Education
University of Michigan Law School
J.D., cum laude, 1995
Grinnell College
B.A., 1992
Bar Admissions
State Bar of Oregon
State Bar of Washington
State Bar of California
Honors
Best Lawyers, Lawyer of the Year 2021
Chambers USA
Oregon Super Lawyers
Best of the Bar, Labor and Employment Runner-Up, Portland Business Journal, July 2005
Andrew Altschul mediates and arbitrates employment and ERISA disputes. In addition to his ADR practice, Andrew handles federal and state court appeals of employment litigation, provides day-to-day employment counseling, serves as settlement counsel, and provides collective bargaining representation primarily for non-profit organizations. He also consults small law firms on law firm management.
Andrew has over 25 years’ experience representing both employers and employees in all aspects of employment disputes, including ERISA claims. He practiced labor and employment law at two of the country’s largest law firms before opening his own employment law boutique in 2004 and helping to found Buchanan Angeli Altschul & Sullivan LLP in 2008. He is an approved arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association, NAM (National Arbitration and Mediation) and Arbitration Service of Portland.
Andrew is recognized in Best Lawyers of America, including being named 2021 Lawyer of the Year for Litigation-ERISA in Portland, Oregon, Oregon Super Lawyers, and Chambers USA. Andrew served as the Chair of the Oregon State Bar Board of Bar Examiners, which is responsible for designing and grading the Oregon Bar Examination, and as Co-Chair for the American Bar Association Labor & Employment Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee. He has also received, but no longer maintains his Senior Professional in Human Resources certification from the Human Resources Certification Institute.
Andrew is also a frequent speaker at national and local employment law forums. He is an active member of the Oregon, Washington and California bars. Andrew received his law degree cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School and his bachelor’s degree from Grinnell College.
AAA, Arbitration Fundamentals and Best Practices for New Arbitrators, 2019
ABA, Advanced Mediation and Advocacy Skills Institute, 2017
Straus Institute of Dispute Resolution, STAR Mediation Training, 2007
Center for Mediation in Law, Mediation Intensive Training, 2006
American Arbitration Association, Arbitrator, 2019-Present
Arbitrator Service of Portland, Arbitrator & Mediator, 2020-Present
NAM (National Arbitration Mediation), Arbitrator & Mediator, 2019-Present
Oregon Board of Bar Examiners, 2005-2008, Chair 2007-2008
American Bar Association Labor & Employment Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee Co-Chair, 2009-12, 2015-2018
American Bar Association, L&E Section Leadership Development Program, Class of 2011
ABA, LEL Section National Program Committee, Vice Chair, 2012-13
“Positional Conflicts: Who Says You Can’t Have It Both Ways?” 38 Labor and Employment Law 1 (Fall 2009).
Co-Author, "Town & Country: Legal Issues and Implications," 28 The Journal of Labor Research 73 (Winter 1997).
Chapter Author, "Mergers, Acquisitions, and Collective Bargaining Agreement Provisions," in Philip A. Miscamarra, Government Protection of Employees Involved in Mergers and Acquisitions 1989-1997 Supplement No. 1: The NLRB, Successorship, Collective Bargaining Agreements and WARN (John M. Olin Institute for Employment Practice and Policy: George Mason University 1997).
ABA LEL Section, Employee Rights and Responsibilities Mid-Winter Meeting, “The Ethics of Engagement Letters and Alternative Fee Arrangements: Beyond the First Date,” March 2018
ABA LEL Section, Ethics and Professional Responsibility Mid-Winter Meeting, “You’ll miss me when I’m gone: avoiding unintentional wavier of attorney-client privilege,” March 2017
ABA LEL Section, Ethics and Professional Responsibility Mid-Winter Meeting, moderator, “Diligence vs. Perfection—Maintaining High Ethical Standards While Avoiding Burnout,” March 2016
ABA Eighth Annual LEL Section Annual Labor and Employment Conference, moderator, “The Ethics of Fee Arrangements and Settlements,” November 2014
ABA LEL Seventh Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference, “Do Lawyers Have an Ethical Duty to Learn and Understand Technology?” November, 2013
Oregon Law Institute CLE, “Everything You May Want to Know About Lawyer Investigations But Have Been Too Busy to Ask," May, 2013
ABA LEL Sixth Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference, “Cloud Computing: A storm is Brewin,” November, 2012
Oregon Law Institute CLE, “Starting and Building a Successful Law Practice,” May 2012
ABA LEL Section, Ethics and Professional Responsibility Mid-Winter Meeting, moderator, “Ethical Implications of the Department of Labor ‘Persuader’ Rules,” March 2012
Lewis & Clark Law School, Small Business Clinic, Employment Law Overview, April 2009, April 2010, October 2010, February 2012
ABA LEL Fifth Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference, “Ethical Dilemmas in the World of Rapidly Changing Technology,” November, 2011
Oregon Law Institute’s 2011 Annual Employment Law CLE, “Social Media at Work—Current Issues Facing Every Employer and Employee,” June 2011
ABA LEL Section, Ethics and Professional Responsibility Mid-Winter Meeting, moderator, “Ethical considerations when jurisprudence is dominated by the lawyer and not the judge,” March, 2011
ABA LEL Section, Employee Rights and Responsibility and Ethics and Professional Responsibility Joint Mid-Winter Meeting Presentation, “No Day At The Beach -- Conflicts of Interest,” March 2010
ABA National Teleconference, “Who Says You Can’t Have It Both Ways,” “February 2010
ABA LEL Section, Ethics and Professional Responsibility Mid-Winter Meeting, “Who Says You Can’t Have It Both Ways,” March 2009
Oregon State Bar CLE Seminars/Business Law Section, Documenting Oregon Businesses: From Start to Finish, December 2009
PHRMA Fall Study Group for PHR/SPHR, Traditional Labor Law, April 2008
ABA LEL First Annual Convention, “Substantive Ethical Issues: Expert Commentary on Thorny Ethical Scenarios,” November 2007
ABA LEL Section/Oregon L&E Section, The Basics: FLSA & FLMA, December 2006
Council on Education in Management, FMLA Update, September 2006
ABA LEL Section, Ethics and Professional Responsibility Mid-Winter Meeting, Conflict of Interest Update, March 2006
Lorman Education Services, Advanced Workplace Investigations in Oregon, March 2006
The Seminar Group, Program Chair, Navigating ADA, FMLA & WC Issues, October 2005
BOLI 1–day Seminar on Wage and Hour Law, Presenting on Overtime Laws, July 2005
Multnomah Bar Association, ERISA Litigation, June 2005