A Brief History of Our World
Our law firm really began in 1964 , when William R ("Bill") Noel came to Newport, fresh from a clerking job on the Oregon Supreme Court. After a short period with an established attorney, Bill started out on his own, and quickly achieved success as his reputation grew. In May of 1969, Chris Minor left his position as a deputy district attorney under Al McMullin, and joined Bill in practice. Soon thereafter, the two were joined by well-established attorney Fred Allen.
Before long, Bill Noel was appointed Circuit Court Judge for Lincoln County. Although Judge Noel was highly respected in Lincoln County, and had been appointed to the position by the Governor, he lost the election (at that time decided by the voters of Linn, Benton and Lincoln Counties; Bill carried the vote in Lincoln County).
Upon expiration of his term as judge, Bill and Chris formed a new partnership, Noel & Minor (Fred Allen relocated his practice to the Southern Oregon Coast).
Before long, Chris and Bill were joined by Newport native Fred Yeck (who had graduated at the top of his class at the University of Oregon Law School). The thriving practice received a terrible jolt when Bill died in a tragic skin-diving accident.
Richard Beeson joined the firm, doing litigation work of all kinds, and the firm became Minor, Yeck & Beeson. Eventually, Fred Yeck left the practice of law altogether to focus on the operation of his commercial fishing vessel. Fred is still one of the heavy hitters in the commercial fishing industry.
By then, Evan Boone had joined the firm and become a shareholder. Later, Richard Beeson made the decision to focus and restrict his practice to injury and insurance claims, and the practices were separated.
Along the way, we were joined by Mike Bandonis. Mike concentrates on general litigation and family law. Liz Fetsch joined us, and practiced with us for a number of years, eventually returning to her hometown, Bend, Oregon, where she is a member of a fine law firm and has a very successful practice. Brian Haggerty joined the firm, and continues, along with Mike and Chris, to participate actively in the practice and many community affairs. Robert W. Connell, an attorney who had practiced for many years in the Newport area but had closed his practice to pursue other interests, returned to the practice of law with this firm. Rob left the practice in 2006 to pursue a career as a senior deputy, with the attorney general's office in Salem. We miss Rob, and are glad that we continue to have contact with him from time-to-time.
Chris and Rob had both spent substantial amounts of time representing the City of Newport. When Rob left, Chris determined that he would not try to continue as City Attorney, and resigned from that position to allow more time for his private practice. We are happy that the City has found an excellent replacement, who now serves in the position as a full-time employee of the City.
Chris Minor, Mike Bandonis and Brian Haggerty continue their efforts to provide high quality counsel and representation to clients. Each of us strives to carry on the traditions of the firm.
Our website may contain information of a general nature regarding various legal topics. This is not intended to constitute legal advice, and is provided only to assist in the identification of issues which may require legal advice. We urge you to retain the services of an attorney, or consult your own attorney, before acting with respect to any such matter. |