Tonkon Torp Announces Two New Partners

Tonkon Torp LLP has elected Blerina Kotori and Christopher Pallanch to the partnership, effective January 1, 2016. Both attorneys started their private practices as associates for the firm. Kotori began at the firm as a summer associate and was the first Tonkon Torp associate to receive Lewis & Clark Law School’s Moe M. Tonkon and Frederick Torp Scholarship. Pallanch joined Tonkon Torp following a two-year clerkship with U.S. District Judge Edward C. Reed, Jr., in Nevada.

Kotori is a member of Tonkon Torp’s Labor & Employment and Information Privacy & Security practice groups. She advises and represents employers in various matters, including discrimination, retaliation, leave laws, wage and hour, sexual harassment, disability, and employment benefits. In her data privacy and security practice, she assists employers with privacy issues and data security breaches. Named a 2015 Super Lawyers employment and labor “Rising Star,” Kotori is on the Raphael House Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the Oregon State Bar Civil Rights Section. She earned her J.D. at Lewis & Clark Law School, cum laude, and a B.A. from Reed College with commendation for excellence.

Pallanch is a member of Tonkon Torp’s Litigation and Financial Services practices. He focuses on resolving complex business disputes as well as representing plaintiffs and defendants in federal and state court on matters that include contractual agreements, financing arrangements, and business torts. Pallanch was named by Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star” in business litigation in 2014 and 2015, and he serves on the Board of Directors for the Oregon Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. He is an Order of the Coif graduate of University of Oregon School of Law, where he was an editor of the Oregon Law Review. He received his B.A., with distinction in his major, from Colorado College.

“Our firm takes pride in cultivating young lawyers to be the next generation of leaders. It is with pride that we offer partnership to these two talented attorneys,” said Darcy Norville, Managing Partner. “It has been a delight to watch them undertake meaningful work as new associates, build their skills, and develop their respective areas of expertise. As the needs of our clients evolve, partners like Blerina and Christopher ensure the firm continues to provide the high quality of service for which we are known.”

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