Ben Fetherston is a lawyer whose practice focuses on agricultural and food processing clients. He is a skilled attorney with over 40 years of experience advising large, midsize, and small businesses including food processors and farms throughout Washington and Oregon. A seasoned advocate, Ben provides counsel on corporate and commercial matters, real estate transactions, estate law, and estate planning. He understands the regulatory complexities imposed on food producers and manufacturers and is able to advise his clients on potential issues.

Ben has deep knowledge of the food and agricultural sectors—garnered through decades of service as legal counsel to major producers and manufacturers of food products in the dairy, fruit, vegetable, and meat industries. He is skilled in commercial transactions involving crops and livestock, food products, heavy equipment, and more.

Ben negotiates, drafts, and reviews contracts and related business documents as well as industry-specific matters such as liens, financial reorganizations, and contracts with customers, vendors, and suppliers. 

As a veteran legal advisor, Ben is sought after to counsel clients on significant strategic and tactical objectives under consideration by their businesses.

Bar Admissions

• Washington State Courts
• Oregon State Courts
• United States District Court, District of Oregon
• United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
• United States Tax Court
• United States Supreme Court

Education

• Northwestern School of Law, Lewis & Clark College, Juris Doctor degree, cum laude (1981)‎
• University of Denver, Bachelor of Arts degree (1978)‎

• Experience with commercial transactions involving the manufacture, distribution, and sale of finished consumer goods, in particular food and crops.
• Experience with food product recalls and class action lawsuits for food and agricultural products. Helps limit liabilities while minimizing business constraints.
• Negotiates, drafts, and reviews contracts and related documents in general business matters and industry-specific areas, such as food processing and equipment manufacturing.
• Assists with regulatory issues, notably compliance with workplace safety.
• Represents clients before many government agencies, including Federal Wage and Hour Division, Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industry, Oregon OSHA, Oregon Insurance Division, and Oregon Licensing Boards and Commissions.

• SB 1534 – Carbon Sequestration
• Washington Long-Term Care Insurance Tax