Stoel Rives Elects Melissa Jones as Next Firm Managing Partner

In January 2020 Jones will become the Am Law 200 law firm’s second female firm managing partner

Sacramento, Calif. – Stoel Rives LLP is pleased to announce that Melissa Jones, a litigation partner in the firm’s Sacramento office, will be the next firm managing partner. Her term will begin Jan. 1, 2020. She will be the second woman to lead Stoel Rives in the last 15 years and will succeed Jim Torgerson who has served as the firm’s managing partner since Jan. 2016. Jones will become one of only 24 women currently serving as the Managing Partner of an Am Law 200 firm.

Jones is a trial lawyer who represents clients from a broad range of industries in civil litigation matters, including agribusiness, food and beverage, and oil and gas. She established and leads the firm’s California Proposition 65 practice and has represented Fortune 500 clients in complex business litigation and governmental enforcement disputes.

“Melissa is among our most accomplished firm leaders and lawyers. She is deeply committed to providing our clients with excellent service and value. She understands our markets, industries, attorneys and staff,” said Torgerson. “Her service managing the California offices and as Chair of the firm-wide Compensation Committee has been exemplary, forward-thinking and strategic. I look forward to working with Melissa over the coming months to continue building momentum on the firm’s client-focused practice. Melissa’s leadership will guide us in the new decade to be an even stronger law firm – she has the firm’s total confidence.”

“I am honored to be chosen by my partners to serve as the next firm managing partner,” said Jones. “Following our current strategic path, I expect a sustained commitment to client value while continuing to improve our delivery of legal services. I am enthusiastic about our focus on our client’s industries and our competitive platform. And I am committed to providing a fulfilling workplace for all attorneys, professionals and administrative staff by maintaining our commitment to diversity and inclusion, and talent management.”

Active in the Sacramento business community, Jones has a distinguished career. She has been elected by the Sacramento Business Journal as “Best of the Bar” every year since 2014 and was selected as a Forty Under 40 leader in 2012. She has served as the Co-Chair of the Stoel Rives Sacramento Region Innovation Awards since the program’s inception in 2016. The awards recognize the area’s vibrant innovation community — from startups to established companies — and their breakthrough creations. During her career, Jones has served as President to the Sacramento Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, as a Lawyer Representative to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference, the Chair of the Eastern District Conference, and as a member of the Eastern District’s Judicial Advisory Committee.

Jones has a law degree from the University of California, Davis School of Law (King Hall) where she graduated in 1999.