Mark J. Lang, Attorney at Law, PC
Mark J Lang, Attorney
Mark J. Lang, an attorney licensed in Oregon, Washington, and California, is dedicated to helping people. Growing up in Downieville, a small mountain town in the Sierra Nevada, Mark graduated from Santa Clara University with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science in 1993. He then worked in Business Development at HP before pursuing a law degree at the University of North Dakota. During law school, he was on the Dean's List, served as Student Director for the Legal Aid Clinic, and assisted members of the Spirit Lake Sioux Tribe, graduating in 1997.
After law school, Mark moved to the North Oregon Coast and developed the Clatsop County Domestic Violence Response Team. From 1998 to 2007, he served as a prosecutor for the Clatsop County District Attorney's Office, handling over 200 jury and court trials. He gained expertise in major felonies, DUII, identity theft, child support, and property crimes. Mark also served as an instructor for law enforcement and became a faculty member of the National Advocacy Center.
In 2010, Mark opened his private practice in Astoria, Oregon, later relocating to Saint Helens, Oregon in 2014. He has been providing legal services to Clatsop and Columbia Counties, committed to client satisfaction and ensuring clients feel supported in their legal matters. While he cannot make guarantees, he prioritizes dedicated and compassionate legal assistance.
Jenefer S Grant, Senior Judge
Judge Grant retired in 2020, after 13-½ years on the Circuit Court bench in Columbia County, Oregon, including seven years as Presiding Judge of the judicial district. As Circuit Judge, she handled all types of cases, including criminal, domestic relations, juvenile dependency and delinquency, drug court, probate, and civil cases. She believed strongly in resolving disputes before trial to avoid stress and expense to the parties whenever possible, and facilitated countless settlements, through multiple meetings when needed. As a Senior Judge, she regularly does remote settlement conferences for Benton County, handling criminal, domestic relations, probate, and other civil cases. Although each of these settlement conferences is scheduled for less than two hours, she is an attentive and efficient mediator and has been able to assist the parties and their attorneys to settle the majority of the cases presented to her within the time allotted.
Judge Grant was born in Oregon and has lived most of her life here, including nearly three decades in Columbia County, where she was an attorney in private practice both before and after serving on the Circuit bench. She has warmth and curiosity, and a range of personal and professional experience which allows her to relate well to litigants. She has worked in various fields including hospital pharmacy and teaching at Portland State University, been married for 33 years, raised a daughter, owned many pets, started and managed a restaurant, lived in urban and small town settings as well as abroad, spent lots of time in the natural environment, and is respectful of the choices people make in their own lives.
Judge Grant is available for remote mediation, where at least one party is represented by an attorney. During remote mediation, each party is placed -with his or her attorney- in a virtual "breakout room" where Judge Grant can speak privately with each side. This process has worked well for dozens of successful mediations conducted by Judge Grant. Judge Grant requests that prior to mediation each party submit a brief, confidential summary of the case from their point of view, including that party's position for purposes of settlement negotiations. She will also review any supplementary materials, upon request. This allows her to go into a session with the parties with enough background to conduct an efficient mediation, saving everyone time and expense. Judge Grant has some availability to conduct mediation sessions on evenings and weekends, with no additional fees for after-hours services.
To request mediation with Judge Grant, please email her at JSG@mlanglaw.com.
Mediation Reviews for Senior Judge Jenefer S Grant.
Teri L. Powers, Attorney
Zoe Wild, Deschutes County Trial Court Administrator
Chris Westfall, Benton County Trial Court Administrator
"Happy to hear retired Judge Jenefer Grant is now making herself available to do private settlement conferences for family law matters! During her time on the bench, Judge Grant did an excellent job helping parties find their way to settlements, short of trial. Always patient and respectful to everyone involved, Judge Grant had a special
"Happy to hear retired Judge Jenefer Grant is now making herself available to do private settlement conferences for family law matters! During her time on the bench, Judge Grant did an excellent job helping parties find their way to settlements, short of trial. Always patient and respectful to everyone involved, Judge Grant had a special talent for making people feel heard and valued for their opinions, while at the same time steering them to common sense solutions. She’s going to be a great asset to our community in this new role."
Chris Westfall, Benton County Trial Court Administrator
Zoe Wild, Deschutes County Trial Court Administrator
Chris Westfall, Benton County Trial Court Administrator
“Judge Grant is very effective in this arena, and parties are very impressed with her acumen and negotiating skills; she is a settlement judge extraordinaire.” .
Zoe Wild, Deschutes County Trial Court Administrator
Zoe Wild, Deschutes County Trial Court Administrator
Zoe Wild, Deschutes County Trial Court Administrator
"I had the privilege of working with Jenefer Grant during her long tenure as Judge and Presiding Judge at Columbia County Circuit Court. She is unwavering in her commitment to providing thoughtful and compassionate resolutions in the most difficult cases. She is known for her ability to listen with respect, understand the small issues as
"I had the privilege of working with Jenefer Grant during her long tenure as Judge and Presiding Judge at Columbia County Circuit Court. She is unwavering in her commitment to providing thoughtful and compassionate resolutions in the most difficult cases. She is known for her ability to listen with respect, understand the small issues as well as the big picture, and to guide parties to a fair resolution. She will work tirelessly to help parties find the right outcome in the best interest of all. Her many years on the bench gave her a thorough understanding of the difficult and complex issues that can arise and how to successfully settle those issues. Her dedication to serving the community gives her the drive to bring those skills to mediation and to help parties reach an agreement no matter how difficult or complex.”