Dennis Karnopp receives the Oregon State Bar President’s Affirmative Action Award

Dennis Karnopp is a senior partner in the Bend law firm of Karnopp Petersen LLP. He practices primarily in the field of Indian law, carrying on the tradition of the firm, which has represented the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon since 1955.

Mr. Karnopp’s commitment to increasing minority representation in the legal profession is best demonstrated by his continuous support of the bar’s Opportunities for Law in Oregon (“OLIO”) program, launching the Predicate Study (examining minority participation in Oregon’s legal profession) during his tenure as OSB president and becoming the first member of Oregon Women Lawyers’ Central Oregon chapter, Cascade Women Lawyers.

In his service to the OSB, Mr. Karnopp has served on the Board of Governors, as its president (1995-96), as chair of the General Practice Section, on the Affirmative Action Committee and as a member of the Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee and the Disciplinary System Task Force. Currently, he serves on the Senior Lawyers Task Force and is a member of the House of Delegates. He is also a member of the board of directors for the Campaign for Equal Justice, The Nature Conservancy and has served as chair of the Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission.