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Heather J. Van Meter

Partner
Vancouver
360.619.7038
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With over 25 years of state and federal trial experience, I provide tailored, strategic guidance to each client, addressing their unique needs and delivering practical, customized solutions for every case. Quotation mark
Heather J. Van Meter
Heather J. Van Meter
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About Heather

Heather Van Meter represents and advises private, public, and not-for-profit entities throughout the Pacific Northwest. She counsels employers on a full range of employment- and workplace-related issues, including employment handbook and policy development, compliance with complex state and federal leave laws, wage and hour issues, disability and religious accommodations, employment discrimination, harassment and retaliation claims, and employee discipline and termination. Heather also helps employers draft, negotiate, and enforce employment-related contracts, such as noncompete, nonsolicitation, and nondisclosure agreements, as well as employment and executive employee contracts. She regularly prepares employment-related and contractor agreements and advises on employee situations for regional, national, and international companies. As a former professor and teacher, Heather enjoys providing workplace trainings on a variety of topics to ensure legal compliance while fostering a culture of inclusion. Heather is a trusted advisor to both small and large employers, offering forward-looking guidance to help clients maintain healthy, efficient workplaces.

Heather is recognized by her peers as a leading trial attorney. Her litigation practice specifically includes employment-related litigation, while she also has extensive experience in general civil litigation, including mass torts, drug and medical device and products liability, construction defects, negligence, condemnation, insurance coverage, and multi-district litigation in state and federal courts in Oregon and Washington. Heather’s background includes over eight years in the Oregon Department of Justice’s Civil Litigation Section as a senior assistant attorney general and trial attorney. She has completed over 30 trials to verdict in state and federal courts.

Heather began her legal career working for local, private law firms, then took advantage of an opportunity to teach in Vietnam, teaching commercial law and company law at RMIT-Saigon. Returning from Vietnam, Heather taught constitutional law and evidence at Lewis & Clark Law School. While working as a trial attorney, she obtained a master’s degree in human rights law at the University of Oxford, and a Ph.D. in international law at the University of Birmingham (England). Heather also taught law, history, and finance classes to middle and high school students during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a professor and teacher, she has gained the ability to explain complex legal matters in understandable ways.

Services

Education

  • Ph.D, University of Birmingham, 2017
  • M.st, University of Oxford, 2011
  • J.D., Willamette University College of Law, 1998
  • M.B.A./M.P.A, Willamette University - Atkinson Graduate School of Management, 1998
  • B.A. University of California, 1994

Bar Admissions

  • Washington, 1999
  • Oregon, 1998

Court Admissions

  • U.S. District Court, District of Oregon
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Washington
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Activities

Professional Plus
  • Marion County Bar Association, Past President
  • Oregon State Bar
    • Nonprofit Organizations Law Section
      • Executive Committee, Secretary, 2024
    • House of Delegates, Past Member
  • Oregon Government Ethics Commission, Past Member
  • Oregon Women Lawyers, Member
    • Past President
  • U.S. District Court of Oregon Historical Society, Past President
  • Association of Defense Trial Attorneys, Member
  • Association of Workplace Investigators, Member
    • Basic Skills Course Completion, 2024
Civic Plus
  • Volunteer criminal prosecuting attorney in Hood River County
  • Nonprofit Association of Oregon, Member
  • Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Member

Recognition

  • Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® (Portland, OR)
    • Arbitration Law, 2024-present
    • Employment Law—Management, 2024-present
  • Selected for inclusion as an Oregon Super Lawyer—Rising Star, 2008-2010

Insights from Heather

Heather is a prolific writer on various topics. Following is a listing of publications since 2009. A complete list is available upon request.

Heather is a frequent speaker on various topics. Following is a listing of presentations since 2009. A complete list is available upon request.

  • “Nonprofit Legal Trends and Traps for the Unwary,” Oregon Society of CPAs, Not-For-Profit conference (Apr. 2025)
  • “What Remedies Do Organizations Have to Address (Negative) Personnel Social Media?” Association of Legal Administrators, Oregon Chapter (Apr. 2025)
  • “Finance & Operations: Tips for Operational Success,” Nonprofit Association of Oregon, Oregon Nonprofit Leaders Conference (Apr. 2025)
  • “New DEI and Immigration Liability with Presidential Executive Orders,” Associated General Contractors of Washington, Culture of CARE Forum (Mar. 2025)
  • “Bankruptcy Intersections: Labor/Employment,” Financial Poise and The National Law Review, panelist (Mar. 2025)
  • “Just Because You Can Do It Doesn't Mean You Should: Managing Bad but Not Unlawful Behavior,” Washington State SHRM, Annual Conference, Pre-Conference Session (Feb. 2025)
  • “Employment Agreements for Nonprofit Executives,” Oregon State Bar, Nonprofit Organizations Law Section, Advising Oregon Nonprofits in 2024—Privacy, AI, Ethics, and More (Dec. 2024)
  • “Protected Employee Speech and Religious Expression in the Workplace,” Oregon BOLI, Annual Employment Law Conference (Nov. 2024)
  • “Nonprofit Law: Common Legal Issues,” Nonprofit Association of Oregon (Oct. 2024)
  • “Tornado Warning: Identifying and Addressing Workplace Bullying, Violence & Safety,” Miller Nash, Employment Law Seminar (Nov. 2024)
  • “Relationship Status? It’s Complicated. Defining Employees, Independent Contractors, and Others,” Northwest Human Resource Management Association (NHRMA), Annual Conference (Sept. 2024)
  • “Pay Equity and Transparency: Oregon Update,” Oregon 7 (Sept. 2024)
  • “Don’t ‘Leave’ Me Behind: A Guide to Oregon’s Evolving Leave Laws and ADA Landscape,” Oregon 7 (Sept. 2024)
  • “Employment Mock Trial,” Southwest Washington SHRM, 2024 Annual Conference (Sept. 2024)
  • “Agricultural Employment Law Updates,” Oregon State Bar, Agricultural Law Section, Annual Round-Up CLE (Aug. 2024)
  • “Embracing Change: A Guide to Oregon's Evolving Leave Laws Landscape,” Miller Nash, Employment Law in Motion webinar (May 2024)
  • “Cultivating Inclusion at OWLS Events,” Oregon Women Lawyers, OWLS Spring CLE (Apr. 2024)
  • “2024 Legal Updates for HR,” Seattle SHRM, March Chapter Meeting (Mar. 2024)
  • “Nonprofit Organizations,” Lewis & Clark Law School, Small Business Legal Clinic (Mar. 2024)
  • “Three Primary Kinds of Employment/Quasi-Employment Relationships: Employees, Independent Contractors, and Volunteers,” Oregon State Bar, Nonprofit Organizations Law Section CLE (Dec. 2023)
  • “Employee Speech and Religious Expression in Today’s Workplace,” King County Bar Association, In-House Counsel Section (Nov. 2023)
  • “Litigation Traps for Non-Litigators,” Multnomah Bar Association, Young Lawyers Section (Nov. 2023)
  • “No Whammies: Don’t Press Your Luck on Wage and Hour Issues,” Miller Nash, Employment Law Seminar (Oct. 2023)
  • “Mental Health: An Interactive Panel Discussion,” Oregon SHRM (Oct. 2023)
  • “West Coast Panel Discussion,” Nonprofit Insurance Alliance (NIA)/Alliance of Nonprofits for Insurance (ANI), EPLI Symposium (Sept. 2023)
  • “Workplace Re-Opening and COVID-19,” Oregon State Bar (Apr. 2021)
  • “COVID and Employers: OSHA Guidance for Maintaining ‘Safe Workplaces,” Oregon State Bar (Apr. 2021)
  • “Law Technology & Humans Conference,” Queensland University of Technology (Dec. 2019)
  • “Elder Abuse CLE,” Willamette Valley Estate Planning Professionals (Nov. 2018)
  • “Ethics and Elder Abuse CLE,” Marion County Bar Association (Nov. 2018)
  • “Ethics CLE,” Oregon Department of Justice (Nov. 2018)
  • “ABA Public Practice Panel,” Willamette College of Law (Oct. 2018)
  • “Let Me Call You Sweetheart: Implicit Bias in Practice of Law,” Willamette Valley Inns of Court (Mar. 2018)
  • “Salary Negotiation,” Willamette University, National Association of Women MBAs (Nov. 2017)
  • “Hard to Get CLE Credits,” Marion County Bar Association (Nov. 2017)
  • “Using State Consumer Protection Statutes to Address Corporate Greenwashing,” Santa Clara University (Sept. 2017)
  • “Regular speaker at Roberts High School Street Law Program, 2014 – 2018
  • “Liquor and Ethics,” Marion County Bar Association (Apr. 2017)
  • “Enforcing Human Rights Through the Private Sector,” University of Washington, Business and Human Rights Workshop (Sept. 2016)
  • “Stories from the Conference Room,” Willamette Valley Inns of Court (Nov. 2015)
  • “Government Litigation in the Age of E-Discovery,” Oregon Department of Justice (Oct. 2015)
  • “ABA Public Practice Panel,” Willamette Law School (Sept. 2015)
  • “Trial Preparation,” Willamette Moot Court Board (Sept. 2015)
  • “Environmental Struggles, Justice Struggles,” Harvard Law School, Institute for Global Law and Policy Conference (June 2015)
  • “Employment Law Training for ODOT Managers,” (Oct. 2014)
  • “Pro Bono Litigation,” Oregon Chapter of the Federal Bar Association (Oct. 2014)
  • “Road to the Bench,” Oregon Women Lawyers (2006-present)
  • “Evidence Privileges,” Willamette College of Law (June 2013)
  • “Governmental Immunities,” Oregon DOJ, Presentation to DAS-Risk (June 2013)
  • “Attorney Fee Petitions,” Oregon DOJ (May 2013)
  • “Complaint & Answer CLE,” Oregon DOJ (Apr. 2013)
  • “Oregon Trial Practice: Emerging Trends and Multi-Jurisdictional Disputes,” Oregon State Bar (Oct. 2012)
  • “Student Free Speech: Tinker to Present Day,” Lewis & Clark Law School, Federalist Society Debate (Mar. 2012)
  • “Health Care Reform Constitutionality,” Lewis & Clark Law School, Federalist Society Debate (Nov. 2011)
  • “State Reporting under ICESCR,” University of Oxford, Master’s in International Human Rights Law (Aug. 2011)
  • “Current Topics in Mass Torts Litigation,” Oregon State Bar (Apr. 2010)
  • “Breaking Barriers: How Far We Have Come, How Far We Have To Go,” Oregon Women Lawyers (2009)
  • “Diversifying the Judiciary: Perspectives on Sonia Sotomayor, U.S. Supreme Court Nominee,” Mary Leonard Law Society (Aug. 2009)
Collaborations

Outside the Office

Heather is a Pacific Northwest native and enjoys spending time with her children and large family, hiking in the great outdoors, and doing personal training as a NASM-certified trainer. Heather also recently wrote and published a children’s book.

  Edit Heather J. Van Meter