Stoel Rives Partners Named Among Law360 Rising Stars

Kirk Maag and Alex Mertens ranked among top legal talent in environmental and energy practice areas

PORTLAND, Ore. — Stoel Rives LLP is pleased to announce that natural resources and environmental attorney Kirk Maag and energy attorney Alex Mertens have been selected as“Law360 Rising Stars for 2020.” Honorees were selected from among more than 1,300 applicants based on their career achievements, leadership, influence, and community involvement.

A partner at Stoel Rives, Maag co-leads the firm-wide Agribusiness, Food, Beverage, and Timber industry group, which consists of more than 50 attorneys and paralegals in nine offices nationwide. He is a leader and trusted advisor in the agriculture and timber industries and is a prolific speaker and author for legal issues in the industries.

Maag’s practice involves advising clients in natural resource industries, including agribusinesses, forest products companies, manufacturers, and water suppliers. He has represented clients in the acquisition and disposition of millions of acres of timberlands across the country and has successfully defended irrigation districts in high-stakes litigation in state and federal courts. He regularly advises clients on regulatory issues related to water rights, solid waste, and protected species. 

Maag grew up on a family farm in eastern Oregon, and the lessons from the farm are always with him, particularly the value of leadership in the community. He serves as president of Oregon Future Farmers of America Foundation and president for the board of the Cultivating Change Foundation, an organization whose mission is to value and elevate LGBTQ individuals in the agricultural industry. Maag also sits on the board of the Oregon Water Resources Congress and the executive committee for the Oregon State Bar’s Environment & Natural Resources Section.

Mertens is a partner in the firm’s energy finance practice and co-chair of the Energy & Natural Resources industry group. Experienced in energy finance matters, she advises energy developers on issues concerning the acquisition, development, financing and sale of energy projects, with a particular focus on negotiating equity, tax equity and debt financings.

Mertens leads a 10-person project finance team that plays a critical role in the firm's international reputation for the development and financing of renewable energy projects, including nearly one-quarter of wind energy production in the United States. She has distinguished herself among her peers by completing more than 75 significant deals totaling 9.5 GW and valued at more than $7.48 billion.

Mertens is a member of the Washington State Bar Association, the District of Columbia Bar Association, Minnesota State Bar Association, American Bar Association, and Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy. She is a former partner on the Environmental Collective Action Team of Social Venture Partners for which she served as vice chair in 2014.