Eugene, OR

Tim Williams

Tim Williams is the managing partner and lead litigator at Dwyer Williams Cherkoss, known for taking more personal injury cases to trial than most others in Oregon. He is dedicated to holding individuals and corporations accountable and has won tens of millions for clients since 2003. Tim holds leadership positions in the Oregon State Bar, Oregon Trial Lawyers Association (President 2020-2021), American Association for Justice, and other civic organizations. He is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court.

Don Corson

Don Corson represents people seriously injured or killed by defective products, industrial accidents, hospital system failures, serious vehicle and truck crashes, and other catastrophic incidents. Don has the highest professional ratings for legal ability and ethics. He has been recognized in Oregon as the Distinguished Trial Lawyer of the year. Don is listed in The Best Lawyers in America in multiple categories for representing individuals, and is consistently listed as a Super Lawyer.

Derek C. Johnson

Attorney Derek Johnson has served as the President of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association (2006-2007), is honored in Best Lawyers in America (2009 -Present), has chaired the Oregon Government Ethics Commission (1989-93), has served on the Board of Governors for the Oregon State Bar (2011-12), and was appointed by the Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice to serve on the state's Civil Law Advisory Committee (2007). Derek brings decades of experience and skill as one of the region's most well respected personal injury attorneys. Licensed to practice in Oregon, Washington, and California, Derek first and foremost cares ab out his clients. He is a well-prepared litigator and a smart negotiator. Clients find him to be protective, empathetic, and strategic in the development of their case. Derek has been a shareholder at Johnson Johnson Lucas & Middleton since 1994. Medical negligence cases can be particularly complex, but Derek's view is that success lies in the details of the case. He thoroughly analyzes medical charts, reports, consults with medical experts and conducts in-depth interviews of friends and family. In one notable case, Derek represented a veteran who went to the VA Hospital with severe leg and back pain. Physicians failed to notice a cancerous lesion on the left femur. Over the next several months, the patient returned to the hospital three more times in severe pain. Finally, he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. Sadly, it was too late; Derek's client passed away during settlement negotiations. Derek petitioned the court successfully to have his client's widow appointed as her deceased husband's personal representative and negotiated a significant settlement on behalf of the man's widow and 2 sons due to a "failure to diagnose" cancer. Derek has handled many "failure to diagnose" cases at Johnson Johnson Lucas & Middleton, including failure to diagnose breast cancer, colon cancer, and fatal heart conditions. Recently, one of Derek's cases involved failure to properly treat post-surgical deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. After an uneventful surgery, the patient developed serious clotting in his calf and an embolism in his lungs. Both the Portland and Roseburg VA Hospitals missed the diagnosis, and the man died. Derek cut through the complexities and put together a strong case for significant damages. The case successfully resolved prior to trial. Defective product cases often present complex engineering problems. In one case, Derek represented an experienced bow hunter, injured when a carbon fiber Gold Tip arrow exploded upon release. Hundreds of graphite shards pierced the man's hand, cutting muscle tissue and shattering nerves. The arrow was advertised to eliminate splintering, but after extensive discovery, it was determined that none of the arrows sold by the company had the anti-splintering construction represented in advertisements. Derek successfully negotiated a confidential settlement for the injured bow hunter. In every complex case he handles, Derek works with a team of lawyers and legal assistants. He also has a long list of expert consultants, doctors and nurses, engineers and safety experts who he works with to prepare his clients cases in the most thorough fashion. Having the experience and resources to consult with a wide range of experts sets Johnson Johnson Lucas & Middleton apart. Derek is an honors graduate of Williams College (1981). He has a BA in French from the Universite de Poitiers/ University of Oregon in 1982, and a JD from the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law (1985). He also has an advanced law degree (LLM) from the University of Washington School of Law, Marine Affairs, (1987). Derek was born and raised in Eugene, Oregon and has practiced at Johnson Johnson Lucas & Middleton since 1988. Throughout his decades of practice, Derek has successfully resolved or tried hundreds of cases involving defective products, truck accidents, medical negligence, nursing home abuse, maritime injury, and cases involving wrongful death. In the last five years, Derek has worked with the Eugene Civic Alliance to build a community sports and recreation facility in Eugene. Derek is an avid outdoorsman, and enjoys skiing and fly fishing for trout and steelhead throughout the Northwest. AV is a registered certification mark of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies.

