Stoel Rives Promotes 11 Attorneys to Partner Status

Corporate and litigation law firm focused on agribusiness, energy, environmental law, and real estate promotes lawyers in key practice areas

PORTLAND, Ore. – Stoel Rives LLP, an Am Law 200 law firm, is pleased to announce that 11 of its attorneys became new partners of the firm effective Jan. 1, 2020. Located in the firm’s Boise, Minneapolis, Portland, Salt Lake City, and Seattle offices, the new partners are focused on client value and innovation, which are keystones of Stoel Rives’ corporate culture and commitment to excellence.

“I am pleased to welcome this talented group of dedicated lawyers to partnership at Stoel Rives,” said Firm Managing Partner, Melissa A. Jones. “These lawyers are emerging leaders in key practice areas including litigation and environmental, natural resources, corporate, and health care law. We look forward to working together throughout the new decade to continue to advance the legal profession and offer unparalleled legal counsel to our clients.”

The new Stoel Rives partners include:

Thomas Braun, an environmental and energy attorney who focuses his practice on helping businesses create innovative solutions to matters involving management, remediation, and redevelopment of contaminated properties, or brownfields. Having previously worked at the U.S. Department of Justice and at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Braun also has broad experience in regulatory compliance and response to enforcement actions.

Melanie Clark, an attorney in the Real Estate group, has a broad real estate practice including acquisition and disposition of land, project development, leasing, and financing. She serves as counsel to developers of mixed-use, resort, and residential projects, including condominiums and vacation products.

Lauren DiFrancesco, a litigator, focuses her complex commercial litigation practice on product liability defense. Her product liability work includes defending numerous medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers, automotive and RV trailer manufacturers, and component parts manufacturers, along with asbestos litigation, including talc, asbestos-containing products, and masks/respirators. Prior to her legal career, DiFrancesco worked as a registered nurse, giving her invaluable insight for her litigation practice, particularly for evaluating medical records, deposing health care providers and injured parties, and identifying and utilizing medical experts.

Timothy Hatfield is a dedicated health care attorney who helps his clients deliver innovative health care products and services in a complex and ever-changing regulatory environment. He has particular expertise in health fraud and abuse, insurance regulation, and Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement. Hatfield represents clients in disputes with state and federal administrative agencies and advises health care entities regarding internal investigations and self-disclosures.

Melissa Healy represents employers in all areas of labor and employment law. She has significant litigation experience and has first- or second-chaired more than 15 jury trials and arbitrations. Healy has a strong traditional labor background and regularly represents employers in discharge and contract interpretation arbitrations and before the National Labor Relations Board.

Jennifer Johnson is an attorney in the Corporate practice group and has extensive experience representing clients on significant business transactions for companies in a wide range of industries including renewable energy, distribution, health care, telecommunications, forestry and other service industries. Johnson has experience in domestic and international mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, commercial transactions and contracts, and antitrust regulatory compliance.

Michael Menssen is an attorney in the litigation practice group. He has broad experience in a wide variety of complex corporate litigation matters, including class actions, contract disputes, securities litigation, trade secrets, business torts, and others. He also has significant experience in labor and employment matters, including wage and hour, discrimination, sexual harassment, and wrongful termination cases. When litigation arises, he provides sound strategic counsel and helps his clients obtain successful results.

Kara Morse is a health care attorney providing regulatory, business and transactional support to medical groups, managed care companies and other health care entities so that they can focus on serving their patients and members. With a concentration on health care delivery transformation and managed care, Morse leverages her experience with both payers and providers to help her clients maximize their impact in an ever-changing health care landscape. She has particular expertise in value-based purchasing, insurance regulation, health care fraud and abuse, and health care transactions.

Scott Pritchard focuses his practice on complex litigation in a variety of fields including commercial, corporate, partnership, trust and estate, real property, construction, and health care-related disputes. He has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in all phases of litigation, and has experience in class action and derivative lawsuits, administrative proceedings, and conducting internal corporate investigations.

Adam Schurle, a tax attorney, advises his clients on a variety of federal, state and local tax issues including entity formation, corporate mergers and acquisitions, transactions involving partnerships, and more. A significant portion of his practice is focused on tax advice for renewable energy developers and investors, as well as cooperatives. He understands clients’ unique business needs and enjoys implementing the most tax-efficient structures for business planning.

Nick Taylor is a business transactional attorney focusing on mergers and acquisitions, capital raising and other financing transactions, fund formation and securities regulation, start-ups and emerging growth companies, new technologies, and the restaurant, wine, brew and spirits industries. He regularly represents corporations, LLCs, venture capital and private equity firms, investment funds, serial entrepreneurs, and serial investors at every stage from formation to growth to exit.