900 SW Fifth Avenue Suite 2600 Portland, OR 97204 Phone: (503) 294-9474 http://www.stoel.com/ locations Anchorage, AK Boise, ID Lake Tahoe, CA Minneapolis, MN Portland, OR Sacramento, CA Salt Lake City, UT San Diego, CA San Francisco, CA Seattle, WA Vancouver, WA Washington, DC MAJOR DEPARTMENTS & PRACTICES Environment, Land Use, & Natural Resources Employee Benefits Tax Private Client Construction & Design Real Estate Corporate Energy Development Litigation Labor & Employment Technology & Intellectual Property THE STATS No. of Attorneys: 362 No. of Offices: 12 Firm Managing Partner: Robert Van Brocklin Hiring Partner(s): Kristen Castaños Tim Conde Brad Dixon Tim Snider EMPLOYMENT CONTACT Robyn Syran Chief Human Resources Officer Phone: (503) 294-9416 Email: rcsyran@stoel.com 602 2014 Vault.com Inc.
Who s Who Does the firm have one or more pro bono coordinators and/or partners? If so, how many? 3 Please provide a general description of how much of their time each of your pro bono coordinators and/or partners spends on pro bono work and/or administering the firm s pro bono program (e.g., less than half of their time, more than half of their time, all of their time). All seven of our pro bono coordinators spend less than half of their time on pro bono work and administering the Firm s pro bono program. Please provide the primary pro bono contact(s) s information below. Andrew Guy Partner; Seattle Office Pro Bono Coordinator Phone: (206) 386-7620 Email: aaguy@stoel.com Amy Joseph Pedersen Partner; Portland Office Pro Bono Coordinator Phone: (503) 294-9408 Email: ajpedersen@stoel.com D.J. Williams Partner; Salt Lake City Office Pro Bono Coordinator Phone: (801) 578-6963 Email: dwilliams@stoel.com Does the firm have a pro bono committee? How often does the committee meet? The Committee meets periodically as needed. Please describe the composition of the committee. The committee is comprised of seven members (called pro bono coordinators), with one attorney representing each of the seven largest Stoel Rives offices. THE SCOOP Does your firm have a pro bono policy? Can associates bring pro bono matters of interest to the firm? How does the firm decide whether to take on a pro bono matter? The firm reviews specific matters or programs on a case-bycase basis, considering both the merits of the particular case or program and the interest of one or more of our lawyers in being involved with the case or program. Has the firm signed on to the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge? No What are some of the areas of law in which your firm has performed pro bono legal work since 2012? Asylum, Bankruptcy, Civil rights, Consumer law and small claims court, Death penalty defense, Disability benefits, Domestic violence, Environment, Fair housing/tenants rights, Family law, First Amendment and constitutional issues, Immigration, Indigent criminal defense, International human rights, Nonprofit corporate law, Nonprofit incorporation/tax exemptions, Nonprofit intellectual property, Police misconduct, Prisoners rights, Protection of rights in real estate, Real estate transactions, The arts and historic preservation Are there areas of law in which, as a matter of policy or practice, your firm does not perform pro bono work? Employment List up to 10 of your firm s pro bono clients or partners since 2012, including legal service providers or clearinghouses. Mercy Corps King County (Washington) Bar Association s Pro Bono Services Program Federal Indigent Defense Program Basic Rights Oregon Food Alliance Northwest Immigrant Rights Project Children s Law Center of Minnesota Rocky Mountain Innocence Project American Civil Liberties Union Habitat for Humanity List up to three representative examples of your firm s pro bono matters since 2012. Please limit your answer to a short paragraph per matter. In 2012 and 2013, lawyers from our Seattle office represented a 69-year-old, retired woman who had put a down payment on a residence to be shared with her fiancé and paid half of the mortgage payments, only to have her fiancé take title to the house in his own name and later attempt to evict her, claiming she was a tenant. Although the client was weak and recovering from heart surgery, the fiancé filed a domestic violence protection petition, claiming that she was a threat to him, causing the police to remove her from the home. Visit www.vault.com for company rankings, ratings and reviews to learn what it s really like to work in an industry or company and how to position yourself to land that job. 603
