Paul has been in practice for over 30 years, with the last 25 years being concentrated in construction defect litigation and other property losses in Oregon and western Washington. Prior to becoming an attorney, Paul had a 10 year career in construction engineering, mechanical design, and project management on commercial construction and public power projects.

Over the past 25 years, Paul has represented subcontractors, general contractors, design professionals, board members, and plaintiffs in litigation related to building envelope failures, structural failures, sub-surface soil issues, failures related to infrastructure, including bridges, roads, and public works in several hundred construction defect lawsuits. Paul has also represented design professionals in engineering and architectural malpractice claims. In addition to construction related claims, Paul has experience in surface water litigation, fire loss, and crop loss cases.

Paul is the lead attorney of Smith Freed Eberhard’s construction defect practice group of five attorneys. Paul has extensive experience in all phases of litigation and all aspects of the risk transfer mechanisms used in an insurance defense practice. Paul has tried multi-week trials involving major construction claims, has handled arbitrations, has argued numerous dispositive motions, and has prosecuted appeals.

Paul enjoys working on his “project house”, walking his dog, and cheering on his daughter’s basketball team.

As a leader in Smith Freed Eberhard’s Construction Defect Litigation group, Mike leverages proficiency, over a decade of experience, and hard-nosed determination to give his clients the advantage. Mike focuses on representing general contractors, subcontractors, product manufacturers, and design professionals in all aspects of construction defect and design claims.

Before joining Smith Freed Eberhard, Mike worked on construction defect litigation with a niche Oregon-based insurance defense firm. During his time there, Mike gained substantial experience in depositions, arbitrations, and mediations. Mike has also worked as a judicial clerk in Multnomah County Circuit Court where he was closely mentored by trial court judges on all aspects of criminal and civil trials. He has been exposed to numerous trials, including working alongside some of Oregon’s most experienced litigators.

Prior to entering the practice of law, Mike graduated from Gonzaga University School of Law, where he served as the Managing Editor of the Gonzaga Law Review and competed with Gonzaga Law School’s National Trial Team.

Brian Schiewe is an experienced litigator with a diverse legal background that helps him quickly grasp what will dictate a case’s outcome. Brian’s civil litigation practice includes construction defect, catastrophic and personal injury, premises liability, and a variety of commercial litigation matters.

Brian practices out of the firm’s Seattle office and defends individuals and companies of all sizes and industries in courts throughout Washington State.  He routinely represents general contractors and subcontractors in the defense of construction defect claims.  His premises liability experience includes defending retail stores, apartment complexes, restaurants, and other businesses in a variety of claims.  In the personal injury arena, Brian’s experience is diverse and includes vehicle accidents, jobsite injuries, and product liability.

Before attending law school, Brian managed all aspects of litigation support as a paralegal at a Seattle, Washington firm, where he focused primarily on complex litigation and prosecuting class action cases involving corporate fraud and misconduct.

Insights & Thought Leadership

While in law school, Brian was recognized for excelling in written and oral advocacy and was selected as a finalist for the Cheney/Metzger Legal Writing Scholarship and for participation in Seattle University’s Frederic T. Tausend appellate competition. He also built upon his strong research and analytical skills as a Judicial Extern for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Washington.

Steven Gassert is a Partner licensed in Oregon and Washington. His practice primarily focuses on construction defect litigation.

Steven has a diverse legal background and has experience practicing construction defect litigation, real estate law, and condo and homeowners association law. Prior to joining Smith Freed Eberhard, Steven worked as assistant vice president and general counsel at a healthcare cost containment company, where he served as the company’s primary legal officer. Prior to that, he worked at a class action and mass tort solutions company, where his primary focus was construction defect litigation.

Steven is originally from Pittsburgh, PA, but moved to Washington DC for school where he lived until moving to Portland in 2014. Steven has two daughters, meaning he is outnumbered three to one at home. He loves to cook, so he is always trying new recipes, even though his daughters always hate them (unless it’s chicken nuggets or mac and cheese). You could also say that he plays a lot of golf (at least once a week).

Sarah Jones is a senior associate attorney on the construction defect practice group.

Sarah graduated from the University of Oregon School of Law in 2021 where she won the 1L Mock Trial competition and then represented UO Law in the Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA) Mock Trial Regionals in 2020. Prior to that, Sarah graduated with a degree in English and a concentration in creative writing from California State University East Bay in Hayward, CA in 2015.

Before joining Smith Freed Eberhard, Sarah worked at a small 5-attorney plaintiffs’ side personal injury firm in Orinda, CA called Gillin, Jacobson, Ellis, Larsen & Lucey where she worked as a legal assistant. In law school Sarah clerked for the Oregon Department of Justice in the Child Advocacy Section and then for Oregon Public Broadcasting in their in-house counsel office.

Sarah grew up in the East Bay in California where she attended high school and graduated from college. She has lived in Minnesota, Colorado, Southern California, Eugene, OR, and now Portland, OR. Sarah also spent 8 months living in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia after college before attending law school. Outside of work, Sarah can be found rock climbing, traveling, or attending Blazers, Timbers, or Thorns games.

Alex Robertson is an Associate Attorney licensed in Oregon. He works primarily on the commercial lines and construction defect practice teams with specialized areas such as jobsite injury, premises liability, subcontractors and more.

Alex graduated from Willamette University College of Law in 2021. Prior to that, he obtained his undergrad with a Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Engineering from Oregon State University in 2015.

Prior to working at Smith Freed Eberhard, Alex worked in general construction. He has also clerked for an insurance defense firm in Salem, OR.

Alex is an Oregon native originally from Baker City, which he says is a hidden gem in Eastern Oregon. He loves to explore the Oregon Coast, hiking, and lifting weights. He also knows how to operate 35mm film projectors, but unfortunately, most theaters have all switched to digital.