Portland Personal Injury Lawyer Attorney Oregon Accident Find Locate

Our firm is dedicated to representing clients in matters involving injury, physical and sexual abuse and wrongful death. We invite you to learn more about our attorneys, our staff and the highly-qualified consulting experts who assist us on medical and technical issues. We are proud of our experience, our team approach and our accomplishments.

Our attorneys Richard J. Vangelisti and Scott F. Kocher are listed in the current Super Lawyers and Rising Stars publication for personal injury work. This is a non-paid listing by Law & Politics.

Vangelisti Kocher LLP was founded by trial lawyer Richard Vangelisti to prevent injury and pursue justice for individuals and families who have suffered injury by the wrongdoing of others.

Mr. Vangelisti has represented clients in state and federal courts across the country. His trial experience includes personal injury and other civil matters. While the results obtained depend upon the facts of each case, Mr. Vangelisti has assisted clients in recovering millions of dollars, including more than $1 million in a personal injury case on behalf of a brain-injured child.

Mr. Vangelisti holds an AV Peer Review Rating, the highest rating by LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell. The AV Peer Review Rating, which identifies a lawyer with very high to preeminent legal ability, is a reflection of his expertise, experience, integrity and overall professional excellence. Mr. Vangelisti also has been listed in the 2011 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. Selection to Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive and rigorous peer-review survey through confidential evaluations by the top attorneys in the country.

After graduating from law school with high honors in 1995, Mr. Vangelisti served as a law clerk to federal chief trial judge for two years. Thereafter he worked for an international law firm and a national law firm for more than five years, representing large companies. He now puts this unique knowledge and experience to work for individuals and families.

Mr. Vangelisti is included in the current list of Super Lawyers for plaintiff's personal injury work in Oregon.

Mr. Kocher is a native Oregonian, and a graduate of Harvard Law School and Harvard College. He worked as an attorney at Oregon's largest law firm from 2001 to 2006, when he became a partner of Vangelisti Kocher LLP. His law practice has included personal injury, class actions and other complex civil litigation in state and federal courts.

His practice covers all areas of personal injury law, including: product-related injuries, bicycle and automobile injuries, elder and child physical/sexual abuse, asbestos and wrongful death matters.

Mr. Kocher is one of three attorneys included in the current Super Lawyers Rising Stars list for plaintiff's personal injury work in Oregon. This non-paid listing is based on evaluation of “peer recognition and professional achievement” by Law & Politics.

Mr. Kocher also holds a top rating of 10.0 from the non-paid attorney rating site, avvo.com.

While the results obtained depend upon the facts of each case, Mr. Kocher has assisted clients in

recovering more than $3 million in a single non-contingent fee commercial case, and
obtaining a jury verdict of more than $900,000 as lead trial counsel in a personal injury case.

Mr. Kocher is past Chair of the Products Liability Section of the Oregon State Bar.

Mr. Kocher has served on the board of directors of Chamber Music Northwest, and continues to provide volunteer legal services to low-income victims of domestic violence through the Domestic Violence Project.

Ms. Telegin holds a bachelor's degree from the University of California at Santa Cruz, and a paralegal certificate from Portland Community College. She has worked with the firm and its attorneys since 2004. As former co-chair of the Legal Staff Section of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association, Ms. Telegin works to build legal staff expertise statewide. She is highly experienced in obtaining and preserving evidence in personal injury cases, and in other aspects of fact investigation. Ms. Telegin is pleased to respond to inquiries from current and potential clients. Ms. Telegin's telephone number is 503-445-2103.

Vangelisti Kocher LLP consults with experts from many disciplines in an effort to understand and prove the medical and technical aspects of our cases. The firm is proud to consult with the following professionals as needed on a confidential basis:

Dr. Hill is Board Certified in Emergency Medicine with 35 years' experience in emergency care. He also has been the advising physician to the Josephine County EMS and ambulance service. He is licensed in Oregon, Washington and Idaho.

Dr. Lu holds an A.B. from Harvard University and an M.D. from Stanford Medical School. She is Board Certified in Psychiatry, having completed her residency in psychiatry at Oregon Health & Sciences University. Dr. Lu helps our attorneys identify, evaluate and prove emotional and psychological injuries. These injuries may result from physical or sexual abuse or other trauma. Dr. Lu's current research and clinical work focus on treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Ms. Sirotiak is a tenacious investigator with over thirty years experience in personal injury cases, particularly cases involving injuries to children. For almost ten years she worked as an internal fraud investigator for one of the largest retail supercenters in Oregon. For the last twenty years she has owned her own company, Inteli-Track Investigations, Inc. She is adept at locating and interviewing witnesses nationwide and in obtaining in-depth background information. Ms. Sirotiak is knowledgeable in preparing professional reports and court exhibits and she is an effective interviewer of witnesses.

Ms. Beenken is an expert in reviewing complex medical records for injury cases. Ms. Beenken worked primarily as an operating room nurse for more than 14 years. She earned her Certified Specialist status in Legal Nurse Consulting in 2005, and is a member of the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants.

Ms. Davis has more than 18 years' experience as a writer and editor. Along with writing and editing for several major newspapers and magazines, she served as a legal editor for a large law firm in the Pacific Northwest. Ms. Davis reviews the firm's written work product to ensure that it meets the firm's standards for excellence. She earned a degree in English and philosophy from Scripps College in Claremont, California.

When needed and if appointed by the Court, Ms. Piazza serves as guardian or conservator for the child and elder clients of Vangelisti Kocher LLP. In these roles, Ms. Piazza can provide decision-making support, as well as financial management of funds when a case results in a monetary recovery. Ms. Piazza has been a partner in Farley, Piazza and Associates since 1991. She holds a Bachelor degree in Business Administration/Financial Law, and is a Registered National Guardian with the National Guardians Association. Her service as guardian ad litem or conservator is court-approved on a case by case basis.

Note: The foregoing medical and mental health consulting experts are independent contractors of Vangelisti Kocher LLP. They do not provide patient care through the firm.

You may contact our firm with our confidential web form or by calling 503-445-2100 or toll free 1-800-800-1004. We do not charge for initial consultations.