ANNOUNCING BEN MELNICK AS NEWEST PARTNER
We are pleased to announce that, as of January 1, 2020, Ben Melnick has been made a partner. He joined the firm in 2018, and he has proven himself to be a stellar advocate for injured people. We are excited for the future Ben has to offer for the firm, and we are proud to call him our partner.
Ben grew up in Clark County, Washington. He graduated from Washington State University in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. He went on to earn his Juris Doctor at Gonzaga Law School in 2013. During law school, he was an extern in Division III of the Washington Court of Appeals under Judge Kevin Korsmo. He also clerked at a respected Spokane Plaintiff’s firm, Richter-Wimberley, under the current WSAJ Amicus co-chair Dan Huntington.
He returned to Vancouver in 2013, and after passing the Washington bar exam, he began his practice in criminal defense, gaining significant litigation and trial experience throughout southwest Washington. He was admitted to the Oregon State Bar in 2019. Ben has been applying these same skills to his personal injury practice since 2015. He joined Schauermann Thayer to focus solely on personal injury. Currently, he handles auto, trucking, bicycle, motorcycle, and pedestrian collisions, wrongful death cases, premises liability, and products liability cases, as well as insurance disputes.
When he is not working, Ben likes to spend time with his family. He is also an avid runner, soccer player, hiker, skier, and enjoyer of all things the Pacific Northwest has to offer, including the Timbers and Trail Blazers.
About the Author
William K. Thayer
Bill Thayer is one of the founding partners of the Schauermann Thayer Jacobs Staples & Edwards law firm. Bill is licensed in both Oregon and Washington, and actively practiced law from 1980 to 2021. He is now "of counsel" with Schauermann Thayer and serves as an arbitrator when appointed by the courts or litigants. During his more than 40 years of active law practice, Bill advised and represented clients in personal injury and wrongful death claims and litigation, including automobile collision, motorcycle, bicycle, and pedestrian injury and death cases, dog bite cases, construction site injury claims, and a myriad of other types of injury and death claims. While many claims were settled through negotiation or mediation, Mr. Thayer litigated, arbitrated and/or tried to verdict many cases for his clients. He continues to occasionally be appointed by courts and other lawyers to serve as an arbitrator of tort claims. Bill enjoys writing as one of his varied recreational interests when he is not working.
