It’s with heavy hearts that we share that Leon Simson passed away on July 2 surrounded by loved ones. Leon was an exceptional business attorney with an almost 50-year legal career, the last 17 years of which he spent at Tonkon Torp – a great boon for our firm and its clients.
Leon was a 1975 graduate of University of Wisconsin Law School and launched his law career as a law clerk at the Oregon Supreme Court. He joined Tonkon Torp as a partner in 2007, moving on from Ball Janik where he had worked as a partner since 1989. Leon briefly retired in 2020 but quickly returned to the firm. Until his final days, he continued to serve key clients (many of whom he represented for decades) and enjoyed engaging with younger entrepreneurs as a vital supporter of their startup ventures.
Leon shone as an attorney for his ability to adapt, evolve, and welcome new challenges, for his analytical mind, common sense, and commitment, and for his unparalleled client service. His intellectual curiosity and business development savviness led to an ever-evolving practice. After a heavy focus in Oregon’s manufacturing industry, he went on to act as one of the Northwest’s preeminent bankruptcy and reorganization specialists before ending his career as an integral voice in Oregon’s startup and entrepreneurial community.
As a coworker, Leon loved to share his expertise with younger attorneys and placed a huge value on person-to-person interactions. Tonkon Torp business paralegal Laura Lindberg, who worked with Leon for 23 years, commented, “Leon was my greatest teacher and a trusted mentor. He recognized the importance of communication, cooperation, and respect for clients, attorneys, and staff alike – he was a true egalitarian with a genuine desire to connect with other people and share stories. Leon took the time to instill in me strong business law foundations while stressing the utmost importance of serving each client every day as if their problem was your highest priority. It was a privilege to witness his brilliant mind at work and his ability to disentangle messy situations to find potential solutions was unparalleled. He did it all with a kind and generous heart – and with a quick wit and well-timed sense of humor that made even the most difficult parts of our work a more enjoyable collaboration.”
Attorney Ava Schoen, who worked alongside Leon for many years in Tonkon Torp’s Bankruptcy & Reorganization Practice Group, added, “Leon was a creative and persistent lawyer who cared deeply about his clients. You couldn’t ask for better representation.”
In his final years, Leon continued as a member of our firm’s Corporate Finance, Entrepreneurial Services, and Mergers & Acquisitions practice groups where he represented corporate clients in a wide range of business matters, including finance, license agreements, customer and supplier issues, equipment purchasing and financing, acquisitions and divestitures, and shareholder and director issues. He was listed as an Oregon Super Lawyer from 2007-2010 and 2014-2019, and was listed in The Best Lawyers in America from 1987-2020 for his bankruptcy work and from 2013-2020 for his Corporate Law practice.
Tonkon Torp Managing Partner Kurt Ruttum noted, “Leon was a great partner, mentor, and friend. He helped make Tonkon Torp the law firm we are today. He will be missed very much.”
