Global law firm Freshfields announced today that former Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum has joined the firm as a senior counsel to lead its State Attorneys General (State AG) practice.

Ellen was the first woman to be elected state attorney general in Oregon history. Over her 12+ years in office she led and participated in hundreds of successful state and national policy initiatives, investigations and lawsuits. These ran the gamut from consumer protection, fraud, privacy, financial regulation, antitrust, civil rights and environmental protection to public records and criminal justice reform. In addition to record-breaking financial settlements, Ellen's efforts helped shape policies and best practices to safeguard the public.

During her final year in office, she served as the President of the National Association of Attorneys General, the leading nonpartisan national forum for state AGs and their staff. In 2024, she received the organization’s highest honor, Attorney General of the Year.

“We are thrilled to welcome Ellen to lead our State AG practice,” said U.S. Managing Partner Sarah Solum. “Ellen’s firsthand knowledge of state AG enforcement priorities and strategies, combined with our team’s deep civil litigation experience and diverse government service, will allow Freshfields to be a one-stop-shop for matters involving conduct of interest to state AGs, including matters involving parallel civil litigation and regulatory attention.”

Freshfields State AG team focuses on advising clients facing investigations and regulatory scrutiny by state AGs. The cross-practice team includes former high-ranking officials from various federal agencies including U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Defense (DOD), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), among others, as well as the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives and the White House.

Co-Head of U.S. Litigation and Co-Lead of Global Strategic Risk Management Beth George noted, “Over the past few years, clients have seen an increase in activity from America’s 56 Attorneys General offices ranging from privacy and consumer protection to antitrust concerns. Ellen’s deep knowledge of the issues and extensive bipartisan connections to the state AG community immediately strengthens our existing practice, and I’m thrilled to have her join us to lead our team.”

Prior to her 12-year tenure as Oregon AG, Ellen served as an associate and partner in private practice, as an Assistant United States Attorney (federal prosecutor), and as a judge on the Oregon Court of Appeals and on the Multnomah County District and Circuit Courts. She also has a long history of involvement with the American Bar Association, where she served as Secretary of the Association, Chair of the Section of State, Local and Tribal Government Law, and currently is a delegate-at-large to its House of Delegates. Ellen is a member of the American Law Institute, a past president of the Owen M. Panner American Inn of Court, and a past chair of the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation.

Rosenblum added, “I am excited to become a part of this talented Freshfields team, whose proven track record counseling clients facing investigations and regulatory scrutiny by state AGs is outstanding. As a former AG, I know from experience how valuable quality legal representation is to successfully resolving complex state regulatory matters in a fair and timely manner. With the diverse backgrounds of our Freshfields State AG team, we are well-positioned to serve all of our clients who have matters of importance to state AGs and the public they serve.” 

Rosenblum is the most recent high-ranking former government official and first on the state side to join the firm. Previous key federal government additions in recent years include former FTC Commissioner Christine Wilson, former acting General Counsel of DOD Beth George, former SEC Associate Director of Enforcement Melissa Hodgman, former SEC Director of Corporate Finance Erik Gerding, former DOJ Antitrust Deputy Assistant Attorney General Manish Kumar and Associate Deputy Attorney General Austin Evers.