Collin McKean | Oregon & Washington Divorce & Family, Personal Injury, Estate, & Real Estate Lawyer

• -Washington State Bar Association Law Clerk Board
• -Multnomah Bar Association
• -Clark County Bar Association, Family Law Section
• -Washington State Bar Association, Family Law Section
• -Washington State Bar Association, Real Property Trust and Probate Section
• -Oregon State Bar Association, Family Law Section
• -Oregon State Bar Association, Estate Planning and Administration Section
• -Oregon State Bar Association, Real Estate and Land Use Section

• Martindale-Hubbel Silver Client Champion
  2024
• Super Lawyer, Oregon
  2021-2023
• Super Lawyer Rising Star, Oregon,
  2013-2019
• Super Lawyers Rising Star, Washington, , , ,
  2014 / 2015 / 2018 / 2019
• - Award of Merit given by Multnomah Bar Association, Young Lawyers Section
• -Public Service Award given by Oregon Bar Association, Oregon New Lawyers Division

Collin has more than a decade of experience in resolving divorce and family law disputes. He has accomplished some of the most trans-formative divorce resolutions in the Collaborative Law process. He has acted as a third party neutral mediator in some cases with more than 10 years of litigation experience. He has valuable experience in handling difficult litigants and attorneys in high-conflict divorces. Parenting Disputes: -In a matter involving the modification of legal custody and primary care of five children, Collin successfully obtained a complete modification of all five children to father, where mother developed a relationship with a new partner after having divorced the father and obtained custody and primary care of the children. Collin was able to show the court that Mother's choice of partner was placing the children at risk of imminent harm (which is a high standard in the legal context). The modification of legal and physical custody in many cases is aided by the competent testimony of a custody and parenting time evaluator. Support Modification: -Ex-husband chose to feign unemployment, seeking a modification of his spousal support obligation, while living with his new partner, Collin successfully defended his client in court, obtaining a determination that ex-husband had failed to prove circumstances justifying a modification of his spousal support obligation. In addition, Collin obtained a liquidated money judgment against her ex-husband for his arrears and his outstanding interest on arrears, in addition to an attorney fee award against ex-husband. No further modifications have been sought by ex-husband against this client. Divorce with Entrepreneur and Business Assets: -Collin has represented a number of clients who are self-employed and those who are married to self-employed individuals. These cases can be extraordinarily difficult for the court to resolve as the net income after ordinary business expenses of the breadwinner can be a hotly disputed issue. For similar reasons, the value of the business entity itself is also hotly disputed as the entrepreneur is incentivized to obscure the true and complete financial benefit provided by the entity. These cases can be difficult to resolve with precision without the aid of a financial expert to educate the court about the extent of the financial benefit afforded by the business to the entrepreneur. Injury Claims: -Injury claims can be very difficult to obtain full contribution or to obtain resolution without trial. For injured clients needing compensation, Collin obtains results by obtaining experts to back up your claim before negotiating directly with to obligated party and pressing the matter for trial at each stage to obtain full contribution for client injuries. Collin's experience allows him to determine the range of reasonable and advantageous outcomes for his clients at an early stage. In some cases, this allows for a resolution of the case by agreement of the parties without the need for a contentious court battle. In some cases, this allows Collin to build the appropriate case and the appropriate team to facilitate an outcome for the client which is advantageous to the client. Divorcing is always a complicated issue for the parties in the divorce. Having a team to handle the divorce so that your interests are maximized your future is protected in the process is invaluable.

Collin's success is in large part built on his 1) knowledge of business and financial details which are fundamental to correctly identifying and valuing business and marital assets, 2) his experience litigating in multiple jurisdictions (Oregon and Washington), 3) his breadth of experience assisting clients through various legal transitions, and 4) his ability to bring to bear on the client's legal issues all tools and resources available under the law for a successful outcome.

Clients should have three goals when the speak to a lawyer: 1) does the lawyer give them straight answers to the questions that they have (understanding that there is no crystal ball available to foresee the outcome of legal disputes), 2) does the lawyer listen to the client's primary goals, and 3) does the client trust that the lawyer will represent the client with fidelity to the client's needs.

Local knowledge is always important, as the saying goes, "Good lawyers know the law, great lawyers know their judge."

For any consultation, McKean Smith intake professionals will gather basic information about the parties, the case posture, the issues involved in the dispute, and third parties involved in the dispute prior to setting a consultation with a McKean Smith lawyer.

Collin is recognized by his peers as accomplished, composed, and successful litigator in Oregon and Washington courts. The attorneys at McKean Smith are all handpicked for their own accomplishments and their ability to successfully guide McKean Smith clients through difficult legal disputes.

The most rewarding part of my experience as a lawyer is when our clients' find the resolution they have been waiting for and are excited about the possibilities which lie ahead for them.

I enjoy golfing, water sports in the summer, and snow sports in the winter. I enjoy my community and my friends a great deal, and I love music (making music and listening to good music).

I am involved in efforts to increase the access to justice in Oregon and Washington by volunteering on boards which seek to improve the quality of our legal system such as the Oregon Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts.