Hunt & Associates P.C.

Charles A. Ford

Charles A. Ford

Location: Portland, Oregon
Phone: (503) 226-1162
Fax:
(503) 223-5442
E-mail: Email Me

Download my v-card: Charles A Ford

Charlie Ford was one of six children born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised by his parents, a former sea captain and his wife, on the south shore of Long Island, N.Y. Charlie spent one of his high school summers working on a merchant freighter that sailed to south and east Africa. He enjoyed that adventure so much that he applied for admission to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, N.Y; one of the five federal service academies. His application was accepted and he eventually graduated from Kings Point with a B.S. degree with highest honors, a U.S. Coast Guard license as a merchant marine officer and a commission as an ensign in the U.S. Naval Reserve.

After graduating from Kings Point, Charlie served for nine years as a deck officer in the merchant marine; sailing on freighters, container vessels, tankers, and assorted other seagoing vessels. While still pursuing his sea going career, he found time to obtain a second bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington (majoring in psychology), and then, his law degree from the UW School of Law. After his admission to the Washington State Bar he practiced for five years with a downtown Seattle firm specializing in insurance defense; primarily for maritime clients.   He has retired as a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Naval Reserve.

In 1989 the Schnitzer Group recruited Charlie to work in its risk management department on behalf of companies engaged in metal recycling, steel manufacturing, real estate and marine shipping. In 1991 while working at Schnitzer he obtained the Insurance Institute of America’s designation as an Associate in Risk Management (ARM). Charlie received the Cristy Award in 1991 for the highest cumulative examination score among all applicants in the nation applying for the ARM designation that year. Shortly thereafter Charlie was promoted to Schnitzer’s legal department. Charlie handled a diverse assortment of commercial transactions during his 13 years in Schnitzer’s legal department including: purchases, sales and leases of real property; acquisitions and sales of businesses; multimillion dollar loan transactions; and the more routine types of legal issues encountered in the business world, such as employment law questions, contract review and negotiation, business disputes, etc. He also represented Schnitzer companies in judicial litigation and in arbitrations and mediations not only in Oregon and Washington but also in other states such as California and even as far away as London, England.

Charlie left Schnitzer in 2004 to begin his own law practice. He has continued doing a substantial amount of business work for a number of both established and newer clients. Since beginning his own business Charlie has regularly helped individuals start new businesses and has helped existing businesses broaden and expand their business activities. Charlie has also continued to broaden his expertise in employment law while extending his legal practice into family law, estate planning and probate work. Charlie is admitted to practice in both Oregon and Washington and has tried case, both jury and bench, represented clients in arbitrations in both states and has also argued appeals in both the Oregon Court of Appeals and the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.

Charles A. Ford’s 2015 Corporate Biography Video:

Areas of Practice

  • Estate Planning
  • Probate
  • Guardianships and Conservatorships
  • Maritime/Admiralty
  • Corporation/LLC Formation
  • Business Law
  • Breach of Contract
  • Personal Injury
  • Employment Matters
  • Trust Administration
  • Divorce and Custody
  • Commercial and Residential Landlord Tenant Disputes

Bar Admissions

  • Oregon
  • Washington
  • U.S. District Court District of Oregon
  • U.S. District Court Western District of Washington
  • U.S. Court of Appeals Ninth Circuit

Education

  • University of Washington School of Law, Seattle, Washington
    • J.D. – 1984
  • University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
    • B.A. – 1980
  • United States Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, New York
    • B.S. – 1975

Representative Cases

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • Oregon State Bar
  • Washington State Bar Association