Even before graduating from law school, Mr. Hansen was hired by the Thurston County District Attorney’s Office in Olympia, Washington to prosecute complex fraud cases. For several years, Mr. Hansen served as a senior Prosecuting Attorney handling felonies and capital crimes on behalf of the State of Washington. At the same time, Mr. Hansen served as the Municipal Judge for the town of Rainier, Washington. At the time, Mr. Hansen was one of the youngest judges ever to serve in the State of Washington.
In 1980 Mr. Hansen moved to Bend, Oregon and began a career as a commercial trial attorney. Over the next thirty years, Mr. Hansen established a statewide reputation for being a tough but fair trial lawyer in the area of complex commercial litigation. Mr. Hansen has had a number of cases involving hundreds of millions of dollars in claims. Some of these trials have taken several months to try.
Mr. Hansen has handled cases both on the East Coast and on the West Coast during his years of practice. In the late 1990’s Mr. Hansen tried a case in the Federal Court of Claims in Washington, D.C. that resulted in an award of over 14 million dollars to his client. Over the years, Mr. Hansen has tried cases in every county of the State of Oregon and continues to try cases in the State of Washington as the need arises.
In addition to his service to his clients, Mr. Hansen has dedicated years of service to the Oregon State Bar. Mr. Hansen has served as a volunteer on a number of Bar Committees that shape trial practice in Oregon. Mr. Hansen has drafted chapters for the Oregon State Bar’s Continuing Education book program. For a number of years Mr. Hansen chaired the State Professional Responsibility Board, which oversees the entire ethical regulatory process for the Oregon State Bar.
Mr. Hansen has been married since 1975 to his lovely wife Marie.
Mr. Hansen has dedicated himself to the community of Bend in many ways. He has been a chairman of the Deschutes County Historical Landmarks Commission. This local governing body enforces the landmarks ordinances for Deschutes County and all the cities within Deschutes County. Additionally, Mr. Hansen has served on a number of select committees established by the City of Bend for special projects as they have arisen.
Mr. Hansen has followed a life-long hobby of railroading. Over the years, Mr. Hansen has developed his skills and training in the area of restoration and operation of steam locomotives. Mr. Hansen holds a Federal Railway Administration Engineer’s License for the operation of locomotives, including steam locomotives on railroads around the west. Mr. Hansen regularly operates a steam locomotive located in Prineville, Oregon, which is owned by the Oregon Historical Society. Additionally, Mr. Hansen serves as a crewmember on the American Freedom Train Engine SP 4449 and a number of other steam locomotive projects around the west.
