Vanessa Soriano Power
Experience
Vanessa Power is a partner in the firm's Litigation practice group. She has a broad
range of trial and appellate experience representing clients in state and federal
courts. Vanessa has experience in disputes involving commercial contracts, class
actions, intellectual property rights, initiatives and referenda, employment, and trusts
and estates.
Before joining Stoel Rives, Vanessa was an associate at Dorsey & Whitney LLP (20002003); an analyst with Washington State Senate Committee Services (1999-2000); and
a clerk (for Commissioners) at the Washington State Court of Appeals, Division 1
(1998). Before law school, Vanessa was a Teach for America corps member in
Oakland, California (1993 - 1996).
Representative Work

Mukilteo Citizens for Simple Government v. City of Mukilteo, 2012 Wn.2d LEXIS
174 (March 8, 2012) – Successfully represented citizen group before trial and
appellate courts in case invalidating local initiative measure and confirming
Partner
Seattle, WA
(206) 386-7553 direct
(206) 386-7500 fax
scope of pre-election review of initiative petition measures.


Direct Route v. OnOffline (W.D. Wash. 2012) – Successfully defended OnOffline in
vanessa.power@stoel.com
case involving claims of patent infringement.
Education
American Traffic Solutions, Inc. v. City of Bellingham, 2011 Wn. App. LEXIS 2059

Law, J.D., 2000
(Sept. 6, 2011) – Successfully represented American Traffic Solutions, Inc. before
Industrial Relations Research
trial and appellate courts in case invalidating local initiative measure.

Todd v. City of Auburn, et al., 2011 U.S. App. LEXIS 6755 (9th Cir. March 31,
2011), 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18519 (W.D. Wash. March 2, 2010) – Successfully
Association Award and Scholarship

2000
statewide class action involving validity of automated traffic safety cameras,
Daniel J. Evans Leadership Award
vendor contracts.
George Shipman Fellow
Jadeja v. Redflex (N.D. Cal. 2011) – Successfully defended American Traffic


University of Washington, B.A., 1993
Edward E. Carlson Leadership Award
Solutions, Inc. in dismissal of regional class action for lack of standing.

University of Washington Daniel J.
Evans School of Public Affairs, M.P.A.,
defended American Traffic Solutions, Inc. before trial and appellate courts in

University of Washington School of
and Scholarship
Talbert v. City of Capitola (N.D. Cal. 2011) – Successfully defended American
Traffic Solutions, Inc. in dismissal of regional class action.
Admissions
City of Wenatchee v. We the People (Chelan County, 2011) – Successfully

Washington
represented American Traffic Solutions, Inc. to secure pre-election review of

Oregon

Montana

U.S. District Courts for the Western
invalid initiative and declaratory and injunctive relief.
and Eastern Districts of Washington
and the Districts of Oregon and
Montana

U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Third,
Ninth, Eleventh and Federal Circuits

U.S. Supreme Court
Vanessa Soriano Power

Estate of King (King County 2008) – Successfully represented beneficiary of estate at trial in case involving removal of personal
representative for fraud and breach of fiduciary duties.

Clark v. Amazon.com (E.D. Cal. 2007) – Successfully defended Amazon in summary judgment dismissal of copyright infringement
dispute.

Almeida v. Amazon.com, 456 F.3d 1316 (11th Cir. 2006) – Successfully defended Amazon before trial and appellate courts in
case involving alleged violation of rights to publicity and privacy under Florida law and the Communications Decency Act.

Toysrus.com v. Amazon.com, 2005 WL 846141 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div., April 12, 2005) – Represented Amazon before trial
and on appeal in commercial dispute over 10-year strategic alliance agreement with Toysrus.com.

Nettles v. Farmers Insurance Exchange, (W.D. Wash. 2007) – Successfully defended Farmers at trial in employment
discrimination dispute.

Okocha v. Amazon.com (3d Cir. 2005) – Successfully defended Amazon before trial court and on appeal in copyright infringement
dispute.

Doe v. U.S., 419 F.3d 1058 (9th Cir. 2005) - Represented Jane Doe, before trial court and on appeal, in case involving military
health benefits.

Burnett-Bey v. Amazon.com (E.D.Mo. 2004) – Successfully defended Amazon in dismissal of breach of contract dispute.

Weyerhaeuser NBGO Litigation (King County, 2004) – Successfully defended Weyerhaeuser at trial in major land use action by
citizen groups under the Land Use Petition Act.

Ms. S. v. Vashon Island Sch. Dist., 337 F.3d 1115 (9th Cir. 2003) - Represented parent on appeal in case involving claims under
the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act.
Professional Honors and Activities

Listed in Washington Super Lawyers® (Business Litigation, Intellectual Property Litigation, Appellate), 2012-2016

Listed among Rising StarsSM (Business Litigation), Washington Super Lawyers®, 2001-2011

Selected as a "Future Star," Benchmark Litigation, 2012

Recipient, Outstanding Contribution to Women in the Law Award, Law Women's Caucus, University of Washington School of Law

Board of Directors, Crosscut Public Media

William L. Dwyer American Inn of Court

Washington State Bar Association Bench-Bar-Press Committee

World Affairs Council Fellow, 2011-2012

Named one of Puget Sound's "40 Under 40" by Puget Sound Business Journal, 2009

American Marshall Memorial Fellow, 2009

Leadership Tomorrow, Class of 2009
Vanessa Soriano Power

Past Secretary, Board of Directors, Washington Appleseed Center for Law in the Public Interest

Past President, Board of Directors, Legal Voice
Presentations

"Chaining the e-Discovery Beast," Stoel Rives Straight Talk Series, Sept. 2012
Publications

Washington Trial and Post-Trial Civil Procedure, co-editor with Judge John P. Erlick, LexisNexis Practice Guide (2014)

"From Fluoride to Traffic Cameras - The Limited Scope of Local Initiatives," WSBA NWLawyer, Dec.-Jan. 2013

"Human Rights" (contributing author), The International Lawyer, Summer 2008

"Leadership in Lawyering" (coauthor), Washington State Bar News, June 2004

"2003 Land Use Law Update" (coauthor), Washington State Bar Association Land Use Section

"The Fair Labor Standards Act: 2002 Cumulative Supplement" (contributing editor), BNA, 2002
Related Press Releases

Susan Paynter, "With Hope All But Lost, a Legal Angel Appears," Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Aug. 25, 2002