About Brian
Brian Branch built his legal path in Oregon classrooms and courtrooms. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Oregon in 2001 and returned to earn his J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law in 2007. He joined the Oregon bar the same year and has practiced in the state since.
Early in his career Branch served as assistant county counsel for Crook County in 2008. That position put him on the front lines of municipal legal work. He handled day-to-day government matters and advised elected officials and county staff on legal issues that ranged from land use to public records.
Branch moved into private practice the next few years. He was an associate attorney at Cummins Goodman in 2010. A year later he joined SAIF Corporation as trial counsel, representing the state-chartered workers’ compensation insurer in contested matters. The SAIF role gave him courtroom experience and exposure to the procedural and evidentiary demands of contested claims.
In 2014 Branch became a lawyer at Lake & Hart. Over time his work has continued to overlap with insurance defense and employer-related disputes. He has maintained ties to the professional groups that address the specialized rules and practice concerns that arise in that area of law.
Outside the courtroom he has been active in bar and community organizations. He has been a member of the Oregon State Bar since 2007 and joined the OSB Workers’ Compensation Section in 2010. He also began involvement with Kiwanis in 2015 and remains an active member. Those memberships signal a steady engagement with both the law and local civic life.
Colleagues describe Branch as pragmatic in court and methodical in preparation. He has represented a range of clients from public entities to private employers and insurance interests. His litigation experience includes contested administrative proceedings and civil litigation that flow from workplace injuries and employment disputes.
He remains based in Oregon and practices state law. His work now centers on workers’ compensation defense and related civil litigation matters.
