With a career spanning over 30 years, successfully representing a wide range of clients in complex and high profile cases, Founding Partner Jeff Eberhard is a recognizable and reputable force within the industry.

Jeff’s practice focuses on civil litigation throughout Oregon and Washington with an emphasis on the defense of complex liability claims, most notably, in dram shop/liquor liability. By successfully defending hundreds of cases, Jeff’s expert knowledge of Oregon’s Dram Shop Act, and how to defend against it, is unparalleled.

Kyle Riley manages the firm’s Seattle, Washington, office. He has profound expertise in Washington bad faith law, wrongful death, and catastrophic injury claims. Kyle also has significant experience defending fire losses, trucking companies, banking institutions, and self-insured rental car companies.

Prior to joining Smith Freed Eberhard, Kyle worked with the Oregon Department of Justice where he gained significant litigation experience specializing in the recovery of self-insured losses. He joined Smith Freed Eberhard in 2003.

Josh’s practice focuses on the defense of cases involving personal injury and wrongful death. He represents companies and the insureds of several large insurance carriers against claims arising from the alleged negligent use of motor vehicles, products liability, and premises liability.

Josh started as an associate at Smith Freed Eberhard in 2001. He has been a partner since 2008. Josh leads a group of attorneys that specialize in trying cases and effective pre-trial litigation. Josh typically tries several cases a year to jury verdict.

Prior to joining Smith Freed Eberhard, Josh gained experience in civil litigation, criminal defense, and family law while clerking at a firm in Salem, Oregon. While attending law school, he spent time in London, UK, where he served as a solicitor’s clerk for a high-profile firm advocating on behalf of individuals alleging human rights violations.

Ryan specializes in defending a wide range of personal injury claims and has significant representation in construction and job-site injuries, automobile accidents, catastrophic injuries, wrongful death, premise liability, and products liability and has extended his practice to work closely with Smith Freed Eberhard’s Construction and Development Group.

Prior to joining Smith Freed Eberhard, Ryan gained his insurance defense experience working at law firms in Eugene and Portland, Oregon. While attending law school, Ryan served as an associate editor of the Oregon Law Review, preparing articles for publication and conducting associated research.

Cliff’s practice focuses primarily on the defense of personal injury and property damage claims brought against commercial and personal lines insurers and their insureds. His practice involves the handling of a wide range of cases, including personal injury negligence, errors & omission, liquor liability, construction defect, and business litigation.

Cliff has experience taking cases to jury verdicts as a lead trial attorney and has conducted numerous arbitrations and mediations in both Oregon and Washington. Cliff is also experienced in insurance coverage matters and regularly advises and defends carriers in coverage disputes. In addition, Cliff manages the firm’s probate and subrogation practices.

Cliff’s well-rounded legal background has provided him with the ability to quickly evaluate key issues and identify strategic opportunities in his cases. This enables his clients to efficiently and effectively prepare for trial or pursue favorable early resolution of matters when appropriate.

With a strong business and litigation background, and over 30 years of first-chair trial experience, Gordon knows exactly which strategies will make a weak case stronger as well as what makes practical and financial sense. Gordon’s practice focuses on commercial litigation, traumatic brain injury, premises liability, contractor liability, school liability and construction defect litigation.

Prior to joining Smith Freed Eberhard, Gordon worked in-house for Travelers Insurance Company where he led the opening of the construction defect unit for their Seattle Staff Counsel office. He also focused on slip-and-falls, auto liability, construction liability, and commercial claims. Before joining Travelers, he worked for four years with the Hartford Insurance Company where he specialized in construction defect and complex commercial liability cases.

Gordon has successfully first chaired over fifty jury trials to verdict. He is a licensed attorney before the Washington State and Appellate Courts, the United States District Court, as well as with the Puyallup Tribal Court.

Sean provides defense for insurers and their insureds in complex litigation suits in the areas of automotive claims, commercial liability defense, first and third-party claims, and SIU claims.

Prior to joining Smith Freed Eberhard, Sean was a judicial clerk in both Lane County and Multnomah County. During this time, he was able to observe over 75 court and jury trials and gain insight into advanced trial tactics.

While attending law school, Sean also worked as a law clerk at a mid-sized civil litigation firm in Eugene, Oregon. In this role, he became skilled in executing legal research and distilling his findings into concise arguments. In addition, he honed his composition techniques for creating effective legal documents.

Denny is a founding member of Smith Freed Eberhard. His practice specializes in complex civil cases with a focus on catastrophic personal injury claims.

With over 41 year’s experience, Denny is a seasoned attorney in a variety of litigation areas, including job-site injury, premises liability, construction dispute, products liability, business tort, large automobile and commercial transportation injury, fraud and property trespass. Denny has conducted over 300 jury trials and arbitrations involving numerous individuals and business entities. He has also participated in legislative sessions on behalf of the Defense Bar.

