Robert M. Johnstone

(1972 - 2015)

Education: 

University of Washington, B.A. (1966)

Willamette University School of Law, J.D. (1972)

Professional:

Mr. Johnstone was admitted to practice in the courts of Oregon and Washington, the United States District Court and the United States Claims Court. He was an active member of the Oregon State Bar and Washington State Bar Associations. He was rated “AV” Preeminent with Martindale-Hubbell bar register of preeminent lawyers, a peer review rating which is reserved for the top five percent of the attorneys in the country. He was member of the Oregon State Bar Legal Ethics Committee and past Chairman of the Oregon State Bar Disciplinary Rules and Procedures Committee. He was appointed by the Oregon Supreme Court to serve as a member of the Oregon State Bar Minimum Continuing Legal Education Board, appointed by the Oregon Supreme Court to serve on the Disciplinary Board of the Oregon State Bar. He was a member of the Multnomah County Bar Association and the 12th Judicial District Bar Association. He is also a member of the Beverly Hills Bar Association. He successfully argued cases in the Oregon Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of Oregon, as well as US District Court. He served as an arbitrator in a significant securities fraud case held in New York. He also successfully participated in significant asset based financing and purchasing of fixed wing aircraft as a board member and a general counsel for a major international airline.

Bob was a member of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association and was been an approved insurance panel defense counsel and a member of the Defense Research Institute; a member of the Oregon and National School Boards Association Council of School Attorneys; a member of the American Bar Association and has served on ABA committees on professional responsibility and trial practice; been a member of the faculty for the Oregon Law Institute and is the author of “Ethics: Review of Malpractice Cases in Estate Planning.”  Oregon Law Institute, 1990; and he lectured at the Russian Conversion Program Workshop, Pepperdine University, on intellectual property management in 1996. 

Community:

Bob was past Chairman and a Member of the Board of Trustees of Willamette Valley Medical Center for 16 years. He received the 1994 Distinguished Service Award from McMinnville Community Hospital and Health Trust, Inc., for his efforts in improving the delivery of health care services to the citizens of Yamhill County. He received the 2009 Yamhill County Bar Association Public Service award. He was member of the Board of Directors of Cascades West Financial Services, Inc., an SBA Community Development Company; a member of the Board of Directors of the James H. Stanard Foundation, established as a non-profit corporation to preserve the natural habitat of fish and wildlife and the environment of the state of Oregon; and he served as a member of the Board of Directors and as a Corporate Counsel of Evergreen International Aviation, Inc. He was founder of and a member of the Board of Directors and counsel for Kids on the Block, Inc., a non-profit corporation serving the children of McMinnville. He was a life member of Rotary International and a Paul Harris fellow, and a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Marine Corps Reserve Officers Association. He was a member of the Marine Corps League and “Leathernecks Club” of Las Vegas, Nevada. He was a past President and member of the Board of Directors of the Marine Corps Tankers Association, (www.usmarinetankers.org), a national California based not-for-profit corporation that provides scholarships for qualified applicants and assistance to Marine Corps families.  He was involved with motion picture production in Santa Fe New Mexico, and is the sole managing member of Allied Artists High Desert EB5 Regional Center LLC, based in Santa Fe, New Mexico (www.alliedartists.com).  He also served as counsel to several Russian-American joint ventures.

Awards and Publications:

Robert Johnstone was invited by the Attorney General of the United States Edwin Meese to participate as a delegate to the 1987 U.S. - China Joint Session on Trade, Investment, and Economic Law held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. He also attended the 1990 Moscow Conference on Law and Economic Cooperation held at the Kremlin Palace and was a co-sponsor of the 1991 Moscow Business Conference, which was also held in the Kremlin Palace. He is co-author of the book How to do Business in Russia, PSI Publications, 1995 (2nd edition, 1996). Bob received a special literary award in recognition of his book and business activities in Russia from Delovie Lyudi - Business in Russia business magazine. He was also presented with the Distinguished Torch of Birmingham award by the American People Ambassador Program of People to People International at a special ceremony held at the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C. in December of 1995. Mr. Johnstone also received Presidential Commendations in September 1990 from President George H. Bush and in June 1996 from President Bill Clinton, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the economic growth and development of Russia and the CIS during their historic transition. In 1999 he was appointed and authorized by the US Department of State Sister Cities International to initiate the establishment of sister city relationships with Altenberg and Smolen, Germany. In 2005 he was invited as a visiting scholar and to become a member of the Oxford Round Table at Oxford University, Oxford, England. While there, he delivered a paper on the effects and future of globalization in post communist Eastern Europe.  In recognition of outstanding public service and the promotion of justice and assistance to those less fortunate, he was awarded the 2009 Yamhill County Bar Association Public Service Award by the lawyers and judiciary of Yamhill County, Oregon. He received the Pro Bono Public Service Commendation in 2012 from the Washington State Bar Association. In 2011, he was selected by Best Lawyers in America.

Military:

As a U.S. Marine Officer, he served as a decorated tank company commander in combat operations in the Republic of Vietnam (1967 - 68) during the Vietnam War. He was wounded and participated in Operation “Hue City” during the Tet offensive of 1968, and later served as an engineer company commander, and then as a judge advocate in the Marine Corps Reserve. He now holds the rank of Lt. Colonel,   United States Marine Corps Reserve, Retired. He and his wife lived on their farm in McMinnville, Oregon, with their dogs.

Family:

The Johnstone family consists of Bob and wife Julie (R.N.), their daughters Jennifer (MSW) (deceased 2010), Elisabeth (RN),  Kimberly (MD), and Kristin (deceased 1982) and their sons Jeremy (www.rockadee.com), and Robbie (www.robbiejohnstone.com), who are accomplished, award-winning writers, directors, animators and film producers.