Attorney Profiles

Thomas Rask (AV)

One of several Kell, Alterman & Runstein lawyers who was born and raised in the Portland area, Tom Rask is also one of the firm's most active community volunteers. He serves as chairman of the American Red Cross Oregon Trail Chapter, is president of the St. Sharbel Catholic Church Council, and was a trustee for the Oregon Association of Children with Learning Disabilities from 1996 to 2002.

He's also former president of the University of Notre Dame Alumni Club of Portland, and is likely the only Portland lawyer who owns both a football and basketball signed by the respective 1978 Notre Dame men's teams.

"That was the season of the comeback Cotton Bowl with Joe Montana," notes the Jesuit High School graduate and past junior-high basketball coach, whose enthusiastic support of Notre Dame extends to an annual alumni trip to South Bend for a football game each year.

Befitting a lawyer who moonlights as a coach, Tom is known for his rational, steady approach to his civil litigation work. He also enjoys a reputation for managing complex business and real estate deals, contracts, and other transactional work with a communicative, open-ended style. His structured methods typically result in versatile, equitable solutions for his clients.

"People like that I look closely at both sides," Tom says. "I'm even-handed and fair, and that carries over from my transactional work into my litigation work."

Tom joined Kell, Alterman & Runstein in 1993 directly out of law school, in part because of the firm's reputation for effective, efficient representation, and partly for its standing as an active supporter of community and political causes. Tom believes that Kell, Alterman & Runstein's community spirit only strengthens the firm's ties to Portland and its people. "The key to our success is that our clients succeed," Tom explains, "and our firm is held in high regard because of our partners' commitment to Portland."

In addition to his passion for all things Notre Dame, Tom is an avid hunter and fisherman. He also plays basketball in the Lawyers League, and spends his remaining time with his wife and three children.

Professional and civic activities

Oregon State Bar
American Bar Association
American Red Cross Oregon Trail Chapter, Chairman
Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Red Cross
St. Sharbel Catholic Church Council, President
Oregon Association of Children with Learning Disabilities, Former Trustee
Notre Dame Alumni Club of Portland, Former President

Admitted to practice

Oregon
U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

Education

B.B.A., University of Notre Dame, 1990
J.D., Willamette University School of Law, 1993
Certificate for Dispute Resolution (CDR), Willamette University