Stoel Rives LLP is a
U.S.
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...
business
law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...
with 10 office locations in seven U.S. states and Washington, D.C. Headquartered in
Portland, Oregon
Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...
, in the
Park Avenue West Tower, it is the largest law firm in the
state
State most commonly refers to:
* State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory
**Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country
**Nation state, a ...
of
Oregon
Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
, having 326 attorneys and a total staff of 639 as of 2023.
Stoel Rives handles corporate, energy, environmental, intellectual property, labor and employment, land use and construction, litigation, natural resources and renewable energy law.
History
Stoel Rives began as the Portland-based firm of Carey & Kerr, which was founded in 1907. At the time, the firm was located at Third and Stark streets in the Chamber of Commerce Building. In 1911, it moved to the
Yeon Building.
In 1931, the firm's name became Carey, Hart, Spencer & McCulloch, with the latter being Charles E. McCulloch for which
McCulloch Stadium
McCulloch Stadium is a 2,500-seat outdoor stadium in the Northwestern United States, located in Salem, Oregon. Built in 1950, the multi-use facility serves as home to Willamette University's football and track & field teams, and high school foo ...
in Salem, Oregon, is named. In 1970, the then named Davies, Biggs, Strayer, Stoel and Boley moved to the Georgia-Pacific Building (now
Standard Insurance Center) on Fifth Avenue.
In 1979, the firm merged with another large Portland firm, Rives, Bonyhadi and Smith, founded in 1935, to become Stoel, Rives, Boley, Fraser and Wyse ("Stoel Rives").
In 1987, Stoel Rives merged with
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
-based Jones, Grey and Bayley, founded in 1912, to become Stoel, Rives, Boley, Jones & Grey. The firm expanded into
Boise, Idaho
Boise ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Idaho, most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, there were 235,685 people residing in the city. Loca ...
in 1991,
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...
in 1992, and California in 2001, establishing a presence in
Sacramento
Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...
,
San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
and
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe (; Washo language, Washo: ''dáʔaw'') is a Fresh water, freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the Western United States, straddling the border between California and Nevada. Lying at above sea level, Lake Tahoe is the largest a ...
with the acquisition of Washburn, Briscoe & McCarthy. The firm's geographic footprint expanded further with the opening of offices in
San Diego, California (2006),
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
(2007),
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage, officially the Municipality of Anchorage, is the List of cities in Alaska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska. With a population of 291,247 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it contains nearly 40 percent of ...
(2008) and
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
(2013). The firm became Stoel Rives in 1996.
[
In January 2020, Stoel Rives named Melissa A. Jones as the Firm Managing Partner.]
Awards
*''Chambers and Partners'' currently rated 92 Stoel Rives lawyers among the best in their practice areas. The firm's Renewable and Alternative Energy Law practice and its Food and Beverage practice are both rated among the best in the United States by ''Chambers'', with another 24 practice areas receiving recognition across multiple states. (2017)
Publications
Stoel Rives publishes a series of "Law of" handbooks, intended to provide a general overview of the legal and business issues involved in specific emerging or rapidly developing areas of law. The series include ''The Law of Wind—A Guide to Business and Legal Issues, Lava Law—Legal Issues in Geothermal Energy Development, The Law of Solar Energy—A Guide to Business and Legal Issues, The Law of Outdoor Industries—A Guide to Business and Legal Issues, and The Construction Lien in Washington—A Legal Analysis for the Construction Industry''.
Notable lawyers and alumni
* Rene Gonzalez, Portland City Council member
*Susan P. Graber
Susan Pia Graber (born July 5, 1949) is an American attorney and jurist. She is a Senior status, senior United States federal judge, United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. A native of Oklahoma, she ...
, judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (in case citations, 9th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts for the following federal judicial districts:
* Distric ...
* Danielle J. Hunsaker, judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (in case citations, 9th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts for the following federal judicial districts:
* Distric ...
*Rives Kistler
Rives Kistler (born 1949) is an American attorney and judge in the state of Oregon. After college and law school on the East Coast, he moved to Oregon where he worked in private practice before joining the Oregon Department of Justice. Kistler th ...
, associate justice of the Oregon Supreme Court
The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest State court (United States), state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.
*Greg Macpherson
Gregory Hector Macpherson (born May 3, 1950) is a Democratic politician in the US state of Oregon. From 2003 to 2009, he served as the state representative from District 38, which includes most of Lake Oswego and portions of southwestern Por ...
, member of the Oregon House of Representatives
The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, the upper house being the Oregon State Senate. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of ...
(D-38th district (2003 - 2009))
*Hardy Myers
Hardy Myers (October 25, 1939 – November 29, 2016) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician who served three terms as the 15th attorney general of the state of Oregon, United States. Prior to taking office in 1997, he served from 1975 ...
, Oregon Attorney General
The Oregon attorney general is a statutory officer within the executive branch of the U.S. state, state of Oregon, and serves as the chief legal officer of the state, heading its Oregon Department of Justice, Department of Justice with its six op ...
(1997-2008)
* Wendy J. Olson, United States Attorney for the District of Idaho (2010 - 2017)
*Katie Porter
Katherine Moore Porter (born January 3, 1974) is an American politician and lawyer who served as a U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. representative from California from 2019 to 2025. She is a member of the Democratic Party (United States), Dem ...
, U.S. Representative for California's 45 congressional district (2002-2004)
*Rey Ramsey
Rey Ramsey is an American social justice entrepreneur, author, and the former CEO of the One Economy Corporation, a nonprofit he co-founded in 2000.
Ramsey received a Bachelor of Arts, B.A. in political science from Rutgers University, where he ...
, CEO of One Economy Corporation
References
External links
* {{Official website, http://www.stoel.com/
Law firms based in Portland, Oregon
Law firms established in 1907
Privately held companies based in Oregon
1907 establishments in Oregon