Stoll Berne received Benchmark Litigation’s award for 2020 Oregon Firm of the Year. The awards ceremony took place in San Francisco on Thursday, March 5, 2020.

The award recognizes litigation firms in each state based on the significance of their representations. Stoll Berne litigation lawyers have been consistently ranked in Benchmark Litigation since 2007.

“Stoll Berne is a local law firm, with local values and a big reach. We are successful because we are a team. Our founding partners set an example that we follow today.  We have kept the spirit of the noble pursuit of justice, always doing what’s right, and fiercely fighting for our clients. We represent clients in whom we believe and respect, not as a matter of business but as a matter of conscience, and we’ve flourished as a result,” said Managing Shareholder, Keith Ketterling.

Stoll Berne received Benchmark Litigation’s awards for Impact Case of the Year for the firm’s work in the Aequitas matter. The awards ceremony took place in San Francisco on Thursday, March 5, 2020.

Stoll Berne attorneys Keith KetterlingTim DeJong, Jen Wagner, and Lydia Anderson-Dana were co-lead counsel for the investors in a class action securities case arising out of the Aequitas Ponzi scheme, asserting claims against Lake Oswego, Oregon-based Aequitas’ auditors, lawyers, and others for participant/aider liability under the Oregon Securities Law. A settlement totaling $234.6 million was reached on behalf of approximately 1,600 investors. It is believed to be Oregon’s largest securities class action settlement.

“We are honored to be recognized for this important case,” said Tim DeJong of Stoll Berne. “This is a remarkable recovery, especially in the context of a Ponzi scheme, and we are incredibly proud to be able to return this much money to the victims.”

“This settlement is a testament to our strong state securities laws and our tenacity in fighting for the investors for three years,” said Keith Ketterling, Managing Shareholder of Stoll Berne. “We were prepared to take the case to trial, if necessary, but this settlement is a pretty extraordinary result that provides investors a substantial recovery without years of additional delay and risk.