Kelsie Crippen

Kelsie has experience representing state and local governments, publicly traded companies and emerging businesses, public utilities, public officials, and individuals. Kelsie is creative and tenacious, and her clients and colleagues consistently turn to her for her ability to develop legal strategies in cases involving sensitive, complicated issues or questions of first impression. She is recognized by Best Lawyers in America® and is a frequent presenter on topics related to complex, commercial litigation.

Some of Kelsie’s recent experiences include:

• Representing the shareholders of a company who, following a merger, discovered significant securities fraud resulting in more than $50 million in damages.
• Representing the Oregon Attorney General in litigation related to the opioid epidemic.
• Representing a venture capital firm in a dispute related to the board of director’s breach of the company’s shareholders’ agreement.
• Representing the State of Oregon in a $100 million Medicaid reimbursement rates case.
• Representing the Governor of Oregon, the Oregon Department of Human Services, and other State defendants in class action litigation related to Oregon’s foster care system.
• Representing the plaintiffs in a class action asserting equal pay and gender discrimination against Nike, Inc.

Kelsie joined Markowitz Herbold after working at a large national law firm where she handled complex commercial litigation. She began her career clerking for Chief Justice Martha Walters of the Oregon Supreme Court, where she gained invaluable research and writing experience. During her tenure at the Oregon Supreme Court, she also played an integral role in Chief Justice Walters' initiatives to establish statewide policies and procedures for Oregon courts during the challenging COVID-19 crisis.

Prior to her clerkship with the Oregon Supreme Court, Kelsie honed her legal skills as a law clerk for the Oregon Department of Justice's Solicitor General's Office. In this role, she was responsible for drafting numerous appellate briefs and successfully argued cases before the Oregon Court of Appeals. Kelsie also gained valuable experience as a judicial extern for Judge Jolie Russo of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon.

Kelsie graduated from the University of Oregon School of Law, where she was honored with the Jeannette M. Lavender Exemplary Leadership Award for her exceptional work as a Managing Editor of the Oregon Law Review. She also served as a tutor for the University of Oregon School of Law’s Legal Research and Writing Program. Furthermore, she served as the Director of the Oregon Women's Law Forum, highlighting her commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion within the legal profession.

In addition to her law practice, Kelsie is active in the community. Kelsie serves on the board of directors for Fora Health Recovery & Treatment, one of the largest non-profit substance use disorder treatment programs in the Pacific Northwest. Kelsie also coaches the Jefferson High School mock trial team along with her husband, Caulin.