Spencer Aldrich

Workers' Compensation is extremely complex and I've spent most of my career learning it, and practicing it, so that i can help you get the benefits you're entitled to. I do it with compassion, skill, and an understanding of both sides of the system.

For many years I worked on "defense", which means I represented employers and an insurance company. It really wasn't for me, though. In 2017, I "switched sides" and began helping injured workers, and feel it was the right decision. I went to law school to help people, and I'm proud to be able to do that everyday. After working with a great practice owned by a pair of excellent attorneys, I started my own practice in late 2021. In 2024, I grew the practice into a partnership with another amazing WC attorney.

When not practicing law, I like to shoot film photography, game, and enjoy the many animals my partner and I have (cats, dog, chickens, and honeybees). I moved to Oregon in 2009 and I love it. I grew up in the Midwest, and went to law school in southern California, but have really settled in Oregon. It's fantastic.

• Free Consultation
  All consultations are free.
• Contingent Fees

Oregon

Oregon State Bar

ID Number: 092699

Since 2009

Co-Owner

Aldrich & Brunot, LLC

2024 - Current

Spencer Aldrich and Zachary Brunot are two highly skilled and experienced attorneys helping injured workers throughout Oregon.

Founder

Aldrich Law, LLC

2021 - 2024

Associate Attorney

Schoenfeld & Schoenfeld, P.C.

2017 - 2021

Field Counsel

Liberty Mutual Insurance

2014 - 2017

Paralegal Coordinator

Liberty Mutual Insurance

2011 - 2014

Assistant General Counsel

Advantage Point Learning

2010 - 2011

In-House Counsel

TreesNW

2010

Chapman University Fowler School of Law

J.D. (2009) | Law

Miami University of Ohio

B.A. (2005) | History & Political Science

With Honors

Best Workers Compensation Attorneys in Portland

Expertise.com

2023

Best Workers Compensation Attorneys in Beaverton

Expertise.com

2023

Oregon Trial Lawyers Association

Guardian

2021 - Current

Activities: OTLA's 1000+ attorney members and support staff represent injured consumers, patients, workers, employees and all Oregonians. OTLA provides many tools and services to help you help your clients. These include immediate access to hundreds of colleagues through the OTLA listservs, cutting-edge Continuing Legal Education seminars, advocacy work to preserve and enhance your clients’ rights at the state and federal levels, first-rate professional publications, networking opportunities and more.

Oregon State Bar - Workers' Comp Section

Executive Committee Member at Large

2020 - Current

Activities: Member of the governing body for the WC section of the State Bar. I'm the co-chair of the Going Forward subcommittee, and also on the Bench Bar subcommittee.

Multnomah County Bar Association

Member

2017 - Current

Oregon State Bar  # 092699

Member in Good Standing

2009 - Current

BIG WIN for Injured Workers; HB 4138

Aldrich Legal Blog

2022

Don't wait for the clinic to schedule your referral!

Aldrich Legal Blog

2022

MCO-h no!

Aldrich Legal Blog

2022

Time Loss: Trust us, we're experts?, Oregon Workers' Compensation Section Annual Conference, Salishan - Lincoln City, Oregon

April 24, 2025

Oregon State Bar - Workers' Compensation Section

Presentation about temporary disability at annual WC conference, which is attended by most WC attorneys in Oregon.

What Every Attorney Needs to Know About Workers' Compensation, Multnomah County Bar Association

2018

Continuing Education seminar designed to education non-WC attorneys about the WC system and how it may overlap with their practices.

Effective and Ethical Communication in Workers' Compensation Matters, Oregon State Bar Association

2016

Q. Should I hire contractors with insurance for arborist work?

July 24, 2025

A: Personally, i would not hire anyone to do skilled and potentially dangerous work on my property without vetting that contractor and making sure they have proper licenses/certifications and are bonded and insured.

If one of their workers gets hurt on the job (at your house) it might be a WC claim (assuming they're an employee and not an independent subcontractor). It's theoretically possible that the injured worker might have a third-party claim against your homeowner's policy under certain circumstances. For instance, i've represented delivery drivers who were bitten by dogs at homes they were delivering to. They had a WC claim against their ER's WC insurance, and a HO claim against the policy covering the house.

If a tree falls on your house, you definitely want a bond and a million-dollar general liability policy to go after.

Also, and this is NOT legal advice (none of this is, obviously), but I would also worry that if I hired an un-licensed and un-insured arborist who dropped a tree on my house, my home owner's insurance might deny coverage because i co-created the problem by negligently hiring such a person. My recommendation would be to read your HO policy carefully or talk to your broker to see such a thing is possible.

TLDR: It's not wise to hire contractors who are not licensed/bonded/insured. ... Read More

Q. Wrongful termination, employer unresponsive about rehire eligibility, falls, harassment, HR issue.

July 22, 2025

A: Consult an employment attorney about the termination and WC discrimination aspect.

From a workers' comp perspective, if you sought treatment for the injuries sustained when you fell you should file a WC claim. You can download a Form 801 from the WCD's website, and they also have a resource on the site that will let you look up who your employer's WC insurer was so you'll know where to send the 801. Also, your doctor might be able to help with a Form 827 (almost the same as an 801). Either way, you need to send something to the WC carrier asserting a WC claim arising out of the fall so they can start processing it. Just telling your work you fell and hurt yourself is not necessarily enough. It's important to report the injury, which you did, but it's not a potential WC claim unless medical treatment is involved too.

If you never sought medical treatment, you don't have a WC claim to make so you should just focus on the employment law aspect.

If you file a WC claim and it is denied (meaning you get a letter saying it's denied, or more than 60 days pass and you don't get a letter saying one way or the other) you should consult a WC attorney. ... Read More

Q. Can an employee be terminated for filing a false worker's comp claim?

July 8, 2025

A: Someone else answered from an employment law perspective, so I'll answer just to comment on the WC perspective. The WC claim (fake though it may be) still needs to be processed. The employer should involve their WC carrier ASAP. If what is alleged is true, the WC carrier will conduct an investigation and likely issue a claim denial to the worker. The worker can then appeal that denial which will put the matter in front of an ALJ. Evidence will be presented including the witnesses, medical reports, investigation findings, etc. and the ALJ will determine if the denial will stand or if the worker has met their burden of proving that they have a compensable claim.

Just because the employer has reason to believe the claim is made up will NOT get them off the hook for a failure to process the claim.

Also, in WC is possible to have a "combined condition" where a legit work injury (even if it's minor) combines with a preexisting, non-work-related injury and the result is a valid WC claim (subject to limitations). A minor work injury can absolutely worsen a preexisting condition such that the worker is entitled to WC benefits. It's a complex medical question that requires doctor evidence, but it can happen. So, the facts you present might seem bogus to an ER that doesn't fully understand WC, but it could still be a legit WC claim.

I am NOT an employment attorney, but I would think firing a worker under these circumstances is risky...at least while the WC claim is playing out. My understanding is that by invoking the WC system the worker falls under a protected class and cannot have a negative employment action taken against them because of that invocation. If I was the ER, i'd wait until the WC process was complete one way or another before taking action, and I'd absolutely pay to get the professional advice of a employer-sided employment atty. ... Read More

View More Answers ›