TriMet names new General Counsel
August 8, 2011
Jana Toran brings more than 20 years of experience to role
Jana Toran has been named as the agency's new General Counsel. Before her promotion to this position, Toran was Director of Legal Services, where she led TriMet's in-house litigation team of attorneys in areas of tort, contract, property, intellectual property, employment and labor law. She replaces M. Brian Playfair, who retired from the General Counsel position but continues with special projects for the agency.
"We are lucky to have someone with Jana's talent, skills and work ethic," said General Manager Neil McFarlane. "She has made significant contributions to TriMet, building a strong in-house litigation team that deftly manages the complex issues we face."
Toran has been with TriMet for 10 years. Before her tenure at TriMet, she was sole practitioner of her own firm, where she specialized in personal injury, employment and contract litigation. She was also an associate attorney at Portland firms Hoffman and Matasar and Ater Wynne, where she practiced both criminal and civil law, specializing in litigation.
Toran currently serves as the chair of the Oregon State Bar's State Professional Responsibility Board and volunteers with the Classroom Law Project as a judge for regional mock trial competitions. She is also a member of the Oregon Association of Defense Counsel and served as an executive committee member for the state bar's Alternative Dispute Resolution board.
Toran was admitted to the Oregon State Bar, U.S. District Court and Ninth Circuit Court in 1990. She received her doctor of jurisprudence degree from the University of Houston.
Toran began serving as General Counsel in mid-July.
Kim Sewell has been promoted to replace Toran to lead the litigation department as TriMet's new Director of Legal Services. Sewell has served as a litigator for the agency for nine years, handling complex personal injury, employment, labor and contract-related disputes. Prior to joining TriMet, Sewell was a trial attorney for Allstate Insurance.