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Like many modern American legal principles, the concept of the lien originated in England, where those who performed physical labor—so-called “mechanics”—were given a “charge” on the items upon which they worked. Shortly after the American Revolution, states and territories in the United States began enacting statutes giving builders lien rights to secure payment for their…

Oregon’s real estate professionals are on the cusp of a sweeping regulatory overhaul. House Bill 3137, signed into law in June 2025 and taking effect January 1, 2026, introduces significant new responsibilities for brokers, tighter oversight of teams, and expanded education requirements—all aimed at enhancing accountability across the industry.

With final rules now in place…

Developers, owners, and contractors would all be wise to take note of Senate Bill 426, currently under consideration in the Oregon legislature.

SB 426 addresses wage theft in the construction industry.  If enacted, it would impose joint and several liability on the owner and prime contractor for unpaid employee wages – including fringe benefits…

On September 12, 2024, join me at the Hyatt Regency Portland for Bisnow’s Portland State of the Market. Stoel Rives is a proud sponsor of the event, which will focus on Portland’s development outlook, including how companies are driving projects to completion, as well as real-estate issues related to living and working in downtown…

In the busy world of commercial real estate, buyers and sellers may be unable to complete all contractual obligations before closing. In those instances, parties often identify certain “post-closing” matters in the contract. Typically, if those provisions are not carefully drafted to “survive” the closing, then the terms may merge with the deed and be deemed satisfied at closing. However, in a 2022 Oregon case, Freeborn v. Dow, the Oregon Court of Appeals identified a nuance to that rule and explained that certain contractual matters may survive closing and not merge with the deed, regardless of the presence or lack of a survival clause.

Originally published by the Daily Journal of Commerce on February 28, 2023.

Owning or developing a parcel of contaminated real property, or a “brownfield,” has historically been a risky endeavor. But brownfields are abundant in the United States, and there are several incentives available to those who develop clean energy facilities on a dirty project…

Originally published as an Op-Ed by the Oregon Daily Journal of Commerce on February 16, 2023.

Introduced as a ballot measure, Oregon’s Employer Liability Law (ELL) was described in a voter’s pamphlet from 1910 as “a law requiring protection for persons engaged in hazardous employments, defining and extending the liability of employers, and providing that…

Originally published by the Daily Journal of Commerce on December 6, 2022.

With more and more corporate tenants and institutional owners looking to reduce their carbon footprints, clean energy improvements in initial project development as well as upgrades to existing projects have become more appealing. However, with interest rates and material costs on the rise…

Close - up construction contract with pen and architectural roll

For anyone building a dream vacation home, renovating an existing commercial structure, or developing a multimillion-dollar, mixed-use project, construction contract terms are of utmost importance. One often overlooked clause covers the contractual “third-party beneficiary” (TBP)—a person or entity who, though not a party to the contract, stands to benefit from the contract’s performance. Interpretations of…