Industry focus
Great lawyers listen carefully and cultivate an open mind.
How I represent clients at Schwabe
I counsel clients in the ports and maritime and real estate and construction industries through the many facets of dispute resolution and casualty response. I harness my unique understanding of the contexts in which legal issues arise and find strategies for resolving them to help clients navigate toward positive outcomes.
I assist clients in the maritime industry, particularly shipping companies, with addressing marine casualty issues, such as securing discovery for use in overseas proceedings and litigating matters in maritime-related suits. I am also involved in resolving real estate and land use problems for both real estate and port clients.
Before joining Schwabe’s litigation team, I served as a judicial law clerk in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. I have worked on complex trials and appeals across a broad range of issues and have published legal analysis related to environmental regulation, international and domestic governance, maritime law, and climate change.
Experience
- Obtained a favorable summary judgment ruling on a maritime negligence counterclaim.
- Associate counsel in a federal bench trial involving cross-claims for breach of maritime contract.
- Represents individuals and entities in state and federal proceedings.
- Served as judicial clerk for federal district court and Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals judges in civil and criminal litigation.
- Mediated a multi-party municipal boundary dispute involving complex annexation proposals.
- Provided commercial real estate development advice to create an award-winning mixed-use retail, hotel, and residential project.
Education
- University of Oregon, Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science (2011)
- University of Washington, School of Law, Juris Doctor degree (2014)
Admissions
- Oregon State Courts
- Washington State Courts
- U.S. Court of Appeals - Ninth Circuit
- U.S. District Court - District of Oregon
- U.S. District Court - District of Western Washington
Memberships
- Federal Bar Association, Member
- Clark County Bar Association, Member
Awards
- Recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America, Commercial Litigation (2024-2025)
Additional Publications
“Mission Impossible: A Guide to the New U.S. Icebreaker Discussion,” Maritime Executive (2015)
“California Falls Into the Sea: Pacific Merchant Shipping Assoc. v. Goldstene & State Authority to Regulate Beyond the Territorial Sea,” 27 U.S.F. Mar. L. J. 1 (2015)
Recent Developments in Arctic Law and Policy and Offshore Oil and Gas Activity, University of Washington Alaska and Washington CLE, (Anchorage, AK, 2015)
“Toward a Mandatory Polar Code by Tacit Means,” Law360 (2014)
Services
Community Activities
- Maritime Commerce Club, Columbia River, Board of Directors (2021-present), Vice President (2024-present)
- Clark County Ethics Review Commission, Chair (2022-present)
- Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, Government and Public Affairs Committee (2021-2023)
- Leadership Clark County, Class of 2019
- Vancouver’s Downtown Association, Board of Directors and Executive Committee (2017-2021)
Outside Interests
Whitewater kayaking and rafting, from the Kenai Peninsula to Patagonia.
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