Bob is a founding member of Smith Freed Eberhard and has over 40 years of litigation experience. Bob frequently prepares and delivers seminars and lectures to insurance professionals and trade organizations on insurance coverage issues, hot topics, and legislative updates. He also has spent several years training agents for large insurers on all aspects of claims with an emphasis on errors & omissions liability and how to avoid it.

Bob’s practice is broad-based in all aspects of insurance defense. He focuses on Special Investigations Unit, first-party property issues, as well as property-related casualty claims. Bob provides coverage opinions for all aspects of property and casualty insurance and he conducts fraud investigations.

Joy is a senior associate attorney on Tom McCurdy’s and Ashley Nagrodski’s teams, focusing on Personal Lines defense.

Prior to joining Smith Freed Eberhard, Joy’s legal career started in Philadelphia and included working for the Philadelphia Law Department, Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, and a small civil defense firm representing municipal entities in tort litigation and workers’ compensation claims.

Joy is a proud graduate of Villanova University School of Law and served as the President of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association. During school she worked with the Philadelphia Homeless Advocacy Project, Defender’s Association of Philadelphia, and the Farmworker Legal Aid Clinic, litigating matters on behalf of the indigent, all of which provided valuable experiences which inform her practice today.

Joy is happy to be back in the Pacific Northwest, spending her free time at concerts, checking out local new eats, and cooking and baking with her daughter.

Jeremy is a senior associate attorney on Kyle Riley’s team, and his practice focuses on commercial, construction and personal lines.

Jeremy graduated from Seattle University with a J.D. in 2015, and he has been licensed to practice law in Washington since then. Prior to that he graduated from University of Washington with a Bachelor of Science in economics as well as a business administration degree in accounting in 2012.

Before Smith Freed Eberhard, Jeremy worked as a plaintiff’s personal injury attorney that transitioned to defense. He enjoys working on litigation cases.

Jeremy is originally from Florida, but he grew up in the Seattle area. Away from work, you can find him reading, hiking, kayaking, and spending time with his wife and son.

Carleigh is an associate attorney on Bill Taaffe’s team, and her practice focuses on commercial liability defense and personal lines defense.

Carleigh graduated from Northwestern School of Law at Lewis & Clark in 2020. Prior to that, she attended Albion College where she earned her Bachelor of Science in biology and a minor in psychology. Carleigh is now licensed to practice law in Oregon. During her years in law school, Carleigh was a representative within the Student Bar Association (SBA), participated in Appellate Moot Court, and was a co-founder of Students for Eliminating Environmental Discrimination (SEED). After graduating from law school in 2020, she took a judicial clerkship position with the Honorable Jeffrey S. Jones at Clackamas County Circuit Court. There she learned the intricacies of complex case litigation, civil and criminal procedure, the best strategies to use as a litigator, and developed a deeper understanding regarding the rules of evidence through the tutelage of one of the top evidence experts in Oregon. This position allowed Carleigh to obtain extensive experience in motions practice, Uniform Trial Court Rules (UTCR), and proper procedure for both jury trials and court trials.

Carleigh was born and raised in the Metro-Detroit area of Michigan. She is a first-generation lawyer, with most of her family electing careers in the Arts or STEM fields. Before moving to Portland for law school, Carleigh played the violin for 14 years and was second chair in the Oakland Youth Symphony, was a competitive archer and briefly trained under an Olympic archer, and she volunteered or worked at several local veterinary hospitals in Metro-Detroit. Outside of work, Carleigh can be found kayaking, checking out a local brewery or restaurant, or camping in the high deserts of eastern Oregon.

Jasmine Eberhard is an associate attorney on the commercial liability and personal lines defense practice groups.

Jasmine graduated from Boston University School of Law in 2020 where she served as editor on the Law Review for two years. While in law school, she was also a part of the criminal law clinic where she gained insight into the intricacies of how to effectively build and present a case to the jury as well as trial preparation and motion practice. Prior to law school, Jasmine graduated from Oregon State University in 2016 with a B.S. in political science, a B.S. in psychology, and a minor in economics.

Jasmine was born and raised in Oregon, and after she moved to Boston for law school, she realized she couldn’t stay away from the Pacific Northwest and moved back shortly after graduating. Away from work, Jasmine loves continuing to explore Oregon and the Pacific Northwest by hiking and camping. She also loves cooking, baking, and eating the delicious food around Portland.

Paige is an associate attorney on the personal injury litigation and commercial liability defense groups, including negligence, premises and products liability, dram shop, and jobsite injury.

Paige began working at Smith Freed Eberhard in 2018 as a litigation assistant and continued working at the firm as a law clerk throughout law school. Paige graduated from Seattle University School of Law and was admitted to the Washington State Bar. In law school, she worked in the Domestic Violence Immigration Clinic, held the Editor-at-Large position on a law journal, and mentored first year women law students. Prior to law school, she attended Seattle University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities with concentrations in Spanish and Psychology.

Paige grew up in the Seattle area and is a first-generation lawyer. She has always been musically inclined — she plays the violin and guitar and is learning ukulele. In the past she was a dancer and still enjoys taking ballet classes. Outside of work, she enjoys running, going to seeing live music shows, and trying new foods.

Veronica Wells is an associate attorney on the commercial liability defense and personal lines practice groups. Her practice focuses on negligence, premises liability, slip and fall, and automotive defense.

Veronica graduated from Western State College of Law in 2014. Prior to this she graduated from Oakland University with a B.A. in psychology in 2010.

Before joining Smith Freed Eberhard, Veronica worked as a public defender in Thurston County where she mostly did involuntary commitments, civil contempt cases, and some domestic violence misdemeanors. Following this, Veronica worked for Plaintiff’s Personal Injury firms, working mostly automobile cases and slip and fall cases.

Veronica was raised in Michigan but came to Seattle after law school. Outside of work, she loves to travel and go to museums.

Aaron Gross is an associate attorney licensed in Washington. Aaron’s cases focus on Personal Lines: Automotive Defense, PIP, UM/UIM, Minor Settlement, and Motorist Minor Impact. Additionally, his practice areas focus in Premises Liability, Slip & Fall, Wrongful Death, Trucking & Transportation, Negligence, and Jobsite Injury.

Aaron graduated from Gonzaga University School of Law in 2021. Prior to that, Aaron graduated with a degree in Economics with a minor in Psychology from the University of Arizona in 2016.

Prior to working at Smith Freed Eberhard, Aaron was practicing family law and criminal law in Grays Harbor County, Washington. Aaron predominantly handled divorces, child custody, parenting plans, property division, and gross misdemeanors.

Aaron says after his initial interview at SFE, “I was blown away with how extensive SFE’s practice is. I was immediately drawn to the fact that insurance defense applies to so many different areas of law and that my case types could all be unique.”

Aaron enjoys downtime when not working. His hobbies include playing video games, playing guitar, reading, running, fly fishing, hunting, skiing, swimming, and collecting and building Lego toys. If Aaron was not a lawyer, he would still be a fly-fishing guide.

Eric is an associate attorney licensed in Oregon on the personal lines practice team. His practice focuses on Personal Lines, Automotive Defense, UM/UIM, and PIP.

Eric graduated from the University of Oregon School of Law in 2021, where he received the Legal Research and Writing Program’s Excellence in Written Advocacy Award in 2019 and finished top-25 in his class. Prior to that, Eric graduated with honors from the University of South Carolina in 2018, then worked as a business analyst for a professional hockey team in Nashville, TN, until moving to Oregon for law school.

After law school, Eric joined a small commercial litigation firm in Eugene, OR, that he clerked for during law school. There, he navigated complex legal issues for his clients across a variety of practice areas, including small business disputes, employer defense, trust disputes, will contests, contract disputes and professional license defense. Now, Eric brings his experience handling complex legal matters to advocate for his clients here at SFE.

Eric is a Southeast native originally from Atlanta, GA, who quickly fell in love with what Portland has to offer (especially all the McMenamins). Outside the office, you might be able to find him participating in a local trivia night, catching some live music, skiing at Mt. Hood, grabbing bagels from Kornblatt’s, or watching reality television at home.

Eric Dore is an associate attorney licensed in Washington. His practice areas focus on Negligence, Wrongful Death, Construction and Development, and Personal Lines.

Eric graduated from Marquette University Law School in 2017. Prior to that, Eric received his B.A. in English from the University of Washington. Before starting work at Smith Freed Eberhard, Eric worked in public defense in Bremerton, WA. Eventually, Eric transitioned to insurance defense and focused mainly on defending people in auto-accidents.

Outside of a few years in Milwaukee, WI for law school, Eric has spent the majority of his time in or near Seattle, WA. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and their two dogs. Along with that, Eric frequently keeps up with the Mariners, Seahawks and is an avid University of Washington football fan.

Rachel O’Hanlon is an associate attorney licensed in Washington. Her practice focuses on commercial liability defense, construction and development, and personal lines.

Rachel graduated from Seattle University School of Law in 2022. Prior to that, Rachel earned a degree in Psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2014. Before working at Smith Freed Eberhard, Rachel gained experience as a litigation assistant in Personal Injury over the years. While in law school, Rachel externed for the Washington State Supreme Court under the Honorable Chief Justice Steven C. González and worked in the University’s Intellectual Property Trademark Law Clinic. Rachel is also a two-time recipient of the Fulbright Scholar Award of the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program.

After moving to Seattle in 2019, Rachel made a home for herself in the Pacific Northwest. Her hobbies include visiting art and cultural museums, trying new foods and wines, traveling, and learning about different cultures and languages.