Walter Evans III, J.D.

Attorney at Law, Schwabe, Williamson and Wyatt

Walt Evans joined the Business and Corporate practice group of Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt in 1997 after practicing law for nearly 20 years in Washington, D.C. Much of his practice focuses on federal adminstrative/regulatory proceedings and on legislation, particularly involving the Endangered Species Act and related resource laws that impact Pacific Northwest businesses and public entities.

While in Washington, DC, his client advocacy involved him with numerous federal departments and agencies and with Congress on behalf of clients ranging from Northwest ports and towboat companies to foreign embassies. He has represented and advocated the positions of corporations, associations, and government entities in both administrative and legislative arenas.

Walt helps private business and government clients cut government red tape in areas that range from export licensing to securing federal grants and appropriated funds.

For nearly 20 years, he has dealt extensively with the Corps of Engineers, U.S. Coast Guard, the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal resource agencies on behalf of ports, transportation and water-based industries. For a decade, Walt represented in Washington the ports programs of the Oregon Economic Development Department. He has helped several State of Washington ports resolve Federal legal and administrative problems and secured specific legislative solutions when required. Over the years, Walt both formed and participated in coalitions to advance and protect the interests of his clients.

In addition to speaking regularly before mid-career training programs for Federal civil servants, Walt has spoken before legal and business/industry groups on such varied topics as “How Washington Lawyers Work,” “How to Do Business in the Arabian Gulf,” “The A-B-C’s of Lobbying,” “The Future of the Corps of Engineers,” and “The Endangered Species Act’s Shift from ‘Critter-Specific’ to ‘Watershed-Wide’.”

In July 2002, Walt spoke about litigation spawned by ESA and fish recovery in the Columbia River basin at a CLE program during the annual Idaho State Bar Association meeting. In October 2003, he and a lawyer for the Sierra Club’s environmental law firm, Earthjustice, presented their differing views of the ESA fifh litigation in the Pacific Northwest on a CLE program of the National Fisheries Law Symposium in Seattle.

For nearly fifteen years, Walt represented the Embassy of Japan and the Embassy of Qatar in Washington, where his legal tasks ranged from broad trade policy issues to narrow legal disputes. His client advocacy in the federal arena has included such examples as helping: a small U.S. exporter secure Export-Import Bank financing at a time when larger U.S. companies dominated most Ex-Im services; a large imported athletic shoe company protect its trade-related interests from adverse federal legislation; and a group of regional customs brokers respond to major customs reform legislation.

Walt earlier served from 1969 to 1977 as Legal Counsel to U.S. Senator Mark Hatfield. While a Senate staff member, in 1972, he was a member of the first Congressional staff group invited to Japan by the Japanese Government. In 1975, he participated in a Congressional staff mission to Taiwan, where he focused on bilateral Oregon-Taiwan economic issues. Also in 1975, Walt was among the first American participants in a new European Community (now the EU) exchange program. There, he focused on OPEC and Japanese investment in Europe, as well as broader US-EC trade and investment issues. Some years ago, he also helped form and lead a U.S. trade mission to the United Arab Emirates, Sudan and Egypt.

Prior to moving to Washington to join Senator Hatfield’s staff, Walt served as law clerk to the Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. Before joining Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, Walt was an executive with a Portland investment advisory company.

Professional & Community Activities: Walt is a founding board member of the Portland-based International Sustainable Development Foundation. ISDF helped develop the sustainable development network for APEC, the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation group that links 18 Pacific Rim countries. ISDF serves as the U.S. Secretariat and American sponsor of the China-U.S. Center for Sustainable Development. ISDF also sponsors the Zero Waste Alliance and the Green Electronics Council. He is also on the Board of Directors for the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool.

Walt chairs the Trade Policy Committee of the Pacific Northwest International Trade Association, Oregon and SW Washington’s advocacy group promoting expanded trade and the economic growth it fosters.

He is a member of the Vancouver National Historic Reserve Trust, a private group advocating protection and enhancement of Fort Vancouver, Officers Row and Pearson Field, which together comprise “One Place Across Time” in Vancouver, Washington. He chairs the Trust’s Long Range Planning Committee.

He also serves as a member of the Northwest Advisory Board of the Enterprise Foundation, the leading advocacy group and supporter of affordable housing programs in the U.S.

Walt also serves on the Japan Forum Committee of the Japan American Society of Oregon, and also is a member of the Business Advisory Committee of the World Affairs Council. He is an active member of the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association.

Education: Willamette University College of Law, Doctor of Laws degree (1967) University of Oregon, Bachelor of Science degree (1963)

Admitted to Practice Oregon State Courts Courts of the District of Columbia Oregon Federal District Court

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