Steve Rickles, owner of The Rickles Law Firm, PC, is a life-long Oregonian who received his undergraduate degree from the University of Oregon in 1975, and his J.D. from the Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College in 1979. He was admitted to the Oregon State Bar in 1979 and the Washington State Bar in 1991. Mr. Rickles is also admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon, the United States District Court, Western District of Washington, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
He is a member of the Oregon Association of Defense Counsel, the Washington Defense Trial Lawyers Association, and the Multnomah County Bar Association. Mr. Rickles was elected in 1997 to the Board of Directors of the Oregon Association of Defense Counsel, and was selected by the Board to serve as its President in 2002.
Mr. Rickles is a former Senior Deputy District Attorney for Multnomah County, where he prosecuted criminal cases during his first six years of practice. During that time he handled major felony cases, including homicides, and prosecuted over 130 jury trials. He was also a speaker on trial advocacy for the Oregon District Attorneys Association.
Since entering civil practice Mr. Rickles has worked extensively in the insurance defense field in all areas, with an emphasis on automobile accident and injury cases; automobile dealership liability, including claims of unlawful trade practices and odometer violations; employer/employee litigation, including claims of wrongful discharge, sexual harassment, discrimination, and sexual abuse lawsuits. He has also defended cases involving product liability; premises liability; professional liability, including nursing home liability claims; liquor liability lawsuits; and construction claims and coverage disputes. He is a member of the Defense Panel for Oregon's Professional Liability Fund, which defends attorneys against claims of malpractice.
Mr. Rickles has been a featured defense speaker and presenter for Professional Education Systems, Inc. in a continuing legal education series for Oregon lawyers regarding "Preparing and Trying the Automobile Case" and "Evaluating and Settling Personal Injury Claims in Oregon." His course materials have provided a comprehensive set of documents for handling the defense of automobile cases in Oregon. He has also been involved in the organization and presentation of continuing legal education seminars on automobile litigation for the Oregon State Bar. He has also spoken at numerous continuing legal education seminars for the Oregon Association of Defense Counsel, and has been a featured speaker at regional meetings of the Pacific and Northwest Region Defense Leaders.
Mr. Rickles has been rated in confidential opinions by his fellow lawyers with an "AV" rating from Martindale Hubbell. This is the highest rating possible, for "very high and preeminent legal ability and very high ethical standards."
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