Todd A. Mitchell

Biography

This page is dedicated to the life and memory of Todd A. Mitchell

Although Todd was born in Longview, WA, July 1, 1970, Todd would always say he was “from” Montana, which is where he grew up. After graduating from Eastern Montana State in 1994, Todd moved to Oregon to attend law school at Willamette University College of Law, where he met his wife, Jennifer. After law school, Todd and Jennifer moved to Vancouver, WA to start their law practices. They were married in 2000 and raised three beautiful children.

Todd was a force of nature. He was kind, thoughtful, friendly; he had a light that lit up the room. He always had thoughtful, well reasoned comments. There was never a problem too big to tackle. Todd was so intelligent and well read that he could strike up a conversation with virtually anyone and quickly make intelligent comments on seemingly any topic. It really was uncanny. But most of all he made you feel loved, important – you knew he cared about you. It radiated from him. Family, friends, clients, and coworkers knew they could trust Todd with anything. Anything hard. Anything personal.

After beginning his career at the law firm Bullivant Houser Bailey, Todd joined Ater Wynne in 2011 and eventually became Managing Partner. When Ater Wynne merged with the Buchalter law firm, Todd became Managing Shareholder of the Portland office, member of the Corporate Practice Group, and a member of the firm’s Board of Directors. Throughout his career, Todd made lifelong friends with his clients, coworkers, and partners. He helped his clients navigate complex legal issues with common sense, legal expertise, and humor. Aside from his legal work, Todd gave back to his community by serving on the boards of several local nonprofits. Most recently, he sat on the board of Friends of the Children SW Washington.

Todd loved outdoor adventure – the mountains, the ocean, and the open road always called to him. Todd grew up hiking, hunting, and camping in the mountains of Montana and spending his summers on the Oregon Coast. His love of the mountains and the ocean never went away, and he loved sharing them with his family. Much to his wife’s chagrin, Todd owned four motorcycles. He loved moto-camping with his brothers and friends and teaching his son Owen how to ride. Todd also enjoyed mountain biking and went on several trips to Moab with the “7 Kings.” In his 40s, Todd taught himself to ski and took the kids to Timberline almost every weekend during ski season.

Most of all, Todd loved being a dad. He never ran out of dad jokes, and he tried to make his kids’ lives adventuresome and fun. Todd loved swimming in the ocean with Clare, working out with Owen, and skiing with Caitlin. He showed his kids the value of a work ethic and the importance of fun. Todd loved Jennifer and their kids more than anything. Jennifer was his rock, and Todd’s life centered around her and their kids.