Gregory E. Price

Greg Price was born and raised in Corvallis, Oregon, graduating from Corvallis High School in 1978. His hometown of Corvallis was fated for him by his grandfather, who commenced his freshman year at Oregon Agriculture College (now Oregon State University) in 1917 and retired as Dean of the School of Agriculture at OSU in 1968. A photograph of his grandfather’s 1917 OAC football team adorns a wall in Greg’s office. Following in the footsteps of his father, Greg graduated from Corvallis High School in 1978. He then graduated with honors from OSU in 1982, with a Major in Business Administration and Minor in Behavioral Sciences. Upon graduation from Oregon State, he immediately enrolled in the University of Oregon School of Law, where he graduated in 1985. He became a member of the Oregon State Bar in 1985 and the Washington State Bar in 1987.

Legal Career

After practicing in Eugene for two years in the litigation group of the firm, then known as Gleaves, Swearingen, Larson & Potter, Greg moved to Vancouver, Washington taking a position with the large west coast firm of Bullivant Houser Bailey. In his 11 years with the firm — the last four of which he was a partner — Greg focused on the defense of personal injury claims. While at Bullivant Houser Bailey, Greg litigated personal injury lawsuits in numerous venues throughout Oregon and Washington.

Appreciating Greg’s litigation skills and realizing he had the compassion to represent injured individuals in their battle against insurance companies, Bill Baumgartner convinced Greg to move from the “dark side” of insurance defense and become a partner in the firm Baumgartner, Nelson & Price, PLLC in 1998. The firm focused on the representation of individuals injured by the negligence of others. In joining veteran personal injury attorneys Bill Baumgartner and Bill Nelson, the firm had combined personal injury experience of over approximately 135 years.

Greg had numerous successes during his time at Baumgartner, Nelson & Price. These included a $5 million judgment against a trucking company and a $1.25 million settlement following a protracted lawsuit against a city arising from a police officer pursuing an underage driver at high speed without activating the police car’s overhead lights or siren. The teenager, attempting to elude the officer, collided with Greg’s client, who was unaware of the impending chase. In addition to countless personal injury claims arising from automobile accidents, Greg was also involved in various successful personal injury lawsuits involving work site accidents, governmental negligence, premise liability and liquor liability. Despite opening his own practice, Greg continues to enjoy a strong relationship with his former firm, now known as Baumgartner, Nelson & Wagner, PLLC, working with them as co-counsel on various litigated cases.

In 2012, Greg opened his own law firm in Vancouver, while also serving Of Counsel with The Law Offices of Loren S. Etengoff, assisting with that firm’s litigated personal injury cases in Oregon and Washington. Greg has experienced continued success at his new firm, recently concluding a $3.15 million settlement with a utility district on behalf of an injured worker who received severe injuries from a 7,500 volt contact that occurred as he was riding on top of a house being moved down a state highway. That case, in which Greg served as co-counsel, involved nearly six years of litigation, without a single offer until the day the settlement was concluded.

In his last three trials, Greg obtained:

• A $144,500 verdict on a zero offer case against State Farm;
• A $183,000 judgment against the owner of a McDonald’s restaurant for injuries suffered in a fall, which was approximately $150,000 more than the one and only settlement offer that was made on the eve of the trial; and
• A 188,000 judgment for injuries caused by a car accident in which liability was disputed. The judgment was nearly four times the best offer and twice the available insurance coverage, but was paid in full by the insurance company.

Legal Associations

As past President of the Clark County Bar Association, Greg has been on the Board of Governors for the Washington State Association for Justice (formerly Washington State Trial Lawyers Association) since 2007. He currently serves on that organization’s Executive Committee and as the Vice President of its Legislative Steering Committee. He is a member of the Multnomah County Bar Association, the Clark County Bar Association, Oregon Trial Lawyers Association, and Washington Association for Justice and the American Association for Justice. He has been admitted in all Federal Courts in the States of Oregon and Washington for more than 33 years.

Presentations

Greg has given presentations to WSAJ’s Continuing Legal Education programs on issues as diverse as police pursuit cases and the specific legal requirements necessary for resolving the personal injury claims of minor children. In 2015 -2018, Greg has presented a series of presentations to the Clark County Bar Association specifically focused on selecting, handling and litigating personal injury cases.

Community

Greg resides in Ridgefield, Washington and his community activities include serving as a board member for the Friends of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, which supports environmental and cultural programs associated with the refuge. In 2012, he received the Washington Association of School Administrators’ Community Leadership Award in connection with his role on a bond leadership team that was successful in passing a $47 million facility improvement bond for the Ridgefield School District. It was the first bond for facility improvements passed in that school district in more than 20 years. However, Greg’s greatest enjoyment from his volunteer work has been coaching baseball, basketball and football at the youth level.

Greg is an avid sports fan. He enjoys skiing, boating, biking and other outdoor activities with his family.