March 03, 2026|Firm News, Press

Buchalter Expands Corporate Practice in Pacific Northwest

Buchalter is pleased to announce that Emily Karr and Susan Bock have joined the firm as Corporate Partners in its Portland office.

“We are thrilled to welcome Emily and Susan to the firm,” said Adam Bass, President and Chief Executive Officer at Buchalter. “With the addition of Susan, Emily and their team, we are growing a preeminent estate planning practice in the Pacific Northwest.”

Karr advises clients in Oregon and Washington about estate planning and the administration of estates and trusts. She focuses on family-owned business succession planning, including trusts or other arrangements that can facilitate the transfer of a family business to the next generation. Karr also focuses on clients with specialized issues, such as executives, entrepreneurs, authors, performers, athletes, and artists. She specializes in international estate and tax planning for individuals, families, and trusts. She advises U.S. and foreign citizens with business or personal interests offshore, and foreign citizens with permanent U.S. or foreign residency who have unique community property and asset protection issues or estates that span multiple countries.

“Buchalter’s national reputation and its growing presence made this a natural next step for me,” said Karr. “I’m excited to expand my practice with a team that shares my commitment to delivering exceptional results.”

Bock’s practice includes advising clients in Oregon and Idaho in the areas of income, estate, and gift taxes, counseling trustees and beneficiaries, charitable planning, international estate planning and trust administration, and working with families and closely held businesses to achieve business succession planning and the creation of small family businesses.  Bock has extensive experience providing sophisticated estate and gift tax planning advice, including all manner of irrevocable trusts with a focus on cross-border (state and international) asset ownership.

Both Karr and Bock additionally handle all aspects of settling estates, from preparing and filing pleadings and documents for probate court to marshaling and inventorying estate assets, settling claims, and preparing tax returns. They advise trustees on tax and accounting responsibilities and help interpret trust provisions and eventual distribution of assets. This includes preparing fiduciary income tax returns and preparing federal and state estate tax returns upon death. 

Bock and Karr also create charitable giving strategies for their clients, including charitable remainder trusts and other planned giving strategies, private foundations and donor advised funds, and other tax-advantaged charitable donations. They represent nonprofit organizations in governance and planned giving matters.

“I was drawn to Buchalter because of its entrepreneurial culture and national platform,” said Bock. “I look forward to collaborating with the talented lawyers in Portland and expanding the range of legal services I can offer to my clients.”

David Elkanich, Office Managing Partner in Portland, added, “Emily and Susan strengthen as our team as we continue to grow in Portland and firm-wide. They’re great assets to the firm, and we’re delighted to have them on board.”

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Buchalter is a full-service business law firm representing local, regional, national, and international clients in a multitude of practice areas and their subspecialties, among them: Bank and Finance, Corporate, Health Care, Litigation, Insolvency and Financial Law, Intellectual Property, Labor and Employment, Real Estate, and Tax and Estate Planning. Buchalter has over 600 attorneys with offices in California, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Washington. For more information about the firm, visit: buchalter.com.

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