David I. Bean

David has focused almost exclusively on family law since he began practicing law in Oregon in 2001. His experience lends itself to assisting clients with a variety of issues. David joined the firm as an associate in 2004, and became a partner in 2008.

As a lawyer, as in life, David’s goal is to leave people better off than he found them. While legal matters can be taxing, David’s awareness of his clients’ needs and his ability to communicate serve his clients well.

Area of law practiced: Family Law

Michele Buck-Romero

Michele’s practice focuses on estate planning, estate and gift tax planning, probate and trust administration, and family business planning. Michele enjoys getting to know her clients and helping them complete their estate planning goals. She works with clients whose estates range from modest to high net worth. When appropriate, Michele assists clients in putting together a plan that minimizes the impact of estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer taxes. Michele also advises personal representatives and trustees in the administration of estates and trusts.

Prior to joining Wyse Kadish, Michele practiced with the law firm of Davis Wright Tremaine in Portland, Oregon.

Area of law practiced: Trusts & Estates

Jim Cavanaugh

Jim has practiced law since 1988 and concentrates his practice in the areas of estate planning and administration, including business succession planning, estate and trust administration, income, estate and gift tax planning, and the establishment of charitable organizations.

Jim is very experienced working with high net worth families doing multi-generation estate planning. He has also handled many challenging trust ans estate administrations. He is very pragmatic and has good street-smarts.

Area of law practiced: Trusts & Estates

Kristen A. Chambers

Kristen has joined WK’s Estate Planning and Administration group, focusing her practice on estate planning, probate and trust administration, and adult protective proceedings. Kristen knows these areas can be complex and enjoys guiding her clients to the best outcomes for their individual situations.

Area of law practiced: Trusts & Estates

Nicole B. Erickson

Nicole has practiced estate planning and probate law for over six years since she first began practice down in Texas. She expressed an early interest in estate planning and wrote her first will when she was eight years old. Her interest in estate planning and probate was rekindled during law school when her much beloved uncle passed away and named her mother as the personal representative of his estate. Ever since, she has been treating her clients with the same level of care and protection that she developed helping her own family through the administration experience. For those who are unsure or concerned about how choices they make will affect their taxes, Nicole feels at home discussing tax matters and has an additional law degree just relating to taxes to help her guide you through the issues.

Nicole has lived in Portland, Oregon, for seven years. She enjoys spending time with her husband, John, and their three children. In her spare time she can be found reading books or enjoying a bit of sunshine outside.

Area of law practiced: Trusts & Estates

Anne E. Koch

Anne assists small businesses with a wide variety of transactions, from the start-up stage of a company, to helping with growth and operations, to business purchases and sales. She additionally assists clients with trademark and copyright registrations (prosecution), enforcement, and defense. Anne primarily works with the creative industry (creative agencies, IT, designers and artists), the entertainment industry (performance venues and festivals), and the food and beverage industry (bars, restaurants, breweries and distilleries). Anne also represents professional services and non-profits. Anne values her long-term relationships with her clients, and strives to provide thorough, creative, affordable, and personalized legal services. As a former musician, Anne is committed to supporting the arts community through her volunteer and pro bono work.

Area of law practiced: Intellectual Property, Business and Corporate Transactions, Trusts & Estates

Jonathan A. Levy

Jonathan’s practice focuses on estate planning and administration for taxable and nontaxable estates, trust administration, trust and estate disputes, charitable and nonprofit law, disability planning and elder law. 

Jonathan is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, a past chair of the Estate Planning & Administration Section of the Oregon State Bar, a past chair of the Trust Committee of the Oregon Bankers Association, and a member of the Estate Planning Council of Portland and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys.  He has been selected for inclusion in Oregon Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America. 

Jonathan is an editor of the Oregon Bar’s probate manual.  He has written more than two dozen articles and book chapters for other lawyers on trust and estate topics, and helped draft many of Oregon’s the trust statutes.

Before joining Wyse Kadish, Jonathan practiced with the law firm of Cavanaugh Levy Bilyeu LLP in Portland, Oregon.  He spent five years before that as in-house counsel with U.S. Bank’s trust department.

In his spare time, Jonathan enjoys playing harmonica in the bar band,  pleasure reading, hiking, biking, and writing parody songs. 

Areas of law practiced: Trusts & Estates

Michael J. Licurse

Michael worked in the financial services industry in New York for seven years prior to beginning his career as an attorney in 2004. His personal interests include hiking, swimming, golf, and spending time with his wife and their two children.

Areas of law practiced: Architectural & Construction Law, Business and Corporate Transactions, Homeowners Associations (HOA) Law, Real Estate, Trusts & Estates

Bruce H. Orr

Bruce has written and spoken in the areas of creditors’ rights and remedies and bankruptcy for various groups, including the National Business Institute and the National Association of Credit Managers.  His writings include a chapter titled “Rights and Remedies of Secured Creditors and non-Debtor Parties to Executory Contracts” that was included in the first edition of the Oregon State Bar’s publication Bankruptcy Law.

