Practice Areas: Family Law, Personal Injury; view more
Licensed in Oregon since: 2013
Education: Lewis & Clark Law School
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503-208-6961
Graves & Swanson LLC
3630 S River PkwyPortland, OR 97239 Visit website
Details
A partner at Graves & Swanson LLC, C.J. Graves focuses his practice on civil litigation, handling cases involving a wide variety of matters. From the firm's office in Portland, Oregon, he provides astute representation to clients throughout the greater metropolitan region.
The types of cases that C.J. has handled have included personal injury claims arising out of motor vehicle accidents, sexual abuse and premises liability. C.J. also has experience in advocating in court for people who are going through a divorce and who are unable to reach an accord on their own on related issues such as custody and visitation, the division of retirement accounts and other complex assets, and alimony and child support. His employment law background has encompassed the representation of both companies and employees in claims involving wage and hour violation, discrimination, harassment and wrongful discharge, and he often assists employers in the preparation of employment and noncompete agreements as well as in the development of policies designed to prevent unlawful hiring and workplace practices.
Majoring in English and psychology, C.J. attended the University of Portland, where he was the editor of the school's Writers Magazine before receiving a Bachelor of Arts in 2010. His legal education came at Lewis & Clark Law School, and he was awarded his Juris Doctor in 2013. While he was there, C.J. served as the associate editor of the Animal Law Review and was the president of the school's Business Law Society as well as the secretary of its Family Law Society. After graduation, C.J. was an associate at a Portland-area law firm and then spent two years in his own practice before co-founding his current firm in February 2017. He is admitted to practice in Oregon, and his professional memberships include the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association, and the Multnomah Bar Association.
Practice areas
Family Law, Personal Injury - General: PlaintiffFocus areas
Alimony & Spousal Support, Assault, Child Support, Custody & Visitation, Dissolution, Divorce, Domestic Violence, Father's Rights, Marital Property, Motor Vehicle Accidents, Paternity, Personal Injury - Plaintiff, Prenuptial Agreements, Same Sex Family Law, Sexual Abuse - Plaintiff, Wrongful Death
- 50% Family Law
- 50% Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff
First Admitted: 2013, Oregon
Professional Webpage: https://www.graves-swanson.com/christopher-j-graves
- Member - Lewis & Clark Law School Alumni Board Co-Chair Recent Graduate Section, 2022
- Member - Lewis & Clark Alumni Board, 2024
- Member - Lewis & Clark Alumni Board, 2023
- Oregon State Bar - Solo and Small Firm Executive Committee Member, 2022
- Member - Lewis & Clark Law School Alumni Board Co-Chair of Recent Graduate Section, 2021
- Oregon State Bar - Solo and Small Firm Executive Committee Member, 2021
- Oregon State Bar - Solo and Small Firm Executive Committee Member, 2020
- Member - Lewis & Clark Law School Alumni Board, 2020
- Oregon State Bar - Solo and Small Firm Executive Committee Member, 2019
- Member - Lewis & Clark Law School Alumni Board, 2019
- Member - Multnomah Bar Association NLD Member Services and Satisfaction Committee, 2017
- President - Recent Graduate Counsel, 2017
- Member - Multnomah Bar Association NLD Member Services and Satisfaction Committee, 2016
- Vice President - Recent Graduate Counsel, 2016
- Member - Recent Graduate Counsel at Lewis and Clark Law School, 2014
- Multnomah Bar Association Young Lawyers Section, Membership Committee
- Oregon Trial Lawyers Association
- Oregon State Bar Association
- SetTheExpectation, Board of Directors, 2018 - present
- Super Lawyers, Rising Star, 2022, Super Lawyers -Rising Star, Super Lawyers/Thomson Reuters, 2022
- Super Lawyers, Rising Star, 2023, Super Lawyers -Rising Star, Super Lawyers/Thomson Reuters, 2023
- Selected for recognition in the areas of family law and personal injury., Best Lawyers - Ones to Watch, Best Lawyers, 2023
- Selected for recognition in the areas of family law and personal injury., Best Lawyers - Ones to Watch, Best Lawyers, 2022
- Super Lawyers, Rising Star, 2021, Super Lawyers- Rising Star, Super Lawyers/Thomson Reuters, 2021
- Selected for recognition in the areas of family law and personal injury., Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, Best Lawyers, 2021
- Super Lawyers, Rising Star, 2019, Super Lawyers - Rising Star, Super Lawyers/Thomson Reuters, 2019
- Super Lawyers, Rising Star, 2020, Super Lawyers - Rising Star, Super Lawyers/Thomson Reuters, 2020
- Rising Stars, SuperLawyers, 2018, Super Lawyers - Rising Star, Super Lawyers/Thomson Reuters, 2018
- 10 Best Family Law Attorneys for Client Satisfaction in Oregon, American Institute of Family Law Attorneys, 2017, 10 Best Family Law Attorneys for Client Satisfaction in Oregon, American Institute of Family Law Attorneys, 2017
- Honorable Darleen Ortega Outstanding Mentor Award, Lewis & Clark Law School, 2015
- Presented for service on the faculty appointments committee. , Outstanding Service Award, Lewis & Clark Law School, 2013
- Cornelius Honors Society, Lewis & Clark Law School, 2013
- Honors Brief Moot Court, Lewis & Clark Law School, 2011, Honors Brief Moot Court, Lewis & Clark Law School, 2011
- University of Portland, B.A. with dual majors in English Literature and Psychology, 2010
- Prepared and presented a CLE to paralegals on the ethical issues involved in family law cases., Presenter, Handling Ethical Issues in Family Law Practice, Oregon Family Law Practice for Paralegals, Legal, 2020
- My law partner and I presented on issues of client management and client empowerment in my work involving clients who are in particularly challenging circumstances including both divorces, and perhaps more acutely, dealing with the trauma from sexual assault., Presenter, Empowering Clients to Navigate Difficult Circumstances, Oregon State Bar Solo and Small Firm Section, Legal, 2019
- My law partner and I presented a CLE with the following description: "Representing survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence often requires a unique and open-minded approach to crafting remedies to effectively address their legal and personal needs. C.J. Graves and Jackie Swanson of Graves & Swanson have endeavored to build a practice where they are able to empower survivors by helping them navigate the difficult and varied legal challenges presented in each specific case. This has frequently resulted in the development of creative solutions and individually tailored remedies, utilization of legislative action, and careful consideration of the contours of civil procedure and the interplay between family law, employment law, and civil torts such as battery, assault, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. This CLE provides an overview of some of the more interesting strategies they have employed to resolve some of these cases, and attempts to provide a framework for thinking about how to best serve clients who have undergone a traumatic event.", Presenter, Case Studies in Holistic Representation, Oregon State Bar, Solo and Small Firm Section CLE, Legal, 2019
- Presented a Continuing Legal Education class on the business of running a law firm., Presenter, Planning to Practice: Business Planning for Law Firms, Oregon State Bar - Entrepreneur Academy, Legal, 2016
- Presented a Continuing Legal Education class on the intersection of employment and family law with specific attention paid to the issues that arise when there are two pending cases or when someone loses his/her source of income during a dissolution proceeding., Presenter, Navigating Employment and Compensation Issues in Domestic Relations Cases, Oregon Trial Lawyers - Family Law Section, Legal, 2016
- Presented my research on the Impact of Similarity Between Witnesses and Jurors on Juror Decision-Making at the Western Psychological Association Regional Professional Conference. , Presenter, Impact of Similarity Between Witnesses and Jurors on Juror Decision-Making, Western Psychological Association, Academics, 2010
Selections
- Rising Stars: 2018 - 2024