Lara Johnson

Lara Johnson represents people with serious personal injury claims, including motor vehicle collisions, nursing home neglect and abuse, and hospital negligence. She has been honored as President of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association (OTLA), and currently serves on the OTLA Executive Committee. Lara also serves on the Oregon Council on Court Procedures, which writes Oregon’s rules of procedure for civil cases.

Scott C. Lucas

Shareholder Scott Lucas joined Johnson Johnson Lucas & Middleton in 1997. He handles claims for people who have been seriously injured or killed in crashes, by dangerous products including automobiles that fail to meet safety standards, medical negligence, and by other wrongdoing. Scott holds a Martindale-Hubbell Judicial Edition AV Preeminent Rating. This means that he is ranked in the top 10% of by both his practicing peers and by judges familiar with his work. He is also named in Best Lawyers in America and Top Lawyers in Oregon. While appreciating being honored for his legal work, Scott credits his recognition to the training and mentoring he received at the firm, and to the extraordinary staff supporting him. As he puts it, "from the moment I walked in the door, I had several of the best attorneys in Oregon teaching me the practice, supported by a staff of friendly, helpful legal and medical professionals that is second to none. Add the firm's commitment to providing membership in state and national trial practice organizations, along with the best outside legal training, and I was really set up to succeed." Away from the office, Scott enjoys spending time with his family, skiing, fishing, and reading. Consistent with the firm's encouragement of civic involvement, he served on the boards of the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency and the Advisory Committee of Pioneer Pacific College Paralegal Program, and he frequently speaks to local high school students about the dangers of distracted driving (see www.endDD.org). Scott also gives back to the legal community, serving on and chairing the Oregon State Bar Litigation Executive Committee, the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association Publications and Products Liability Committees, the Oregon State Bar House of Delegates, and the Lane County Bar Association Federal Practice Committee. Scott is licensed to practice in federal and state courts in Oregon. He received his law degree from the University of Oregon, where he was Articles Editor of the Journal of Environmental Law and Litigation, and his Bachelor’s Degree in Quantitative Economics and Decision Sciences from the University of California, San Diego.

Roy Dwyer

Roy Dwyer (1933-2022) was the founding partner of Dwyer Williams Cherkoss, practicing law for over 50 years. He was known for his aggressive advocacy for the underdog, winning millions for clients in personal injury, medical malpractice, car crashes, workplace accidents, and wrongful death cases. He exclusively practiced personal injury law since 1982 and served in leadership roles for state and national legal organizations. He earned his law degree in 1962 after serving in the U.S. Air Force and attending the University of Alaska and University of Oregon.

David deVilleneuve

David has degrees in Business-Finance, Political Science and Religion from Brigham Young University. His law degree is from the University of Oregon. Prior to joining Shlesinger & deVilleneuve Attorneys, David prosecuted Federal offenses on behalf of the United States Attorney’s Office. For over 20 years he has been appointed by the Oregon Supreme Court to serve as a Jackson County Judge Pro Tempore. He is a member of the Jackson County Bar Association, Oregon State Bar and the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association. David has been accepted into the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. Less than 1% of attorneys qualify for this distinction. He has been honored with an A+ rating in the National Registry for Attorneys. David’s practice areas are Personal Injury, Medical Malpractice and Civil Litigation. He has been involved in over 2,000 settled cases and has successfully litigated cases to verdict in Jackson, Josephine, Lane, Douglas, Klamath, Multnomah and Curry Counties. David has fought for injured Oregonians for 25 years all over the state, including the Oregon Court of Appeals. David feels strongly that his mission is to fight for the rights of the injured, against abusive insurance companies.