Lawyer celebrates 10 years in Sisters

Glen Lasken had embarked on building a successful workers compensation practice in Portland when he made a move that brought mixed reviews from his colleagues. Ten years ago, he moved his business to Sisters.

His colleagues either thought he had embarked on a "crazy gamble" or were jealous that he was moving to a "vacation paradise." His gamble has paid off - in part because he is an attorney who gets results for his clients and partly because Central Oregon has grown more than anyone could have predicted.

"I've been very happy being here," said Lasken.

Now celebrating his 10th anniversary in Sisters, Lasken has represented around 2,000 people from Warm Springs to Burns who have been injured on the job. His first year in business, he traveled frequently back to Portland to represent clients. But, as one of the few lawyers with his specialty in Central Oregon, word quickly got out and his practice grew.

Lasken said his clients come to him wanting "a sense of fairness." He said his clients may work at a hospital, mill, school or in law enforcement, but all are facing financial problems due to their work injuries. Some may even face losing their homes.

"Often I'm the last hope for someone," said Lasken. "So there's a lot at stake in trying to succeed."

Lasken said worker's compensation law changes every two years so it's a hard area of law to dabble in.

"If you're going to be really good at it, you have to focus on it," said Lasken.

Lasken further refined his specialty by learning how to represent clients at Warm Springs which operates under a different jurisdiction. On the reservation, he must go before a tribal council.

"It's rewarding to win a case in that situation," said Lasken.

While many cases have been memorable in the past 10 years, one stands out for its irony. A mill wanted to find out the cause of its frequent on-the-job injuries so it hired a man through a detective agency to snoop around. When the spy himself got injured, both businesses tried to claim he was not really their employee. That case ended up in Oregon's Supreme Court.

Ten years later, Lasken still has his first employee. It was an "easy interview" when he hired Susan Wilkins as assistant since she already had experience in a law office when she applied for Lasken's first job opening. Lasken praises her for being "enormously helpful" in growing the business. Today he also employs part-time file clerks.

"We have a pretty fun office," said Wilkins. She added she has empathy for the clients since her husband was injured years ago and she understands what clients are going through.

Lasken made the big move to little Sisters so his two sons could go to school here and because his family enjoyed outdoor activities such as camping, skiing and rafting.

"Probably the biggest draw was the school system," said Lasken. He has shown his interest in the community's schools by serving on the Sisters School Board and being president of Little League.