We enjoy a heritage and legacy as a successful, well-respected leading regional firm, one that has been counted on by blue chip businesses for 145+ years.
Our History in Portland
Lane Powell’s Portland history dates back to 1875. William D. Fenton was admitted to the Oregon Bar and began practicing law as a partner at McCain and Fenton. Fenton, focused on delivering justice, chose to become a judge. Fenton donated his extensive home library to the University of Oregon, who in turn, built Fenton Hall, a building named in honor of his hard work in the area of law.
In 1918, Fenton passed away. McCain and Fenton was renamed to Hampson and Nelson, and moved to the Pacific Building in Portland. From 1918-1990, the firm went through several name changes. In 1944, the firm was renamed Hampson, Koerner, Young and Sweet. In 1946, Frank Spears and George Campbell joined the firm, but had no immediate impact on the new name change in 1948: Koerner, Young, Sweet and McColloch.
From 1948-1949, John Bledsoe, Herbert Anderson and Oglesby Young joined the firm. They came in time to see the newest name change: Koerner, Young, McColloch and Dezendorf. The following year, 1951, William Lubersky joined the firm. In 1965, the firm underwent another name change, McColloch, Dezendorf and Spears. In 1969, Lubersky became a named partner of the firm, changing the name to McColloch, Dezendorf, Spears and Lubersky. In 1972, Campbell also became a named partner, changing the name to Dezendorf, Spears, Lubersky and Campbell.
In 1979, John Bledsoe joined as a naming partner, changing the firm name to Spears, Lubersky, Campbell and Bledsoe. Four years later, Anderson and Young were also added to the naming partner group, renaming the firm Spears, Lubersky, Campbell, Bledsoe, Anderson and Young. In 1988, the firm was renamed to Spears, Lubersky, Bledsoe, Anderson, Young and Hilliard.
In 1990, Spears, Lubersky, Bledsoe, Anderson, Young and Hilliard agreed to merge with Seattle-based law firm Lane, Powell, Moss & Miller. The merged law firm was named Lane Powell Spears Lubersky LLP. This led to a departure from the Pacific Building in 1999 and in 2005, the firm chose to rename itself as Lane Powell PC. In 2011, Roberts Kaplan LLP merged with Lane Powell due to the growth and potential that was possible.
Our History in Seattle
The Seattle office of Lane Powell traces its history way back to 1889, when William A. Peters of Pennsylvania joined Strudwick, Peters & Collins. In 1891, the firm changed to Strudwick, Peters & Van Wyck. In 1893, Van Wyck decided to leave for San Francisco, changing the name of the firm to Strudwick & Peters until 1900. John H. Powell arrived in Seattle in 1889, and practiced in the firm of Stratton, Lewis & Gilman. In 1900, Peters and Powell entered into a partnership under the name Peters & Powell, located in the Dexter Horton Building.
In 1929, W. Bryon Lane was brought in as an associate to the newly named firm, Peters, Powell, Evans & McLaren. This same year, Peters passed away, and in 1930, Powell also passed away. In 1935, the firm changed its name to Evans & McLaren. The firm also welcomed George V. Powell, John Powell’s son, the same year. In 1939, the firm changed its name to Evans, McLaren & Lane. Powell became a naming partner in 1946, changing the name to Evans, McLaren, Lane & Powell.
In 1948, William T. Beeks, an admiralty specialist, joined the firm as a naming partner and the firm was changed to Evans, McLaren, Lane, Powell & Beeks. Gordon Moss joined the firm in 1959 and in 1961, William Beeks left the firm to accept an appointment as a U.S. District Court Judge. The firm changed to Evans, McLaren, Lane, Powell & Moss. In 1966, Pendleton Miller and Wilbur J. Lawrence joined the firm as naming partners, changing the firm to Lane, Powell, Moss & Miller. In 1979, the firm expanded to Anchorage, Alaska by merging with Ruskin, Barker & Hicks. In 1986, an office in Mt. Vernon, Washington was also opened. Cohen and Kaplan, a firm of four attorneys specializing in business, probate and estate planning, and commercial litigation, merged with Lane, Powell, Moss & Miller in 1987. The following year two more offices were opened; one in Olympia, Washington and the other in London.
The name Lane Powell Spears Lubersky resulted from the merger in 1990 with the Portland-based firm of Spears Lubersky Bledsoe Anderson Young & Hilliard. In 2005, the firm changed its name to Lane Powell PC, which is the current name.
Our History in Anchorage
Our Anchorage office traces it's root back to 1979, when attorney James B. Stoetzer merged Lane, Powell, Moss & Miller with the Anchorage firm Ruskin, Barker & Hicks, officially expanding the firm to Anchorage, Alaska.
Firm Names throughout the Years:
Portland |
Seattle |
McCain and Fenton (1875) |
Strudwick, Peters & Collins (1889) |
Hampson and Nelson (1918) |
Strudwick, Peters & Van Wyck (1891) |
Hampson, Koerner, Young & Sweet (1944) |
Strudwick & Peters (1893) |
Koerner, Young, Sweet & McColloch (1948) |
Peters & Powell (1900) |
Koerner, Young, McColloch & Dezendorf (1950) |
Peters, Powell, Evans & McLaren (1929) |
McColloch, Dezendorf & Spears (1965) |
Evans & McLaren (1935) |
McColloch, Dezendorf & Spears & Lubersky (1969) |
Evans, McLaren & Lane (1939) |
Dezendorf, Spears, Lubersky & Campbell (1972) |
Evans, McLaren, Lane & Powell (1946) |
Spears, Lubersky, Campbell, Bledsoe (1979) |
Evans, McLaren, Lane, Powell & Beeks (1948) |
Spears, Lubersky, Campbell, Bledsoe, Anderson & Young (1983) |
Evans, McLaren, Lane, Powell & Moss (1961) |
Spears, Lubersky, Campbell, Bledsoe, Anderson, Young & Hilliard (1988) |
Lane, Powell, Moss & Miller (1966) |
Lane Powell Spears Lubersky LLP (1990) |
Lane Powell Spears Lubersky LLP (1990) |
Lane Powell PC (2005) |
Lane Powell PC (2005) |