Areas of law practiced: Creditors’ Rights & Bankruptcy, Homeowners Associations (HOA) Law, Litigation

Joshua D. Kadish – Retired

Josh, now retired but available to Wyse Kadish as a consultant, practiced family law, mediation, estate planning and business law.  He has been with the firm since 1983.  Josh attended Haverford College and Stanford Law School, and has been a member of the Oregon Bar since 1980. Josh has been an adjunct professor at Northwestern School of Law of Lewis and Clark College, and has taught family law, negotiation, and mediation there regularly for over 25 years. 

Helen Rives Pruitt – Retired

A member of Wyse Kadish from 1995 through her retirement in 2016, Helen’s practice focused on estate planning, family business planning, probate and trust administration, and guardianships and conservatorships.

Helen chose to be an estate planner because she enjoys helping clients create solutions to preserve their wealth for the benefit of their families by minimizing the tax and administrative costs of transitioning their assets during lifetime and at death.  Practicing in an area that will affect us all at some point, she sees her role as that of lawyer, counselor and support person.  She works with clients to understand their goals and analyze their current circumstances to assist them in making informed choices benefitting themselves and their families’ welfare.  She works closely with each client to develop a plan specifically tailored to client’s lifetime needs and goals, including planning for the possibility of incapacity, making lifetime gifts to family and charity, and transitioning the client’s estate at death with an eye on optimal tax planning and efficient administration.

Helen is a 2010 and 2011 Oregon Super Lawyer, is included in the 2011 Best Lawyers in America list. Helen has also been recognized as a 2012, 2013, and 2014 Five Star Wealth Manager for her work in estate planning. Five Star Professional which creates this program starts with a field of 575 estate planning attorneys in Portland, and narrows it down to 19 selections. This is the third year in a row that both Helen and Josh have been recognized by Five Star Professionals.

Areas of law practiced: Business and Corporate Transactions, Trusts & Estates

Meagan E. Robbins

Meagan began her family law training as an extern at the St. Andrew Legal Clinic assisting moderate-means clients. Her passion for and dedication to helping people navigate emotionally challenging life changes is reflected in her professional and volunteer work. Meagan’s family law practice focuses on a variety of matters, primarily complex divorces, prenuptial agreements, and collaborative divorce. She also has extensive experience representing clients in divorce litigation, legal separations, paternity actions, post-divorce modifications and other litigation including enforcement actions.  In her spare time, Meagan enjoys running, yoga, travel, and spending time with her two children and crazy German Shepherd.

Area of law practiced: Family Law

Maxine Tuan

Upon passing the bar, Maxine began her legal career as a Staff Attorney at St. Andrew Legal Clinic. At that position, Maxine successfully litigated and represented clients in all areas of family law including: dissolutions, modifications, domestic partnership cases, restraining order cases, and third-party custody cases. Maxine understands that family law attorneys truly define the word “counselor” and seeks to represent each of her clients with compassion and dedication. While not working or volunteering, Maxine enjoys cooking and exploring the beauty of the Pacific Northwest on camping and backpacking excursions.

Area of law practiced Family Law

Katharine L. West

Katharine’s practice focuses on wills and trusts, estate and gift tax planning, probate and trust administration, and guardianships/conservatorships in Oregon and California. She works with a wide range of clients and issues, from helping new parents make their first wills to guiding executors, administrators, and personal representatives through complex estate administration. Creative problem solving, both in planning and administration, is one of the most rewarding parts of Katharine’s practice.

Outside the office, Katharine enjoys exploring the beautiful Northwest, cooking with friends and family, and reading a good book.

Area of law practiced: Trusts & Estates

Scott C. Wyse

Scott Wyse began practicing law with Roger Meyer in 1974.  In 1985 they formed a new partnership named Meyer & Wyse which subsequently became a limited liability partnership.  In 2010, after Roger’s retirement, the firm’s name was changed to Wyse Kadish LLP.  During his years of practice, Scott has practiced in a wide variety of areas, but in recent years has focused primarily on real estate, business matters, and architectural and construction law.

Scott was named to the 2011 Best Lawyers in America list

Scott enjoys working with his clients to help them find creative and practical solutions to their legal problems so that their businesses and real estate investments will prosper. He particularly enjoys the opportunity his practice provides him to get to know many of the citizens in the community in which he was raised.

When not working, Scott enjoys swimming, cycling, wind surfing, hiking, skiing, gardening, music, reading, and spending time with his friends and family.

Areas of law practiced: Architectural & Construction Law, Business and Corporate Transactions, Homeowners Associations (HOA) Law, Real Estate