Press Releases

Miller Nash Promotes Three to Partner

PORTLAND, Ore. – Feb. 2, 2009 – Miller Nash LLP has promoted three associate attorneys to partner. In their new roles, Heather K. Cavanaugh and Mike Ryan, practicing from the firm's Portland, Ore., office, and Leslie M. Meserole, based in Seattle, will be directly responsible for providing legal services to Miller Nash's portfolio of clients.

"We are pleased to recognize Heather, Leslie and Mike for developing expertise in their practice areas and upholding Miller Nash's commitment to superior client service," said Don Burns, managing partner of Miller Nash. "Each of these individuals brings a unique set of skills and experience to the table, and as partners, they will be instrumental in the continued growth and success of our firm."

Heather K. Cavanaugh (Portland)

A partner in Miller Nash's litigation group, Cavanaugh joined the firm in 2002. She is a member of the firm's business litigation practice group, where she focuses on contract and tort litigation and corporate governance and shareholder disputes. Licensed to practice in the state and federal courts of Oregon and Washington, Cavanaugh is a member of the Oregon State Bar, the Washington State Bar Association, the Multnomah Bar Association and the Clark County Bar Association.

Cavanaugh earned her law degree from the University of Oregon, where she was a member of the Order of the Coif and served on the staff of the Oregon Law Review. She graduated, summa cum laude, with a bachelor's degree from Oregon State University.

Leslie M. Meserole (Seattle)

Meserole is a partner in the business department of Miller Nash. Her practice is focused in healthcare, business and real estate. Within her healthcare practice, Meserole advises clients on state and federal regulatory compliance, contracting matters, complex acquisitions and affiliations and reimbursement matters. She has experience representing hospitals, physician groups, and an air ambulance provider. Her business practice involves a range of corporate matters, such as entity formation and governance, mergers and acquisitions, complex purchase and sale transactions, settlement negotiations and agreements and contracting matters. In her real estate practice, Leslie represents clients in real property purchase and sale transactions and commercial leasing arrangements. She is a member of the King County Bar Association, the Washington State Bar Association, the Oregon State Bar, the American Bar Association, the American Health Lawyers Association and the Washington State Society of Healthcare Attorneys.

With a bachelor's degree in business administration from Vanderbilt University, Meserole went on to earn her law degree, summa cum laude, from Seattle University, where she also served as managing editor of the Seattle University Law Review. She is an active member of the Margaret E. Martindale Guild of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

Mike Ryan (Portland)

A partner in Miller Nash's business practice group, Ryan advises public and private companies on corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, major contracts, and various corporate finance and capital market transactions. He maintains expertise in federal and state regulatory compliance for financial institutions and also represents lenders and borrowers in a host of financial transactions. Practicing in Oregon, Ryan is a member of the American Bar Association and the Multnomah Bar Association.

Ryan is a 2002 graduate of the Willamette University College of Law, and he received a bachelor's degree in sociology from Indiana University-Bloomington in 1995. He supports a variety of community organizations, including ChristieCare, the Cascade AIDS Project and the Portland Youth Philharmonic.

About Miller Nash

Miller Nash LLP is one of the Pacific Northwest's larger and most respected multiservice law firms, offering comprehensive, creative, and innovative services to its clients since 1873. Miller Nash has 122 lawyers serving clients through its offices in Portland and Central Oregon, and Seattle and Vancouver, Wash. Miller Nash serves a wide range of leading businesses, nonprofit organizations, public entities, and individuals, and the firm does pro bono representation. The firm's clients operate in a variety of significant industries, including banking, biotech, construction, energy, food production, forest products, government, healthcare, higher education, intellectual property, manufacturing, real estate, securities, and technology. More information is available at http://www.millernash.com/.