Wilson Elser Adds Six-Attorney Team to Growing Portland, Oregon, Office

NEW YORK, Sept. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- National law firm Wilson Elser announced today that six attorneys have joined its Portland, Oregon, office.

Peder Rigsby joins as a partner and John Carley as of counsel, along with four associates, as members of the firm's Complex Tort & General Casualty and Commercial Litigation practices.

Established in 2023, the Portland office is one of the fastest growing in the firm's national network – in July, Wilson Elser added an eight-attorney lateral team with a focus on insurance coverage and extra-contractual litigation matters.

"I was honored to be asked to establish this office, and it's rewarding to see how quickly it has grown," said George Pitcher, Portland's Regional Managing Partner. "Client demand continues to rise, and we've responded by expanding our team with multiple rounds of lateral hires."

Rigsby said the firm is a good fit for his current practice. "Wilson Elser provides a national platform with name recognition. This is an exciting opportunity that will benefit Wilson Elser and my current clients."

Rigsby defends businesses, entities, and individuals facing complex casualty and commercial litigation in state and federal courts in Oregon and Washington. He has built a strong practice defending clients in litigation involving wrongful death and catastrophic injury, professional malpractice, employment issues, product liability, and multi-party construction defects. 

Carley defends clients in complex civil litigation matters primarily involving personal and catastrophic injury and wrongful death claims related to premises or product liability. He also brings significant experience assisting with construction defect and eminent domain cases.

David Schor, Mark Firmin, Makenzie Kaiser, and Sean McKean join as associates.  
All six attorneys formerly practiced at a regional litigation firm with offices in Portland.

Related Office Practice Areas
Complex Tort & General Casualty

Wilson Elser

Commercial Litigation

Wilson Elser

Related Offices
Portland, Oregon  
https://www.wilsonelser.com/office-locations/portland-or

About Wilson Elser
Wilson Elser is the preeminent defense litigation firm in the United States. At any given time, our more than 1,300 attorneys are engaged in some 100,000 defense and coverage matters, with many defending clients in various local, state, and federal courts. Indeed, over more than four decades, our litigation, coverage, and trial lawyers have gained a reputation for taking on and prevailing in the most challenging and technical cases, frequently "parachuting in" to assume unresolved matters from other law firms. Our success also derives from winning on our clients' terms and rigorously adhering to their guidelines. We are ranked 95 in the Am Law 100 and 36 in the National Law Journal's NLJ 500. For more information, go to  www.wilsonelser.com

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SOURCE Wilson Elser