PORTLAND, Ore.—Stoel Rives, an Am Law 200 law firm and the largest law firm in Oregon, today announced that Ben Lauritsen is re-joining the firm as a Partner in its Corporate Practice Group. Lauritsen was most recently head of legal affairs for the Portland Trail Blazers, a franchise of the National Basketball Association, and the Trail Blazers’ affiliated venue and entertainment companies.
“Working with the Trail Blazers and the Allen family has been a transformative experience for me professionally and personally. I look forward to continuing to advise the Trail Blazers and its ownership while expanding my scope with other clients doing exciting work across industries at Stoel Rives,” said Lauritsen. “I have maintained close relationships with my colleagues at the firm, so this really feels like a homecoming. I look forward to building my practice and supporting the firm’s continued growth.”
“We really appreciate Ben’s tremendous impact during his time at the Trail Blazers,” said Dewayne Hankins, the Trail Blazers President of Business Operations. “He has been an essential player in our growth and success here, and we look forward to his continued counsel and insight as we build towards the future.”
Lauritsen joined the Trail Blazers in 2010 and rose to the General Counsel role in 2012, where he advised the organization’s senior management, board of directors and ownership in all legal matters, including strategy, contract negotiations, NBA player and league matters, business operations and compliance.
During his tenure with the Blazers, Lauritsen negotiated the team’s first arena naming rights agreement with Moda and negotiated multiple landmark media rights deals, and supported the company’s broad array of revenue, licensing, brand, marketing and technology initiatives. Additionally, he executed two major restructures of the Trail Blazers’ company, led sensitive internal investigations, and launched the team’s first comprehensive diversity, equity and inclusion program. As President of the Trail Blazers Foundation, he oversaw growth of annual foundation giving from $150,000 to $1.25 million.
“We are so pleased to have Ben rejoin us after his years of high-level legal work for the Trail Blazers, its Foundation and Rip City,” said Kevin Burnett, Chair of Stoel’s Corporate Practice Group. “He brings a unique perspective from his time in the professional sports and entertainment sectors that will enrich our practice and be valuable to our existing and new clients in all sectors.”
As a corporate associate at Stoel Rives from 2008 to 2010, Lauritsen counseled clients on corporate financing, mergers and acquisitions, bankruptcy, restructuring, corporate governance, and general business matters. Prior to joining Stoel, Lauritsen was a corporate associate in the London office of Latham & Watkins LLP, where he advised issuers and underwriters in international equity and debt capital markets transactions, as well as conducted due diligence to validate transactions and support legal opinions.
Following his graduation from the University of Chicago Law School, Lauritsen clerked for The Hon. David G. Campbell in the U.S. District Court of Arizona, 2004–2005. He is a member of the Board of the Trail Blazers Foundation and the Lewis & Clark Law School Center for Innovation.
Stoel Rives’ Corporate Group includes more than 75 lawyers who focus on all areas of corporate law representing both public and private entities at all stages of formation and growth.