Dean N. Alterman

Portland Attorney Dean Alterman

For more than 30 years Dean Alterman has advised private businesses and real estate investors. Dean has helped his clients buy, sell, and lease commercial and multi-family real estate, negotiate development agreements, form condominiums, acquire and sell businesses, and resolve the other legal matters that come up in the business world. Known for his unusual memory and his mathematical mind, Dean Alterman brings to his practice the experience of eight years in real estate sales, two terms on a county planning commission, and a stint as an outside director of a community bank and its holding company.

Dean frequently speaks and writes on real estate and land use topics, and is the author of two books for real estate lawyers. The American Bar Association published his first book in 2015, a primer for aspiring real estate lawyers titled How to Build a Real Estate Law Practice, and published his second book in 2021, a guide to drafting easement agreements called simply How to Draft Easements.

When not at his desk advising clients, Dean is an active leader in Portland's civic life, with present or past board service on many cultural and educational organizations, including the Portland Japanese Garden, the Japan-America Society of Oregon, Portland Piano International, the University Club, and Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center. Dean earned his A.B. in statistics from Harvard College in 1981. Dean received his J.D., magna cum laude, from Northwestern School of Law of Lewis and Clark College in 1989, where he was the managing editor of the law review.

Representative Transactions

Professional Memberships

Civic Activities

Admitted to Practice


Contact Dean

Dean N. Alterman
Principal
503-517-8201
10.0Dean N Alterman