JJH Law, P.C.

Focus and practice areas

The firm practices business law from an office in the Pearl District of Portland, Oregon, and a second office in Vancouver, Washington. It has worked with startups, small businesses, and larger companies since 2010. Its attorneys hold licenses in Oregon, Washington, and California, and they take matters in all three states.

Much of the firm's work is business litigation. It handles disputes over contracts, partnerships, LLCs, and shareholders. On the transactional side, it drafts and negotiates contracts and helps owners form new entities. The same team that sets up a company can also represent it when a dispute arises later.

Beyond the courtroom

The firm also handles employment law, commercial and residential real estate, civil litigation, construction law and construction litigation, and food industry law. That spread keeps the work close to how businesses operate, since one company can need a lease reviewed, a contract drafted, and an employment question answered in a single year.

Real estate work at the firm covers both commercial and residential property. Deals of that kind involve purchase agreements, leases, title review, and closing documents. Food industry law and restaurant counseling point to clients in hospitality, where licensing, supplier contracts, and employment rules meet in one business.

How the team is built

Joseph J. Haddad founded the firm and leads its attorneys. He was admitted in Oregon in 2000, the same year he earned his J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law, and he holds a B.A. from the University of Michigan from 1996. He has practiced for more than 18 years, with a focus on complex civil, business, and employment litigation.

Haddad represents businesses and executives across Oregon, Washington, and California. His employment work covers Title VII, sexual harassment, the ADA, wrongful discharge, workers' compensation discrimination, non-compete agreements, and retaliation. Those are the claims that reach a courtroom when a working relationship breaks down.

The attorneys alongside him

Taylor Duty is the lead business attorney. She works with businesses, employers, and individuals on single matters, ongoing advisory roles, and complex litigation. She earned her J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School and belongs to the American Bar Association, the Oregon State Bar, and the Oregon Women Lawyers section of the state bar. She also sits on the board of Active Children Portland.

Cara Defilippis is a business attorney who also manages new client intake. She earned her J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law and works with entrepreneurs and small business owners on complex business issues. Her practice covers business transactional and formation work, employment law, and restaurant counseling. In my opinion, that pairing suits a firm that also handles food industry law.

Laurel Darby is an attorney whose experience spans commercial litigation and business counseling across several industries. She earned her J.D. from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. Her practice covers business litigation and counseling, construction litigation, and labor and employment litigation and counseling. Paralegals and a law clerk support the four attorneys.

Who the firm represents

The client roster includes sole proprietors and companies with hundreds of employees. The firm has worked with startups still finding their footing and with established companies that want steady counsel on hand. Its three-state licensing means a business operating in Oregon, Washington, and California can keep the same lawyers as it grows.

Company size shapes the questions a business brings. A sole proprietor may want a single contract reviewed, while a company with a large workforce faces recurring employment and compliance issues. The firm structures its work around both, with roles for single matters and for ongoing advisory relationships.

As a reviewer, I read that reach as a practical convenience for owners who cross state lines. A company with a warehouse in Oregon and a storefront in Washington often needs counsel admitted in both. The firm covers that footprint and adds California for owners who expand south.

What the record shows

The work centers on business legal needs at each stage of company life. Formation, contracts, real estate, employment questions, and construction matters all appear among the practice areas. When those matters turn into disputes, the same attorneys carry them into litigation.

Entity formation is quieter work than litigation, and it sets the terms that later disputes turn on. Choosing between an LLC and a corporation, drafting an operating agreement, and spelling out how partners exit all shape a company's later options. Attorneys who handle both the formation and the litigation see how those early choices play out.

Civil litigation is the broad category that holds much of this. It reaches business, employment, and construction disputes alike, and it runs on the same civil procedure rules in state and federal court. A general civil litigation grounding lets the firm take a matter that spans several labels at once.

How these matters move

Business litigation often opens with a demand letter and a close read of the contract at issue. From there a case moves through pleadings, discovery, and either settlement talks or trial. A firm that also drafts the underlying agreements has read that kind of document before, which shortens the start of a new dispute.

Construction litigation follows its own track, with mechanics' liens, payment claims, and defect allegations that turn on inspection records and contracts. Employment disputes pass through agency charges and state and federal statutes before any trial date. The firm covers all three areas, so a client can keep one team across related problems.

The firm keeps a public presence on Facebook, X, and Instagram under the handle jjhlaw.pdx. It has operated under founder Joseph J. Haddad since 2010. Its four attorneys hold law degrees from schools in Oregon, California, and Colorado.

Portland office details

JJH Law's Portland street address is 1640 NW Irving St. The office keeps weekday hours from 9am to 5pm, and its listed Portland telephone number is (503) 552-1467. The firm also publishes its website at jjh-law.com. These details give prospective clients a clear point of contact during the business week.

The Irving Street address places the office within Portland's northwest district. JJH Law's other listed telephone numbers are (360) 356-1765 and (503) 607-8460. The 360 area code corresponds with the firm's presence in southwest Washington, while the two 503 numbers are within Oregon's Portland region.

Additional attorney practice depth

Joseph J. Haddad's individual practice record adds wage and hour litigation to his employment work. It also identifies business and commercial matters as a separate focus. Contract formation and commercial and residential real estate remain part of his personal practice, so his work includes both disputes and the agreements or property matters that precede them.

Taylor Duty's listed practice areas include mergers and acquisitions, a field that adds another transactional dimension to her position as lead business attorney. Her record also places business and corporate work alongside business litigation. That combination gives her a role in company transactions as well as contested matters. Employment and labor law and real estate round out the practice areas recorded for her.

Cara Defilippis has additional listed focuses in tax and partnership matters. Contracts and agreements also appear in her individual practice record. Her position includes responsibility for new client management, which places an attorney within the firm's first formal contact with a prospective client. She brings that role together with legal work for business owners.

Approach to business counseling

Laurel Darby's stated process begins with learning what a client wants to accomplish. She then develops solutions for the client's immediate needs and long-term business interests. That approach matters in counseling assignments because the response to a current dispute can affect later operations. Her work draws on experience with both commercial litigation and business advice across multiple industries.

Darby's practice record places construction disputes alongside labor and employment matters. It also includes counseling in business and employment law. This mix gives her assignments on active claims as well as business decisions made outside litigation.