Specializing in the defense of large loss and catastrophic injury claims, Managing Partner Bill Taaffe regularly defends claims based on premises liability, products liability, liquor liability (Dram Shop), defamation, commercial auto liability, and general negligence. If it is a large, complex case, it often ends up on Bill’s desk.

In addition to his expertise in the Commercial Lines realm, Bill has considerable international business experience–having worked in several different countries over a period of many years. His international background has provided him with the ability to masterfully view case handling situations through multiple perspectives and continues to help him find creative solutions to complex legal matters.

Bill has extensive experience defending large, complex GL claims ranging up to 28 million dollars. He has successfully represented clients from all over the US and abroad and, in the last 5 years, Bill has successfully defended many complicated matters involving products liability, fire loss, premises liability, and Dram Shop. He regularly obtains excellent results for his clients–often far beyond expectations.

In sports parlance—Bill has a “strong motor”—always ready to jump on a plane to meet with out-of-state clients, work long hours, and do whatever is necessary to fully defend a claim and take care of his clients.

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.

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 defendants. His practice involves the handling of a wide range of cases, including personal injury negligence, errors & omission, liquor liability, landlord-tenant, and business litigation.

A prolific trial attorney, Cliff has tried dozens of litigated civil cases to jury verdicts as lead trial attorney in both Oregon and Washington federal and state courts. In addition, Cliff has conducted numerous arbitrations and mediations in both Oregon and Washington. Cliff also manages the firm’s probate practice.

Prior to joining Smith Freed Eberhard, Cliff was a business analyst and project manager for a property and casualty insurer.

Cliff’s well-rounded legal background and experience 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.

Through his litigation practice, Cliff continuously strives for complete synergy between his clients’ litigation goals and the highest quality legal representation.

Ashley Nagrodski is an experienced trial attorney and partner in the firm’s Seattle office. She has been with Smith Freed Eberhard since 2014 and continues to expand and grow her practice. Ashley has experience in a wide range of complex litigation areas including commercial liability, premises liability, product liability, jobsite injury, wrongful death, sexual misconduct, and dram shop & tavern keeper.

Throughout her legal career Ashley has argued in more than 20 counties throughout the state of Washington. She has trial experience in both the traditional and virtual courtrooms, having tried cases in King, Pierce, Thurston, and Whatcom counties. Ashley tried one of the first hybrid remote/in person trials in Washington following the initial COVID-19 shutdown. Her energy, poise and confidence in the courtroom is unmatched.

In addition to being a skilled litigator, Ashley is very active with the Washington Defense Trial Lawyers (WDTL). She currently serves on the Board of Trustees as its Membership Trustee. She also serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the WDTL Defense News.

In her free time, Ashley enjoys exploring the Pacific Northwest, playing softball and volleyball, attending Seattle Kraken games, and traveling to various baseball stadiums to watch the Chicago Cubs. She also enjoys spending time with her three, energetic dogs.

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.

Melanie is a litigator with a diverse civil litigation practice focusing on catastrophic injury, premises liability, automobile liability, dram shop/liquor liability, and commercial litigation. Melanie’s practice takes her all over the state of Oregon and into Southern & Eastern Washington regularly. She enjoys giving presentations on changes in Oregon and Washington law highlighting the Pacific Northwest’s unique legal landscape.

Before joining Smith Freed Eberhard, Melanie handled first-party insurance claims including claims related to PIP, UM/UIM, bad faith, and consumer protection act claims on behalf of insurance carriers. Melanie also has experience handling insurance subrogation matters. This experience in a high-volume practice placed a premium on efficiency, diligence, and energy that has carried over into her current practice.

Melanie was born and raised in Oregon and grew up in a handful of smaller, Southern Oregon towns. After attending undergrad in Wisconsin and experiencing four Wisconsin winters, she moved back to Oregon for law school, fell in love with Portland, and can’t imagine being anywhere else. Away from work, Melanie can usually be found teaching knitting lessons at a local yarn shop, checking out a local brewery, or getting her yearly supply of Vitamin D during the 4 months of the year that it’s dry enough to be outside.

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.

Melanie’s practice focuses primarily on commercial liability defense, including premises liability, products liability, automobile liability, negligence, catastrophic injury, and liquor liability (dram shop) claims.

Prior to joining Smith Freed Eberhard, Melanie worked at a defense firm in Portland where her practice focused on insurance coverage and bad faith litigation. Prior to that, she worked at insurance defense firms in both Portland and Seattle where her practice included defense of third-party claims.

During law school, Melanie worked as a law clerk for the Oregon Department of Justice, Civil Litigation Section and externed for the Honorable Ronald B. Leighton at the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. She was also an Associate Editor-In-Chief on the Washington Journal of Environmental Law & Policy.

Joy Lee is a partner at Smith Freed Eberhard and her practice primarily focuses on commercial liability defense.

Joy has experience in a wide range of complex litigation matters including wrongful death, sexual misconduct, premises liability, product liability, defamation and jobsite injury.  She has been successful in numerous Motions for Summary Judgment and prides herself on obtaining dismissals and early resolution for her clients whenever possible. Joy, however, prepares each case as if it is going to trial, and also co-chaired one of the first in-person jury trials in Washington following the initial COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.

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. Joy has since retired her Pennsylvania license after deciding to move back to the Pacific Northwest, which she now calls home.

In her free time, Joy can be found checking out new local eats with her husband, riding her bike on the Washington trails, and chasing her two children around Seattle.

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.

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.

Veronica Wells is a senior 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.

Katie Russell is an associate attorney licensed in Oregon. Her practice focuses primarily on commercial liability defense.

Katie graduated from UC Davis, J.D. in 2020 where she worked on a class action lawsuit as a part of the UC Davis Civil Rights Clinic in law school. She helped represent all inmates and ICE detainees being held at Yuba County Jail in a claim involving inadequate living conditions and denial of medical care. Her team won the class action and monitored the implementation of new procedures, ADA accessible cells, and reform of jail policies regarding medical care. Prior to this, Katie graduated Cum Laude from the University of Oregon with a degree in English in 2017.

Katie was born and raised in the Bay Area of California. She moved to Oregon for undergrad and fell in love with the rain, the forest, and the Ducks. Katie went back to the sunshine for law school, but she could not deny her love for Oregon and returned to Portland to start her legal career. In her free time, Katie loves to go on adventures to discover parts of the PNW she has not seen before. She is also an avid reader and enjoys science fiction, in particular Octavia Butler and Ray Bradbury.

Carleigh is an associate attorney with her practice focusing 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.

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.

Michaila is an associate attorney licensed in Oregon. She works primarily on the commercial lines practice team.

Michaila obtained her Graduate Diploma in Comparative Law and J.D. from Louisiana State University. Prior to that, she obtained her undergrad with a Bachelor of Science in Coastal Environmental Science at Louisiana State University.

Prior to working at Smith Freed Eberhard, Michailaworked at a small family law and criminal defense firm in Clackamas, OR. She predominantly handled divorces, child custody, parenting plans, and property division, as well as small estate plans. After practicing family law, Michaila explored her interest to learn an entirely new area of law. She came to SFE to start her new practice in the commercial liability and personal lines areas. From her initial interview, Michaila says that she was immediately drawn to the level of mentorship and commitment that SFE dedicates to their young associates.

Michaila was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, and then moved to Louisiana while completing her undergraduate and law degrees. Michaila and her husband moved to Oregon in 2021, looking for a change of scenery and new adventures. She enjoys downtime with her husband and their two dogs. She enjoys hiking, snowboarding, and golfing.

Maritza C. Fernandez, Esq. is an Associate Attorney licensed in Washington. Her practice focuses in commercial liability defense, personal lines, and construction & development. Maritza graduated from the University of Miami School of Law in 2022. Prior to that, she graduated with a B.A. in History from the University of Washington in 2019.

Before joining Smith Freed Eberhard, Maritza worked as a legal writer and she also interned at the Children and Youth Law Clinic in Miami, where she represented foster youth in juvenile dependency cases. Maritza says her focus has been in Litigation, which is what brought her to SFE.

Maritza successfully advocated for the expedited reunification of a transgender child with a gender-affirming parent in another state. She also wrote an article published on KidSide Miami with her supervising attorney at the Children and Youth Law Clinic on how courts and lawyers can best advocate for LGBTQIA+ children and youth in foster care. Additionally, Maritza wrote around nineteen articles published on BlackPast as a means of using her historical research skills to preserve and highlight African-American people and events (from musical groups like The Jackson Five to political advocates like Marielle Franco).

Maritza was born and raised in Florida. She is a first-generation lawyer. Her hobbies are creative writing, knitting and crochet, and spending time with her family and her cat.

Roxanneh Mousavi is an Attorney licensed in Washington. Her practice focuses on premises liability, slip and fall, and landlord-tenant cases. Roxanneh is also involved in working with general contractors, and subcontractors on CD matters.

Roxanneh dedicated her last two years of law school to researching and writing for the Seattle University Law Review. When the time came to write a note for law review, she published Creativity for the Common Good: The Case for Fair Use of Prosthetics Patents, 45 Seattle U. L. Rev. 1265 (2023). Roxanneh says she always had a strong interest in intellectual property (IP) and combined her passion with a public interest story. Her professor encouraged her to write on 3D printing and guided her toward a few resources. Roxanneh accomplished her publishing goal, which she felt was immensely rewarding. She hopes to contribute to academic journals again in the future.

Prior to joining Smith Freed Eberhard, Roxanneh worked as a law clerk for a mid-sized insurance defense and civil litigation firm in Los Angeles, CA. This position allowed her to gain experience and develop an interest in various practice areas, including premises liability, personal injury, and products liability matters.

Raised in Washington, Roxanneh has a deep appreciation for Seattle’s coffee shop scene and is always eager to discover a new spot. Her hobbies include singing, yoga, visiting museums, reading, watching horror movies, and traveling.

Allison is an Associate Attorney licensed in Washington. She handles Homeowners’ association disputes, large fire losses, the defense of Consumer Protection Act Claims, trucking and MVA cases. Advocacy has always been the driving force behind her desire to become an attorney and to work in litigation.

Prior to joining Smith Freed Eberhard, Allison worked at a legal assistance program as a domestic violence attorney where she had the pleasure of serving the community. Before that, Allison worked for a small insurance defense firm. She enjoyed the nature of the work and how many areas can be covered under the umbrella of ‘insurance defense.’ Allison is excited to work in a dynamic practice area and to have the opportunity to be learning new things at SFE.

Originally from Honolulu, Hawaii. Allison enjoys hiking, climbing, and is learning how to ski. When she isn’t exploring hiking trails or going on ski trips, she has three cats waiting for her at home.