Stoel Rives Names Vanessa Soriano Power as Seattle Office Managing Partner

Power to lead 80-plus lawyers with focus on environmental, energy and commercial law practices

Seattle, WA – Stoel Rives is pleased to announce that Vanessa Soriano Power is the new Office Managing Partner for the law firm’s Seattle location. Power will be responsible for the day-to-day management of more than 80 attorneys in the national law firm’s second-largest office and will serve on the firm’s Practice Management Committee. Power succeeds Jeffrey W. Leppo, who served as the Seattle Office Managing Partner for two years and will be retiring at the end of 2016. 

“I am proud to lead the Stoel Rives Seattle office,” said Power. “We have a terrific team dedicated to providing our clients with unsurpassed service.  I remain focused on the firm’s commitment to the broader community and fostering diversity.” 

An experienced litigator, Power focuses her practice in trial and appellate work involving commercial contracts, intellectual property, and class actions. 

Stoel Rives’ Seattle office has served the Pacific Northwest for 30 years. The firm is focused on consistently enhancing client value through client services, knowledge management, efficiency and a continued commitment to diversity and innovation. Power’s appointment and the hiring of the first OnRamp Fellow in the Seattle market, Sallie Lin, highlight the Seattle office’s commitment to the firm’s objectives. 

“Stoel Rives has deep roots in the Pacific Northwest,” said James E. Torgerson, Stoel Rives’ Firm-wide Managing Partner. “We have provided trusted counsel to businesses of all sizes for more than a century, and with Vanessa at the helm, we know that the Stoel Rives Seattle office will remain committed to the growth of business and the economy throughout the region.” 

Power is an active member of the Seattle community. She currently serves as a member of the board of trustees for the King County Bar Foundation. She previously served as president of the board of directors of Legal Voice, and as a member of the board of directors for Crosscut Public Media and Washington Appleseed Center for Law in the Public Interest. Power regularly handles pro bono litigation cases, including work as a cooperating attorney for Legal Voice and the Child Rescue Coalition. 

Power earned a bachelor’s degree and a Master of Public Affairs at the University of Washington, before going on to earn her law degree from its law school. She joined Stoel Rives in 2003 after beginning her legal career at Dorsey & Whitney LLP. Before practicing law, she was a teacher in Oakland, California, as a part of the Teach for America program. 

Best known for its environmental, energy and commercial law practices, the Seattle-based Stoel Rives attorneys provide a wide range of business law and litigation services including full-service legal solutions in corporate and business services, labor and employment law, intellectual property, tax, employee benefits, and estate planning. Stoel Rives represents businesses at all stages of growth, from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. 

In 2016, Stoel Rives’ Seattle office was recognized by the Best Lawyers in America^®, which rated 25 Seattle attorneys among the region's best, while Best Law Firms in America^® rates 15 of the Seattle attorneys’ practices as "metropolitan top-tier." 

About Stoel Rives LLP: Stoel Rives is a leading U.S. corporate and litigation law firm. One of the largest national firms focused on energy, natural resources, environmental law and climate change, Stoel Rives also serves the agribusiness, food and beverage, health care, life sciences and technology industries. With more than 350 attorneys operating out of 10 offices in seven states and the District of Columbia, Stoel Rives is a leader in regulatory and compliance matters, business, labor and employment law, intellectual property, land use, real estate development and construction law.