Portia R. Moore

Portia R. Moore

Areas of Practice

Portia focuses her practice on complex litigation with an emphasis on wrongful termination and race and sex discrimination claims. Her experience includes the successful defense of major product liability claims brought against her client 3M and the successful defense of numerous cases at trial of racial discrimination and sexual harassment. Portia was one of five trial team leaders in the arbitration of claims of sexual discrimination in the case of Kraszewski v. State Farm. She sucessfully defended State Farm in the majority of arbitration hearings that she led.

Portia has also served as lead counsel in numerous employment discrimination cases including charges of sexual harassment and constructive discharge brought against the managing partner of a major law firm, charges of sexual harassment and wrongful termination brought against the CEO of a major grocery chain, and charges of sexual harassment and retaliation brought against the CEO of a major health care organization.

Her additional trial experience includes serving as an Assistant United States Attorney of the Western District between January 1986 and January 1990, during which she carried out all duties of a federal criminal prosecutor, including drafting and presenting criminal indictments to the Federal Grand Jury; conducting jury and bench trials; drafting the government's response to post-conviction criminal appeals and presenting oral arguments before the Ninth Circuit. As lead counsel for the government, she successfully litigated jury trial cases involving charges of money laundering, mail fraud, tax violations, continuing criminal enterprise (CCE), racketeering (RICO) and national security issues.

Portia currently serves as a regular faculty member for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (Western Regional Program) and is a frequent guest lecturer on topics related to employment law.

Professional Experience

· Partner, Morrison & Foerster (1990-2007)

· Assistant United States Attorney, Criminal Division, United States Attorney Office (1986-1990)

Practice Group and Specialty Team Memberships

· Class Action Defense

· Labor and Employment

· Litigation

· Products Liability

· Wage and Hour

Representative Matters

· Abrams v. United Parcel Service, et al., Served as lead counsel in national class action alleging discrimination in pay and promotion by African-American entry level managers. Successfully defeated plaintiff's request for certification of nationwide class. (See, Abram v. United Parcel Service, Inc., 200 FRD 424 E.D. Wis. 2001.)

· Johnson v. Chevron, et al., King County Superior Court, 07-2-20155-6 SEA (2009). Served as lead counsel in three-week jury trial alleging failure to accommodate, discrimination and hostile work environment. Successfully obtained summary judgment on failure to accommodate claims. Obtained defense verdict on remaining claims after one hour of jury deliberation.

· United States of America v. Mohan, CR 89-247, Western District of Washington. Successfully obtained pleas of guilty from multiple defendants in a national security case involving claims of wire fraud, money laundering, Rico and conspiracy to defend. As a result of the successful prosecution, Ms. Moore testified on her role in the case at hearings before the subcommittee on Oversight of the Committee on Ways and Means, House of Representatives, One Hundred Second Congress.

· United States of America v. Santos, CR 87122M2, Western District of Washington. Successfully tried multi-defendants on charges of continuing criminal enterprise, mail fraud and narcotics.

Speaking Engagements

· "Managing Layoffs to Avoid Lawsuits: The WARN Act," Recreational Vehicle Industry Association, October 2008

· "Legal Ways to Create Best Performance in Best Work Places," Lane Powell Annual Seminar in conjunction with Puget Sound Business Journal, October 2008

· "Overlapping Leave Laws: State vs. Federal," Starbucks Coffee International Brown Bag Lunch Series, July 2008

· Presenter, "Managing Employee Performance," Human Resource Filing Cabinet Seminar, Association of Washington Business, May 2008

· "Retaliation and Adverse Employment Action Claims: The Impact of Burlington Northern & Sante Fe Railway Co. v. White on Federal and Washington Law," Lane Powell Annual Seminar, October 2007

Professional and Community Activities

· Class Member, DirectWomen Board Institute, 2009 -

· Board Member, King County Bar Foundation, 2009 -

· Member, American Bar Association, Committee on Diversity, 2009 -

· Member, Loren Miller Bar Association

· Instructor, The Urban League Of Metropolitan Seattle, Children's Summer University: Trial 101; Instructed 5th through 8th grade students in all aspects of trial, culminating in presentation of mock trial, Summer 2008 and Summer 2009

· Member, Board of Directors, Northern California Association of Business Trial Lawyers, 1995-1997

· Investigative Hearing Officer, Office of Citizen (Police) Complaints, City and County of San Francisco, 1995-2007

· President, Board of Directors, Making Waves Educational Program, 1995-2002

· Instructor, National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA), Western Regional Program

· Mom - Zachary, Matthew and Lucas