Portland, ORE – January 14, 2014. Ball Janik LLP is pleased to announce it has opened an office in Orlando, Florida. The firm welcomes Jon Marshall Oden, who joins Ball Janik LLP as a partner, as well as Evan J. Small, an associate, and Debra L. Drake, a paralegal, to the Florida office. The Orlando office, headed by Oden, is located downtown at 201 E Pine Street in Suite 825, Orlando, Florida 32801. Ball Janik LLP has four offices located in Portland, OR, Bend, OR, Orlando, FL, and Washington, D.C.

“We are excited to announce the opening of the Orlando office. Expanding into the Florida market increases our client service offerings, with specific areas of focus in construction litigation, real estate litigation, creditor rights, and government affairs,” stated Stephen Janik, Chairman and co-founder of Ball Janik LLP. “Jon Oden and his team are a great addition to the firm, and we are proud to offer our clients services in the Pacific Northwest as well as D.C. and Florida,” stated Janik.

Jon Marshall Oden has nearly two decades of experience in commercial litigation and dispute resolution, representing clients from the banking, medical, legal, entertainment, hospitality and transportation industries. Oden joins Ball Janik LLP after working as a partner at the law firm of Fisher, Rushmer, Werrenrath, Dickson, Talley & Dunlap, P.A. where he was a trial attorney.

Oden has received the AV® Preeminent™ Rating from Martindale–Hubbell® and he is listed in The Best Lawyers in America in the area of Real Estate Litigation. Oden is a member of the Florida Bar and the Orange County Bar Association. He received his J.D. in 1994 from the University of Virginia School of Law and his B.A. in 1991, magna cum laude, from the College of William & Mary.

Evan J. Small joins Ball Janik LLP as an associate practicing in the Orlando office. Small works with clients on construction litigation matters and insurance recovery issues. He is an aggressive litigator representing clients in both state and federal courts on matters involving construction defect, commercial litigation, and insurance coverage. Small received his J.D. in 2008 from the Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad Law Center and his B.S. in Business Administration in 2005 from the University of Florida. Small is a member of the Florida Bar Association, and is admitted to appear before the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida.