Laurel P. Hook
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Laurel Hook
Managing Shareholder NW Oregon & SW Washington
laurel.hook@stahancyk.com
(503) 222-9115
OSB# 992841 / WSBA#: 42519
Practice Emphases
High Asset Divorce, High-Conflict Custody Litigation, Complex Divorce
Professional Experience
Laurel joined Stahancyk, Kent & Hook in 1999 and was elected a shareholder in 2004. Laurel is a leading litigator in complex custody issues involving lifestyle and mental health issues. She practices dissolution cases throughout the states of Oregon and Washington, successfully representing clients in all matters relating to family law, which can include: divorce, legal separation, domestic partnership in Oregon, modification of spousal support and child support, prenuptial, postnuptial agreements, and cohabitation agreements.
Laurel litigates complex financial and business interest cases as well as high-conflict custody and parenting time matters and modifications. Laurel works closely with the estate-planning department to provide comprehensive legal counsel before, during, and after the divorce process. She is also experienced in the issues of international and interstate child custody and financial matters.
Education
Seattle University School of Law
Seattle, WA · J.D. Cum Laude – 1999
University of Oregon
Eugene, OR · B.S. Psychology – 1996
Bakersfield High School
Bakersfield, CA – 1992
Professional Activities
Laurel is licensed in both Oregon and Washington. Locally, she is a member of the Multnomah County, Washington County and Clackamas County Bar Associations. Nationally, she is a member of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts that keeps family law practitioners and mental health providers up to date with the latest research and solutions to emerging issues in Family Court.
Laurel trained was by the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges in the multidisciplinary approach to Family Law. As a leader in complex business litigation in family law, Laurel presents on behalf of the Oregon Law Institute, as faculty, on “Divorce and the Role of the Business Lawyer.”
Laurel was certified in the Effective Representation of Children by Child Centered Solutions and presents at CLE’s on topics relating to the representation of children and effective trial practices. She is regularly appointed by judges to represent the interests of children in family disputes.
Laurel has been a member of the Portland Business Alliance for two decades, and was selected as a member of the Leadership Portland Class of 2004. One of her most rewarding projects during her tenure with Leadership Portland was being selected as a “principal for a day” at Laurelhurst Elementary school.
In addition to her work in the practice, she mentors law students interested in litigation and family law and helps them as they emerge from law school and into practice in the community.
Community Involvement
Laurel serves on the board of Child Centered Solutions, a non-profit organization, which utilizes community outreach and education to help parents and professionals identify and appropriately address the needs of children during high-conflict family disputes. Following her passion to increase the accessibility of the legal system in family matters, Laurel volunteers with the Family Law Forms Project through Legal Aid Services of Oregon, helping self-represented litigants in completing their pro se documents.
Laurel and her daughter are active in the National Charity League where mothers and daughters come together in a commitment to community service, leadership development and cultural experiences. Laurel has volunteered on the Finance and Assurance Committee is the community liaison for Period, Inc. After studying food insecurity in Portland, Laurel and her daughter have focused many volunteer hours helping at Urban Gleaners, Blanchet House, Oregon Food Bank and Meals on Wheels.
Laurel hosts an annual Dress for Success drive at the firm. (Dress for Success empowers women to achieve economic success by providing professional attire to thrive in work and in life.)
Laurel enjoys volunteering in at the intersection of education and the law. Historically, Laurel worked with the Classroom Law Project supporting High School Regional Mock Trial Competitions and provided legal coaching for the Riverdale Mock Trial team.
In one of her favorite career fair appearances, Laurel gave an innovative presentation to students at Ainsworth Elementary School by using Goldilocks and the Three Bears to illustrate how courts make decisions and the role attorneys play in the process. After reading the story, the students were split into two teams. One team argued that Goldilocks inappropriately entered the house and ate the porridge, while the other team was tasked with defending Goldilocks’ behavior. After each side presented their arguments, the group reconvened to discuss the decision-making process and the role of the attorneys. The response from both students and teachers was overwhelmingly positive.
Download Laurel Hook’s Goldilocks and the Three Bears career day presentation materials.
As a working mother, Laurel knows the unique struggles faced by women in the workplace. Laurel presented at the Samaritan Counseling Center’s Women’s Conference, “Women of Strength, Women in Transition: Forging Our Way Through Change and Challenge by Focusing on our Bodies, Minds and Spirit.” There, Laurel led a breakout session for a group of women, exploring leadership inside and outside the home. She covered a broad swath of life lessons from personal budgets and estate planning, to setting an example for your children through volunteer service.
Awards
- 2022 · Women In the Law, Best Lawyers
- 2021 · Best Lawyers In America, Best Lawyers
- 2020 · Top 25 Women Oregon Super Lawyers, Super Lawyers
- 2020 · Best Lawyers In America, Best Lawyers
- 2019 · Best Lawyers In America, Best Lawyers
- 2019 · Top 25 Women Oregon Super Lawyers, Super Lawyers
- 2019 ·Top 50 Oregon Lawyers, Super Lawyer
- 2018 . The Best Lawyers In America, Best Lawyers
- 2018 . Top 25 Women Oregon Lawyers, Super Lawyers
- 2018 . Top 50 Oregon Lawyers, Super Lawyers
- 2017 . The Best Lawyers In America, Best Lawyers
- 2017 . Top 25 Women Oregon Lawyers, Super Lawyers
- 2017 . Top 50 Oregon Lawyers, Super Lawyers
- 2016 . Women in the Law, Best Lawyers
- 2016 . Top 50 Oregon Lawyers, Super Lawyers
- 2016 . Top 25 Women Oregon Lawyers, Super Lawyers
- 2015 . The Best Lawyers In America, Best Lawyers
- 2015 . Best Attorneys In Oregon, Best Lawyers
- 2014 · Top 50 Oregon Lawyers, Super Lawyers
- 2014 · Top 25 Oregon Women Lawyers, Super Lawyers
- 2013-2015 · Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers
- 2012 · Forty under 40 Award, Portland Business Journal
- 2012 · Leader in Law, Oregon Daily Journal of Commerce
- 2008-2012 · Rising Star, Super Lawyers
Laurel was honored as a “Forty Under 40” award winner by the Portland Business Journal in 2012, a distinction given to leading business women and men, under the age of 40, in and around the Portland area. Laurel was also honored as an Oregon Daily Journal of Commerce Leader in Law, in 2012.