Skip links

Layla K. McLean

Shareholder

Experience

As part of the Estate Planning Group, Shareholder and attorney Layla K. McLean focuses on estate planning and administration for taxable and non-taxable estates, business succession planning, gift tax planning, charitable planning, special needs planning, guardianships, conservatorships, business law, and real estate transactions. Layla has also worked with clients to establish 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organizations.

When it comes to estate planning, Layla brings a collaborative approach towards the personal and financial goals of her clients, guiding them through this often-complex road. Layla prides herself on delivering highly customized estate plans for her clients, savings taxes, and finding strategies to accomplish her client’s goals of passing not only family wealth, but family values too. Her knowledge on a range of business and real estate matters provide her clients with asset protection strategies to secure the financial future for them and their loved ones.

Layla has been selected as a “Rising Star” by Oregon Super Lawyers magazine and Thomson Reuters, which is an award given to no more than 2.5% of lawyers in Oregon selected through independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations.

Prior to joining Buckley Law, Layla worked for The Consul Group and at Douglas, Conroyd, Gibb & Pacheco, PC. where she focused on business contracts, commercial real estate transactions, private placement memorandum, aviation and commercial business leases, elder law, trusts and estate planning and administration.

Layla actively participates in the Association of Special Needs Planners (ASNP), Oregon Asian Pacific American Bar Association, is a member of the Oregon Women Lawyers Association Mary Leonard Chapter, the Multnomah County Bar Association, and is a huge supporter of Mount Hood Kiwanis Camp, personally, and as a member of the Board of Directors. She is also a mentor to incoming first year law students at Willamette Law, and is involved in the AVID and Imprint Programs, both of which focus on mentoring high school students from disadvantaged schools and low income and minority households. Layla is also a founding member of Ideal Business Transition Solutions, a group of professional advisors that assists businesses with business succession and transitions.

Born and raised on Oahu, Hawaii, Layla eventually moved to Oregon where she graduated from Portland State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Global Marketing. She also obtained a Post-Baccalaureate in Business Advertising before earning her law degree and dispute resolution certificates in mediation and arbitration from Willamette University College of Law. Layla also attended the East China University College of Politics and Law in Shanghai, China where she lived for a summer while studying Chinese business law.

In her free time, Layla enjoys traveling abroad and back home to Hawaii, cooking, gardening, and spending time with her family, friends, and nieces and nephews.

Areas of Focus

Estate Planning

  • Trust and Estate Planning
    • Taxable & Non-Taxable Estates
    • Charitable Trusts
  • Trust Administration
  • Probate
  • Guardianships
  • Conservatorships
  • Succession Planning
  • Special Needs Trust

Business

  • Acquisitions
  • Succession Planning

Real Estate

  • Transactions

Professional & Community Activities

  • Founding member, Ideal Business Transition Solutions
  • Board of Directors, Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp
  • Board of Directors, Civics Learning Project
  • Leadership Lake Oswego, Lake Oswego Chamber of Commerce, Class of 2022
  • Member, Academy of Special Needs Planners
  • Member, Oregon Asian Pacific American Bar Association
  • Member, Oregon Women Lawyers (OWLS) – Mary Leonard Chapter
  • Member, Willamette Valley Estate Planning Council
  • Member, Clackamas Bar Association
  • Member, Multnomah Bar Association
  • Member, Marion Bar Association
  • Mentor, First-Year Law Students at Willamette University
  • Member, LEAP, a Professional Women’s Networking Group
  • Member, Imprint Mentorship Program
  • Member, AVID Mentorship Program
  • Volunteer, Wills for Heroes, Oregon State Bar Legal Clinic

Professional Achievement & Recognition

  • Oregon Rising Stars Honoree – 2022-2023

Publications & Presentations

  • Author, Transfer on Death Deed in Oregon (TODD), Practical Law Trusts & Estates, Thompson Reuters, West Law, 2018-2022
  • Panelist, Transition & Exit Planning: Why, When, What?, Ideal Business Transition Solutions, November 2021
  • Presenter, “Things you otter know …Estate planning, charitable giving and special needs trusts”, Oregon Zoo for the Oregon Assocation of Tax Consultants, September 2021
  • Presenter, Transition & Exit Planning: The Why, When, and What, Buckley Law, Ideal Business Transition Solutions and Technology Association of Oregon, September 2020
  • Presenter, Special Needs Trust 101, Buckley Law & Palladio Group, October 2018
  • Presenter, “Estate Planning and Life Insurance”, Knights for Columbus, April 2018
  • Presenter, “Special Needs Planning for Disabled Individuals”, Knights for Columbus, March 2018
  • Presenter, “Estate Planning and Asset Protection Strategies”, Knights for Columbus, December, 2017

Practice Areas

Admitted to Practice

  • Oregon State

Education

  • Willamette University College of Law
    • Juris Doctor (J.D.)
    • Mediation & Arbitration Certificates
  • Portland State University
    • Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Global Marketing
    • Post-Baccalaureate in Business Advertising

Let's work together.