in 2000 where she was a member of the Willamette Law Review.
Mrs. Franco has practiced in Portland since 2001 in the areas of domestic relations, business organizations, estate taxation, probate and elder law. Upon joining the firm, Ms. Franco’s areas of concentration are tax, estate planning, probate, business entity formation and operation and real estate matters.
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS:
- Member of the Oregon State Bar Family Law, Trust and Probate Sections
- Member of the Washington State Bar Association
- Member of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association
- Member of the Oregon State Bar Legal Ethics Committee
- Member of the Multnomah Bar Association
- Member of the Probate Advisory Committee for Multnomah County
EDUCATION:
- B.S., with Honors, Administration of Justice, Minor Sociology – Portland State University (1997)
- J.D. Willamette University College of Law (2000)
FORMER POSITIONS:
- Smith & Davis Attorneys at Law, Portland, Oregon (2000-2006)
- Marion County District Attorney’s Office – Support Enforcement Division (1998-2000)