Turid Owren

Turid has practiced immigration law since 1988. She founded the firm’s Immigration Practice Group in 1999 and served as its chair for more than 18 years. Turid advises clients on employment-related immigration and other immigration matters. Her diverse client base includes both startups and international companies, as well as individuals.

Turid currently serves as a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Business Section Steering Committee, which responds to AILA members’ questions about business immigration questions through a listserve and provides roundtables on pressing immigration questions to attorneys nationally. She also currently serves as co-liaison to Custom and Border Protection for the Oregon Chapter of AILA. She previously served as chair of AILA’s Business Immigration Response Team, as a member of the USCIS HQ Benefits Committee, and as AILA’s liaison to the USCIS Administrative Appeals Office. She is a past member of AILA’s Service Center Operations Committee, a past member of AILA’s Ombudsman Liaison Committee, a past chair of AILA’s USCIS Nebraska Service Center Liaison Committee, and a past chair of the Oregon Chapter of AILA. She is a speaker at AILA conferences both nationally and regionally.

Turid has been active in the local bar throughout her career. She served as a mentor for young lawyers through the Multnomah Bar Association Mentor Program, a program she helped launch in 1993. Turid is a past member of the Executive Committee of the International Law Section of the Oregon State Bar, a past chair of the Multnomah Bar Association’s Professionalism Committee, and a past president of the Young Lawyers Section of the Multnomah Bar Association.

In the community, Turid previously served on the Board of Directors of Portland Center Stage, on the Board of Girls Inc. of the Pacific Northwest, and before that as Director of Mentors for Minds Matter of Portland, Inc. Turid also served as legal advisor for more than 10 years to Friendly House, a neighborhood social services agency for senior citizens and families in transition.

Turid is married to E. Walter Van Valkenburg and is the mother of two children. Her interests include spending time with family and friends, reading, golfing, traveling internationally, and walking.

Turid is fascinated by people and cultures and loves to travel and visit the countries from which her clients emigrate. She attributes her affinity for people to her parents, who immigrated to the U.S. from Norway and encouraged her to be inquisitive of other cultures.