Román D. Hernández ’00 is the Office Managing Partner of the Portland office of Troutman Sanders, LLP. He focuses his practice on employment law and commercial litigation. He is particularly experienced in defending employers against suits filed by past, current, and prospective employees. He has won for his clients, or successfully resolved, cases involving wrongful termination, harassment, constructive discharge, and hourly wage violations. In September 2019, for example, he secured dismissal of a $385 million multi-charge lawsuit against International Container Terminal Services and its CEO. In commercial litigation, he has represented industries ranging from telecommunications to health and hygiene and agribusiness.
Román began serving on the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank’s Portland branch in January 2013. He was appointed Chair of the Board in 2018. At that time he was a Partner at K & L Gates, having joined the firm after spending fourteen years as a Shareholder at Schwabe, Williams & Wyatt. Román decided to pursue a career in law after serving nearly five years in the United States Air Force, where he rose to the rank of Captain.
During his legal career Román has served on a number of committees and participated in many charitable ventures. He was among the group of lawyers that formed the Oregon Hispanic Bar Association, which was officially incorporated in 2005, and he is past President of the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA). He is also a founder and former Chairman of the Board of Directors of the HNBA Legal Education Fund, the HNBA’s charitable foundation, which develops pipeline programs for Hispanic youth considering entering the legal profession.
Román earned his BA from Oregon State University in 1992, and graduated with his JD from Lewis & Clark Law School in 2000. While at Lewis & Clark Román helped found the school’s Latinx Law Society. Every year he organizes a gathering where Latinx students of Lewis & Clark Law School network with legal professionals. Román was the honoree at the 2014 luncheon for the Law School’s Distinguished Business Law Graduate.