2025: The Year in Review

This year brought exciting opportunities and dynamic challenges, and through it all, Stoel Rives remained committed to delivering excellent legal work and outstanding client service.

We are proud to have served as a trusted legal partner to our clients in the management of their most significant transactions, in resolution of consequential disputes, and as counsel on regulatory matters, as well as ongoing business issues, new projects, and initiatives. We also continued to pursue strategic hires, deepen our bench strength, and honor the communities in which we live and work through pro bono service and corporate giving.

Here are some of our firm highlights from 2025:

Welcoming New Talent

Stoel’s reputational excellence and firm culture attracted new talent in key practice areas and growth markets.

• Ankur Tohan joined the Seattle office as a partner in the Environmental, Land Use and Natural Resources practice.
• Ethan Knight, former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, joined our Litigation practice as a partner in Portland.
• Kirsten Worley joined our Real Estate and Construction group as a partner in San Diego.
• Heather Antoine joined the Technology and Intellectual Property group as a partner in Sacramento.
• We added a seven-attorney environmental and land use team in California, including partners Kathryn Oehlschlager, Christian Marsh, and Amy Higuera, and of counsel Tina Thomas.

New Partners

Nine attorneys were recently elected to the partnership, effective 2026:

• Shannon Bleicher, Natural Resources, Anchorage
• David Brandon, Tax, Boise
• Whitney Brown, Litigation, Anchorage
• Amber Lee, Energy, Minneapolis
• Alex Pearson, Project Finance, Seattle
• Bradley Prowant, Litigation, Minneapolis/Boise
• Connor Smith, Litigation, Anchorage
• Ariel Stavitsky, Environmental, Portland
• Michael Such, Tax, Portland

Pro Bono Leadership

• In 2025, our lawyers contributed over 10,000 hours of pro bono service, valued at more than $7.15 million.
• Thirty attorneys and seven paralegals and staff received the firm’s Andrew Guy Pro Bono Award for pro bono service completed in 2024. These include a 22-person, cross-office team engaged in a long-term civil rights matter that settled last year and a five-person team in Seattle representing plaintiffs in a proposed civil rights class action.
• Numerous lawyers throughout the firm were added to the pro bono honor roll for performing more than 50 hours of pro bono service during the calendar year.

Community Engagement

• In 2025, Stoel Rives’s sixth annual Gratitude Campaign focused on supporting food banks and legal aid clinics that provide vital assistance to individuals and families in our communities, doubling the donations from the prior year. The success of our Gratitude Campaign reflects increasing firmwide engagement in the initiative and reaffirms our commitment to fostering positive change in our local communities.
• Beyond the Gratitude Campaign, the firm contributed more than $250,000 to almost 60 nonprofit organizations across our footprint.
• Stoel Rives lawyers and staff donated time through board service, volunteer activities, and fundraising events in each of the firm’s offices, supporting a wide range of organizations including food banks, diaper banks, environmental cleanup groups, housing support services providers, disabled veteran support groups, and many more.

Celebrating Excellence

• 2026 edition of Best Law Firms®: Stoel Rives earned 29 National rankings and 120 Metropolitan rankings, with Metropolitan rankings featuring 83 Tier 1; 30 Tier 2; and seven Tier 3 rankings in nine regions where the firm has offices.
• 2025 Chambers USA Guide: 96 attorneys and 32 practices firmwide were ranked, including 29 attorneys and 19 practices designated as Band 1, Chambers’ highest ranking.
• 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®: 135 attorneys were recognized; 12 attorneys named Best Lawyers® “Lawyer of the Year” in 15 practice categories in six regions; and 32 attorneys were named among Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America.
• Most Admired Law Firm of 2025: For the 21st consecutive year, Stoel Rives was named the top law firm in Oregon by the Portland Business Journal, citing our stature in Portland's legal landscape, respected attorneys, and growing diverse practices.
• Highly Recommended Mid-Sized Law Firm: The BTI Consulting Group named Stoel Rives among the “BTI Highly Recommended Midsize Firms of 2025” as part of the national BTI Most Recommended Law Firms 2025
• Real Estate & Construction Industry Recognition: Daily Journal of Commerce Oregon selected Stoel Rives among its 2025 Construction All Stars, named as a “Construction/Real Estate Law Firm of the Year” based on our high-impact transactional, litigation, and land use work on large-scale commercial real estate development and construction projects across a wide range of industries.
• Celebrating Firm Culture: Stoel Rives earned an Honorable Mention at the 2025 LMA TWxSW Your Honor Awards for our video campaign, Modern Law, Human Voice: nearly 100 short-form videos highlighting the voices of our attorneys, clients, and colleagues discussing firm culture and legal insights as well as stories of partnership and impact.

Everything that we have accomplished this year is a reflection of the talented people we are fortunate to work alongside and the trust our clients place in us. We are deeply grateful for your partnership, and we look forward to supporting your success in 2026.

Melissa Jones Firm Managing Partner Stoel Rives LLP