PORTLAND, OR – Best Lawyers in America® has given Jacqueline (Jackie) Damm and Victoria (Tory) Macpherson the 2013 "Lawyer of the Year Award" for the Portland Metropolitan region in their respective practice areas. Only a single lawyer in each practice area and designated metropolitan region is honored as the "Lawyer of the Year," making this accolade particularly significant. Jackie and Tory practice together at Bullard Law, a large boutique law firm focused exclusively on management-side labor, employment and benefits law.

Jackie was selected as Lawyer of the Year for the Employment Law – Management-side practice area. She focuses her practice on representing both public and private sector employers in collective bargaining negotiations, National Labor Relations Board proceedings, Employment Relations Board proceedings, and labor arbitrations. She also advises clients on labor contract administration, grievances, union avoidance, strike preparation, personnel policies and procedures, and union organizing campaigns. Jackie believes in the power of prevention and has gained a reputation for helping clients avoid potential pitfalls. Jackie has served on the firm's Executive Management Committee since 2001.

Tory received her award as Lawyer of the Year for the Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law practice area. She joined the Bullard Law firm in 2009 after 20 years of previous experience as an employee benefits attorney in private practice and with the Oregon Department of Justice. One of her unique attributes is an ability to understand and work with employers in both the public and private sectors. In addition to advising and assisting clients with plan filings, corrections, and compliance issues, Tory enjoys working closely with clients in a problem-solving capacity. She brings to her practice a depth and breadth of experience and knowledge, particularly in the complex areas of qualified retirement plans, tax-sheltered annuity plans, and nonqualified deferred compensation for public, tax-exempt, and other private employers.

In an environment where competition for work among law firms is increasingly fierce, peer recognition can often be difficult to come by. To be a Lawyer of the Year is a unique honor because selection is based on voting averages received during exhaustive peer-review assessments conducted with thousands of leading lawyers each year. Receiving this designation reflects the high level of respect a lawyer has earned for their abilities, professionalism, and integrity among other leading lawyers in the same communities and practice areas.

It may be unrelated, but in addition to sharing recognition by their peers, Jackie and Tory also share a love of horses. Both of them ride regularly and of course feed and care for their horses daily. On the other hand, controlling and collaborating with a thousand pound animal is probably part of the same skill set that is required to be a Lawyer of the Year!

About Bullard Law

Since 1977, Bullard Law has partnered with employers in Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho, and other states. The firm provides services in traditional labor law, public sector labor and employment law, employment litigation and class actions, employee benefits, personnel policies and practices, and employment and non-competition agreements. Bullard Law helps clients be proactive, offering extensive training programs in all areas of labor, employment and benefits. Contact Coni Crone at 503-248-1134 or ccrone@bullardlaw.com for further information.