Through a series of court hearings, the Stoel lawyers obtained dismissal of the domestic violence petition and injunctive relief allowing the client to return home. They also filed an action seeking to quiet title to the property, to impose an equitable lien on the property, and to recover damages for emotional distress. When the fiancé filed a bankruptcy petition, the Firm filed a complaint to prevent discharge of the client s names, which led to a stipulation that completely protected the client s interests. Since 2012, lawyers in the Firm s Salt Lake City office have partnered in the post-conviction case of a client wrongfully convicted of murder. A team of lawyers in the Firm s Portland office concluded an 8-year project that enabled a nonprofit private school to acquire over 13 acres of land to construct new school facilities. Because the land had originally been deeded by the federal government for use as a cemetery, with a right of reversion if the land was used for any other purpose, it was necessary to obtain approval from the United States Congress, in addition to amending the local master plan, rezoning the property, and obtaining approval of a lot subdivision. List up to three pro bono matters that are highlights (e.g., a Supreme Court case). Please limit your answer to a short paragraph per matter. Stoel Rives appellate lawyers scored a significant victory for constitutional rights when the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a jury verdict finding that an off-duty Seattle police officer violated the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution by detaining a vehicle occupant at gunpoint following a traffic stop. Rutherford v. McKissack, No. 11-25740, 2013 WL 226992 (9th Cir. Jan. 22, 2013). A subsequent petition by the City for en banc review was denied by the Ninth Circuit, but the City has filed a petition for writ of certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court, and the Stoel lawyers filed an opposition to the petition. In 2012, a team of lawyers in multiple offices successfully appealed a death-row inmate s death sentence. After a week-long trial, the court held that the client s original trial counsel was ineffective in both the guilt and penalty phases of his trial and that the ineffectiveness was prejudicial at the penalty phase. As a result, the court vacated the death sentence and ordered a new trial on sentencing. The case involved hundreds of hours of time spent over multiple years interviewing witnesses, engaging in lengthy and complex briefing and ultimately presenting the case at trial. In 2012, an associate in Stoel Rives San Diego office, working with lawyers from three other firms, commenced an action in federal court on behalf of a small family-run oyster farm that has been in business for 80 years. Despite its small size, the company grows approximately 1/3 of California s oysters, is California s last oyster cannery, and has been lauded by environmentalists as good stewards of the environment. In 2012, the former Secretary of the Interior declined to issue a new permit to the company and ordered the National Park Service to terminate the company s operations. In making this decision, the former Secretary relied on discredited 604 scientific studies that mistakenly concluded the company was harming the environment. When the federal district court denied the company s motion for a preliminary injunction, the company appealed. Three days before the company would have been forced to close, the Ninth Circuit granted an emergency injunction. The case has obtained media and congressional attention. BY THE NUMBERS What is the total number of hours that lawyers at your U.S. office(s) spent performing pro bono legal services, as defined by the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge, in 2012 and 2013? Do not include summer associate or non-lawyer pro bono hours in your answers. Total number of pro bono hours in 2012: 11,428 Total number of pro bono hours in 2013: 9,086 What was the attorney headcount in your firm s U.S. offices? Number of attorneys as of December 31, 2012: 386 Number of attorneys as of December 31, 2013: 375 Using the number of attorneys listed above, what is the average number of pro bono hours per attorney in your firm s U.S. office(s) during the following years? Average number of hours per attorney in 2012: 30 Average number of hours per attorney in 2013: 24 What percentage of attorneys employed during 2012 and 2013 in your firm s U.S. office(s) did at least 20 hours of pro bono during that calendar year? Percentage of attorneys who did pro bono work in 2012: 41 50% Percentage of attorneys who did pro bono work in 2013: 41 50% SUPERVISION AND EVALUATIONS Is there partner supervision on all pro bono matters? No Do partner supervisors or, if applicable, senior associates provide written evaluations of associates work on pro bono matters? Are those evaluations taken into account in determining salary or bonuses?, they are taken into account when determining salary., they are taken into account when determining bonuses. Are those evaluations taken into account in determining advancement within the firm? 2014 Vault.com Inc.
Is there a pro bono requirement at your firm? No Does the firm give billable hour credit for pro bono work? Does the firm have a maximum number of pro bono hours that can be applied toward the billable hour target? What is the maximum number of pro bono hours that can be applied toward the billable hour target? 50 Does the firm consider pro bono hours when determining bonuses? PRO BONO POINTS What training opportunities are open to associates working on pro bono matters? All new associates receive training regarding the importance of pro bono work and procedures for bringing in and working with pro bono clients. Associates working on pro bono matters are free to utilize all training opportunities and firm resources otherwise available to them in completion of their non-pro bono work. Various legal service organizations with which the firm works and from which we receive referrals provide training relating to their programs, and new associates are welcome to attend the training if they wish to accept a pro bono referral or handle a pro bono matter referred by the organization. In addition, the pro bono coordinators in the various offices provide opportunities for training and consultation regarding particular cases. Does the firm offer the use of support staff in handling pro bono matters? Please indicate how many total hours and average hours per person your summer associates spent performing pro bono in 2012 and 2013. Total hours summer associates spent on pro bono work 2012: 170 2013: 166 Average hours per summer associate spent on pro bono work 2012: 6 2013: 10 Percentage of summer associates in your firm s U.S. office(s) engaged in pro bono work 2012: 45% 2013: 29% Please provide any additional information about pro bono opportunities available to summer associates. Summer associates receive training regarding the importance of pro bono work during their time at the firm. Summer associates are encouraged to become involved in ongoing pro bono matters. Summer associates who are allowed to appear in court under special law student admission-to-practice rules are eligible to handle pro bono cases under the direct supervision of a partner. Summer associates in our Portland office are encouraged to participate in the pro bono night clinic that the firm staffs. Does the firm have established programs, such as externships, that enable its associates to work in a public interest setting? Please describe the established program(s) and their duration, if applicable. The firm supports, on a case-by-case basis, associate participation in American Trial Lawyers College Jury Trial Experience Project, which places attorneys into the public defender s office or the District Attorney s Office. Participants generally work 4 days per week for 4 weeks or the equivalent number of days spread over a longer period of time. What other law-related public interest and community service programs (that are not pro bono as defined by the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge) do you offer and manage? For example, list any law school collaborations and public interest scholarships, auctions at law schools, monetary support, or fellowships. Fellowships. Stoel Rives First-Year Student Diversity Fellowship Program supports diverse law students in their first year of legal study by providing full-time summer associate positions in the firm and a stipend to offset educational expenses. Minority Job Fairs. Stoel Rives participates in minority job fairs and outreach programs such as the annual Northwest Minority Job Fair in Seattle. Pipeline Programs. Stoel Rives participates in the De La Salle North Catholic High School Corporate Internship program in Portland, the YouthForce program in Seattle, and the Cristo Rey Jesuit High School-Twin Cities Hire4Ed Program in Minneapolis. These programs provide primarily ethnically diverse students with valuable work experience and help subsidize their educations. Many of the students who Visit www.vault.com for company rankings, ratings and reviews to learn what it s really like to work in an industry or company and how to position yourself to land that job. 605
participate in these programs would not be able to attend a college preparatory school without our firm s support. Lawyers in all our offices are active in organizations focused on the talent pipeline. As one example, our Portland office supports Opportunities for Law in Oregon (OLIO), which encourages minority students to attend Oregon law schools and provides academic and social support to those students. Every year, we provide faculty for the OLIO retreat for incoming law students, as well as sponsor and participate in OLIO s employment workshops, mock interviews, legal writing summer lunches, bar exam workshops, and annual bowling tournament fundraiser. Sponsorships and Affiliations. Through the years, our lawyers have won numerous awards for their contributions to diversity in our communities and defense of civil rights of diverse groups in our society. The following is a sampling of organizations, programs, and events Stoel Rives and our attorneys have supported through volunteer time and sponsorship dollars over the years: ACLU of Oregon Alaska Law Girls Anchorage Association of Women Lawyers Asian Bar Association Sacramento, Seattle Association of Legal Administrators Puget Sound Barristers Club of Sacramento Basic Rights Oregon Black United Fund of Oregon Campaign for Equal Justice Cascade AIDS Walk Lawyer Challenge Central District Forum for Arts and Ideas Chehelam Cultural Center Filipino Lawyers of Washington German American School of Portland Girls Inc. of Northwest Oregon Hamline University School of Law s Black Law Students Association Hamline University School of Law s Latino Law Student Association I Have a Dream Foundation Idaho State Bar Diversity Section Idaho Women Lawyers Initiative for Diversity King County Bar Association MLK Luncheon King County Washington Women Lawyers Kinship House Korean American Bar Association of Washington Lambda Legal Lan Su Chinese Gardens Latina/Latino Bar Association of Washington Loren Miller Bar Association Macdonald Center Minnesota Black Women Lawyers Network Minnesota Women Lawyers Mother Attorneys Mentoring Association Sacramento, Seattle Multnomah Bar Association Navajo Nation Supreme Court Oral Argument at the University of Idaho College of Law Northwest Indian Bar Association OGALLA (LGBT Bar Association of Oregon) Opportunities for Law in Oregon Oregon Area Jewish Committee Oregon Asian Pacific American Bar Association Oregon Disability Sports Oregon Hispanic Bar Association Oregon League of Minority Voters Oregon Minority Lawyers Association Oregon Women Lawyers Partners in Diversity Q Center QLaw (GLBT Bar Association of Washington) Stanford University School of Law s Black Law Students Association Twin Cities Diversity in Practice Unity Bar Association of Sacramento Urban League of Portland Utah Minority Bar Association Washington Women Lawyers Wiley W. Manuel Bar Association of Sacramento County Women Lawyers of Sacramento Women Lawyers of Utah Women s Funding Alliance YWCA of Greater Portland 606 2014 Vault.com Inc.
What non-law related volunteer opportunities does your firm offer? For example, list any work with high school students and non-legal volunteerism for organizations like Habitat for Humanity. In addition to volunteering with many of the organizations listed above, Stoel Rives offers several non-law related volunteer opportunities. For example: A group of Stoel Rives attorneys and staff from our Minneapolis office partnered with Great River Greening and the City of Mahtomedi, Minnesota in an ecological restoration project in 2014. The team, along with other volunteers, removed several acres of buckthorn, a non-native invasive shrub from city-administered Katherine Abbot Park. Originally the property of the Girl Scouts, the park encompasses 76 acres of forest, prairie, wetland and oak savannah. The buckthorn removal will allow restoration of native shrubs, forest flowers, and grasses to the area. The harvested buckthorn is scheduled to be delivered as fuel to the District Energy St. Paul cogeneration plant, a combined heat and power renewable energy facility. Attorneys in our Seattle office participate in Social Venture Partners, which facilitates involvement by our attorneys in various community organizations. Attorneys and staff in our Portland office participated in the Forest Park Earth Day 2014 Day of Stewardship Work Party. The Day of Stewardship brought over 200 volunteers to Forest Park to work on trail maintenance, tree and shrub planting, invasive weed removal and split-rail fencing to protect fragile riparian areas. In our Salt Lake City office, our attorneys annually collect, sort and stock food for the Utah Food Bank. Recently, attorneys and staff in that office made donations to the Road Home, a homeless shelter in the Salt Lake City area. Attorneys in that office also participate in programs providing holiday gifts for needy families and a local grade school. In addition, Stoel Rives attorneys in all our offices provide innumerable hours serving on boards and advisory committees for community organizations. Please list any special recognition or awards your firm has won since 2012 for its pro bono work. In May 2012, the Firm s Boise office was honored with a Law Day 2012 6.1 Challenge Award for Excellence in Pro Bono and Community Service. Presented by the Idaho State Bar Fourth District Bar Association, the award is based on the type and quality of pro bono work performed, number of hours contributed and the participation rate of local office attorneys. The firm s Portland office won the Oregon State Bar 2013 Pro Bono Challenge for large firms (firms of over 25 lawyers). Please add any additional information about your firm s pro bono program. The Firm recognizes that the legal profession has a special obligation to assist persons who cannot afford the services of a lawyer. The Firm expects that successful attorneys at all levels will participate in professional activities, including pro bono activities, appropriate to their level of experience. Consequently, the pro bono provision of legal services is regarded positively in the evaluation, compensation and promotion processes, especially when other general billable hours guidelines are met. After a lawyer has reached his or her established billable hour goal, up to 50 hours of time spent on pro bono legal work is added to the attorney s billable hour total for evaluation and compensation purposes. In addition, pro bono service is considered for merit bonuses that are not tied to billable hour goals. For an attorney to be considered for partnership admission, the candidate must have demonstrated a concern for the reputation and well-being of the Firm, which should be evidenced in part by participation in pro bono service. The Firm issues pro bono awards at firm-wide retreats to lawyers in each office who have demonstrated a special commitment to pro bono service. The Firm recognizes attorneys who performed 50 or more hours of pro bono legal services in a year with a certificate of recognition. Several attorneys at the Firm volunteer their time at pro bono legal advice clinics, including the Community Action Partnership of Suburban Hennepin County in our Minneapolis office and the Stoel Rives Pro Bono Night Clinic in our Portland office, as well as act as Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for children in association with local CASA programs. Visit www.vault.com for company rankings, ratings and reviews to learn what it s really like to work in an industry or company and how to position yourself to land that job. 607