Business Scene: McKeanSmith Law Firm Hires Rocker, a Commercial Litigator

McKeanSmith Law Firm, with offices in Vancouver, Portland, and Hillsboro, continues it expansion with the recent hiring of David Rocker, who specializes in commercial litigation.

Rocker, who’s based in their Portland office, brings 25 years of litigation experience to McKeanSmith, which continues to earn awards and accolades for their work.

“I specialize in commercial litigation, but I have experience with everything from family law to personal injury cases for both plaintiffs and defendants,” said Rocker. “I handle contract disputes, partnership disputes, and I’ve worked on products liability cases — everything from prescription drugs to heavy equipment, and how to defend against lawsuits, how to report product problems, and how to recall the product if it’s having a significant problem.”

Rocker has handled serious cases, including wrongful death lawsuits, and has frequently taken case to trial.

“It’s a risk management culture we live in now,” said Rocker. “Trials are bad for the bottom line and suck up a lot of resources. Most cases do settle out of court, but I think I’ve got one now that’s apt to go to trial. It’s a case against a nursing care facility and the allegation is that they mismanaged the drug protocol, resulting in the death of a young man.”

What brought him to McKeanSmith?

“I worked for 25 years for large law firms, and became fatigued by the business realities of practicing law at a large firm. I wanted to try something diffferent, so I started thinking about joining a smaller law firm. I looked around, and this firm struck me as entrepreneurial with all kinds of great opportunities for growth.”

He says McKeanSmith is a good fit.

“We’re pleased to have David here,” said Collin McKean, one of the firm’s partners. “He has an incredible background in commercial litigation, and we like how he can see so many resolutions to a problem.”

Background

Rocker is a local, hailing from Beaverton High School, and graduating from the University of Oregon in Political Science and International Studies. He took a few years between undergrad studies and law school working as a business analyst for Dunn and Bradstreet, and then working as dispatcher and EMT at the south rim of the Grand Canyon.

He returned to U of O where he earned his law degree.

Why law?

“When I was a kid, everyone told me I should be a lawyer,” said Rocker. “I entered debate club in high school and did well in junior and senior year. I did theater too, and these experiences made me comfortable in front of an audience. Growing up, some of my neighbors were lawyers, they seemed interesting and smart, and I guess I just thought lawyers were cool.”

“I try to be a good listener. I’ve been told that I’m a creative thinker. I think I done this long enough that I can see more angles into a program than a less experienced lawyer. I’m not afraid to tell a client they can solve a problem on their own, and I’m not afraid to take a case to trial if we have to. I care less about the business of law and more about the human side of the practice. A client can come to me and know for sure that I’m taking the case because I care about them and the issues, and not just about getting paid for my time.”

And he also likes to keep moving.

“I have to keep moving around,” he said. “I walk to work everyday. I’ve run Hood to Coast 13 times. I’ve run every leg. I’ve run a marathon, a bunch of half marathons.”

His most interesting case?

“I represented the founder of a nationally prominent chocolate company. He had wanted to grow the business and he got involved with two investors who ended up being completely dishonest corporate partners,” he said. “We were able to turn that around quite effectively and my client received an outstanding financial settlement. Jane Goodall, the famous biologist, was working with us as a character and factual witness. Every time I saw my client he’d give me 20 pounds of chocolate, so that was a bonus.

McKeanSmith was ranked #10 in the Portland Business Journal’s 2019 Healthiest Employers of Oregon in the 2-99 category. The award was created to recognize organizations that are committed to creating a healthy workplace. The assessment is made of six factoring categories and scoring with the help of the academic, medical, wellness, and business communities.

To learn more about McKeanSmith, visit www.McKeanSmithLaw.com

You can learn more about their Vancouver office: https://lacamasmagazine.com/2019/07/mckeansmith-law-firm-expands-into-murdock-vancouver-waterfront-tower.html