Blair Townsend
Partner
From an early age, Blair Townsend knew she wanted to be a lawyer. Her grandfather was an attorney in a small Texas town so impoverished that he often got paid by his clients in chickens and home-baked pies. From him and others, she learned that trial lawyers are often the voice of those who otherwise would not be heard–that there is no other profession that can level the playing field in fights against corporate and insurance giants like a trial lawyer.
“The greatest part of my job? Easily the clients. When I first meet a potential client, I always tell them that it is a relationship we are forming. At the end of the day, no case and no client is the same. My job is to advocate my client’s experience, and communication and understanding is the only way to do my job well. I am ultimately there to shepherd them through (often) the worst experience of their lives. It is an honor and responsibility I do not take lightly.”
After graduating from the University of Texas Law School in 2010, Blair fell in love with the mountains, forests and rivers of the Pacific Northwest, moved to Portland, Oregon and started working as an associate for her now partner, Michael Wise. They partnered up in 2018 and formed Wise & Townsend, P.C.
“I love our approach to practicing law. Our firm is a team and a work family. Michael and I work on every case together, an approach that allows our differing but complementary styles to impact our cases in the most effective way possible. On Monday nights, when not in trial, you will often find us trying to best each other in chess…always strategizing either on the chess board or for the courtroom.”
In 2022, Blair will be President of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association and in 2018, was awarded the Best New Lawyer award for attorneys practicing ten years or less. Blair also enjoys engaging with her professional community, serving on several committees for the Oregon State Bar, lecturing at Oregon law schools and legal events, and coaching at De La Salle North Catholic High School for the We The People constitutional law competition.
When she’s not in the courtroom or her law office, Blair spends much of her time exploring all that Oregon and the Pacific Northwest has to offer. This includes culinary and beer/wine country adventures, sporting events such as the Timbers, Thorns and Trailblazers, camping, fishing, concerts and theater. Additionally, Blair is an avid reader and dog (“Fozzie”) fan.
Membership & Interests
- Board of Governors, Oregon Trial Lawyers Association (“OTLA”) (President 2022-2023)
- Chair, Women’s Caucus, OTLA (2015-2021)
- Member, PAC Board, OTLA (2020 – present)
- Member, Oregon State Bar Uniform Civil Jury Instruction Committee (2018-2021)
- Delegate, Oregon State Bar House of Delegates (2018-2021)
- Legal Mentor, Lewis & Clark Law School (2018 – present)
- Graduate, Emerge (2017)
- American Association for Justice
- American Bar Association
- Multnomah Bar Association
- Clackamas Bar Association
- U.S. District Court–Oregon
- American Constitution Society
- Ambassador Board Member and Student Engagement Chair, De La Salle North Catholic High School
- Multnomah Athletic Club
Recent Lectures, CLEs and Writings
- Presenter, Equity in Action, Emerge (2021)
- Presenter, Practical Trial Skills: Presenting To Court and Making Opening Statements, Multnomah Bar Association Young Lawyers Division (2021)
- Presenter, Women’s Caucus of Lewis and Clark Law School (2021)
- Member, Standard Setting Task Force of the Oregon State Board of Bar Examiners (2021)
- Writer, How to Structure Your Law Firm: Business Entity Selection, Trial Lawyer Magazine (2020)
- Presenter, Litigating Complex Cases Back-to-Back, OTLA (2019)
- Presenter, Discovery Disputes, Multnomah Bar Association (2019)
- Presenter, How to Litigate Wrongful Death Cases, OTLA (2019)
- Judge, Final Round of Mock Trial Competition, We The People (2019)
- Writer, Engaging With Your Community, Emerge, Trial Lawyer Magazine (2019)
- Presenter, Wrongful Death Litigation: Start-to-Finish, National Business Institute (2018)
- Presenter, Persuasion and Advocacy, Willamette Law School (2018)
- Presenter, Communication and Advocating for Yourself, De La Salle North Catholic High School (2018)
- Presenter, Litigation versus Transactional Practice series (2018)
- Presenter, Specific Jurisdiction in the Ninth Circuit under Oregon’s Long-Arm Statute ORCP 4L (2017)
- Presenter, How to Prepare your Client for Deposition (2017)
- Writer, How to Prepare Your Client For Deposition, Trial Lawyer Magazine (2017)
