Stoel Rives Offices and Attorneys Rank High in Chambers Legal Guide
6/7/2006

CONTACT: Bill Kueser, Director of Marketing, (206) 386-7683

PORTLAND- Four Stoel Rives offices and 55 of its attorneys are included in Chambers USA: Guide to America's Leading Lawyers for Business for outstanding capabilities in specific areas of business law. The guide, recently released by respected U.K. legal publisher Chambers and Partners, is based on extensive independent research, including in-depth interviews with leading private-practice attorneys and key in-house counsel throughout the United States.

Chambers ranks Stoel Rives attorneys in seven areas of law: corporate/commercial, corporate/mergers and acquisitions, employment, commercial litigation, real estate, environmental and natural resources law. Stoel Rives received category rankings in four states where the firm has offices. Where noted below, the firm received the highest possible ranking in the category.

• Oregon: Corporate/M&A (First Tier), Employment, Litigation (First Tier), Real Estate, Environment (First Tier)
• Utah: Corporate/M&A (First Tier), Litigation, Real Estate (First Tier)
• Idaho: Corporate/Commercial (First Tier), Employment, Litigation, Natural Resources & Environment (First Tier)
• Washington: Corporate/Commercial, Employment, Litigation, Real Estate, Environment (First Tier)

Stoel Rives tops the list of Oregon firms in the categories of corporate/mergers and acquisitions, commercial litigation and environmental. 

The guide reports, "There is clear blue water between the largest firm in Oregon, which has over 360 lawyers, and its competitors when it comes to corporate/M&A.  The team's breadth and depth has led to it being associated with the majority of the high-end work in the state.  As commentators remarked, 'its lawyers produce high-quality work and are dedicated to the client and getting the deal done.'"

The firm's litigation capabilities in Oregon received equally high marks: "Several interviewees consider this 'the best firm for major business litigation'. . . ."

The environmental and natural resources team in Oregon is considered a "strong" practice and a "'dominant player'. . . sustained by what clients and peers describe as 'a large, excellent group that is responsive, accessible and proactive.'"

Stoel Rives' Utah office received top honors in corporate/mergers and acquisitions, with "'people on the ground to cover all areas.'" It also received the highest marks in real estate: "this Salt Lake team can also draw on the resources of the firm's network of offices in its most complex multistate transactions. . . . Its service is responsive and focused on the business needs of its clients. . . ."

About Stoel Rives' top-ranked corporate/commercial practice in Idaho, "This Boise-based team has the distinct advantage of being able to pool support and resources from its offices across the USA." The office's first-tier natural resources and environmental practice "emphasizes regulatory/compliance issues and any resulting litigation. Areas of focus include air and water quality, waste, wetlands and endangered species protection."

In Washington, Stoel Rives' environmental practice earns the guide's highest honor. In this category, Chambers reports, "This large regional firm handles environmental work throughout the west of the USA, including states such as Alaska, Hawaii and Oregon, and continues to build on an enviable reputation in Washington." Additionally, Ron Sim was noted and ranked first tier in the litigation category for his white-collar criminal defense practice: "Sim has earned the strongest reputation as a white-collar defense lawyer since leaving the U.S. attorney's office in 1980."

The 55 Stoel Rives attorneys included are listed below, along with the area of law for which they were selected. Starred entries indicate the attorney received the guide's highest possible ranking.

Oregon Steven Abel, Real Estate* Courtney Angeli, Employment Todd Bauman, Corporate/M&A Ruth Beyer, Corporate/M&A Barbara Brainard, Employment Paul Buchanan, Employment Michael Campbell, Environment Stuart Chestler, Corporate/M&A Barnes Ellis, Litigation* Howard Feuerstein, Real Estate* David Green, Real Estate* Dan Grinfas, Employment Henry Hewitt, Corporate/M&A* Victor Kisch, Employment Chris Kitchel, Employment Robert Moorman, Corporate/M&A Mark Morford, Environment* Gregory Mowe, Litigation Joel Mullin, Litigation Margaret Hill Noto, Corporate/M&A Thomas Page, Real Estate* Amy Joseph Pedersen, Employment Edward Reeves, Employment Lois Rosenbaum, Litigation Joan Snyder, Environment John Thomas, Corporate/M&A Thomas Wood, Environment Washington Margaret Barbier, Employment Duff Bryant, Corporate/Commercial Beth Ginsberg, Environment

David Goodnight, Litigation Jeffrey Leppo, Environment* Carl Lewis, Corporate/Commercial Timothy O'Connell, Employment David Rockwell, Real Estate Jerome Rubin, Employment Ronald Sim, Litigation* Gordon Tanner, Real Estate Salt Lake City Kenneth Black, Litigation Matthew Durham, Employment Thomas Ellison, Real Estate* Ervin Holmes, Real Estate Nathan Jones, Corporate/M&A David Jordan, Litigation* Guy Kroeche, Real Estate Ronald Moffitt, Corporate/M&A Reed Topham, Corporate/M&A Boise Kevin Beaton, Natural Resources* Paul Boyd, Corporate/Commercial* James Dale, Employment* Quentin Knipe, Real Estate Krista McIntyre, Natural Resources* Kris Ormseth, Corporate/Commercial Walt Sinclair, Litigation Gregory Tollefson, Employment

For more details on the rankings, visit http://www.chamberssecure.com/us.

About Stoel Rives LLP: Stoel Rives is a business law firm providing counseling and litigation services throughout the western United States. The firm's 350 attorneys provide client-focused services to a wide range of clients from nine offices in five western states. Stoel Rives is regarded as a regional leader in energy, natural resources, environment, litigation, corporate and intellectual property law.