Jim grew up with his mother and father, Rosemary and Hugh Martin (both now deceased), and his
three siblings, Hugh, Mary, and John. If you met him in his early days, you may have faced Jim on
Uniontown, Pennsylvania’s baseball fields (where he likely struck you out with a curveball) or on its
basketball courts (where he had a dangerous jump shot). Or maybe you met Jim—like his first wife,
Carolyn DeSantis—at Duquesne University, or as part of the 1981 graduating class at Ohio Northern
University Pettit College of Law.
If not in the East, you may have met Jim in Portland, Oregon, where he and Carolyn raised their two
children, Elizabeth and Dan, where Jim later married Joanne Sunnarborg, and where he lived the last
forty years. During that time, you might have crossed paths with Jim in the Pacific Northwest’s
courtrooms, where he established himself as a top medical malpractice defense attorney. An American
College of Trial Lawyers inductee, Jim was a true trial lawyer who defended his clients with the type
of integrity and zealous advocacy that earned him respect and long-lasting friendships among clients,
colleagues, and opponents alike. With his successes, Jim co-founded and helped grow Hoffman, Hart
& Wagner LLP and, although he retired from full practice in 2009, he groomed the next generation
by continuing to mentor new attorneys.
Outside the courtroom, you may have met Jim in Portland’s other communities. In the late 1990s, he
helped Joanne launch a Pearl District-based fashion and lifestyle boutique, Desperado (now thriving
in Bend), which made the couple a pioneering and long-term fixture in the neighborhood. More
recently, Jim dedicated the last decade of his life—and his advocacy skills—to volunteer work. For
example, you might have walked with Jim during the annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s, which he
helped organize as a board member of the Alzheimer’s Association Oregon & Southwest Washington
Chapter. Or you might have seen Jim fighting for those touched by brain injuries with Brain Injury
Connections Northwest, or volunteering at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center.
If you didn’t meet Jim in those ways, you may have passed him in the Grant Park neighborhood
walking his dog, Preston (always a treat-filled Kong nearby); joined him for dinner at Chameleon
Restaurant & Bar (always with a “Jim Thai Salad”); found him on the Multnomah Athletic Club’s
racquetball courts or skipping rope (always countless sets of 100 reps); or celebrated the holidays and
warm summer days at his house parties (always scored to Jim’s well-tailored tastes, heavy on Tom
Petty and Lucinda Williams).
The first time you met Jim, you may have thought him quiet—or, if lucky, you may have gotten his
whole life story. Either way, you soon realized that Jim chose his words and timing with care, and
spoke up when it mattered most. He was never too shy to waive the Terrible Towel (literally or
otherwise), offer his thoughts on Rip City’s highs and lows, or—most important—share stories and
photos of his grandson, Tomas. No matter how you met him, we will all remember Jim as a smart,
caring, and dignified man who, equally talented and humble, would break his thoughtful silence with
a meaningful insight or a genuine chuckle. We will miss both deeply.
Rest in peace, and contentment, Jim.
For those who wish to honor Jim’s life, please consider a donation to Brain Injury Connections
Northwest, online at braininjuryconnectionsnw.org/donate or by mail to PO Box 15051, Portland,
Oregon 97293; or to the Alzheimer’s Association Oregon & Southwest Washington Chapter, online
at alz.org/jimmartin or by mail to 1650 NW Naito Parkway, Suite 190, Portland, Oregon 97209.
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