Ryan Donovan is a commercial litigator who represents insurers, businesses, and professionals with an emphasis on defending insurers in insurance coverage litigation and providing coverage analysis. He is a member of an experienced team of attorneys specializing in defending complex extracontractual and bad faith insurance disputes as well as first-party SIU matters. Drawing on his background as a former intelligence officer, Ryan approaches litigation with a disciplined analytical skill set that enables him to navigate complex issues and build effective defenses for his clients.
During law school, Ryan developed a strong foundation in civil litigation as a law clerk with the Civil Litigation Section of the Oregon Department of Justice. He also worked as a judicial extern for the Honorable Stephen Bushong of the Oregon Supreme Court and Judge Jolie Russo of the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon. Prior to joining Wilson Elser, Ryan worked as a law clerk at a regional firm, where he handled insurance coverage, complex tort, and maritime matters.
Before entering the legal profession, Ryan worked as an intelligence officer with the U.S. Intelligence Community.
- Willamette University College of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2025)
- Editor in Chief, Willamette Journal of International Law and Dispute Resolution
- Academic Excellence Fellow
- Portland State University (B.A. Honors College Political Science and Russian, 2019)
- U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholar, Russian
- Ambassador Annenberg Fellowship
- Oregon
- U.S. District Court, District of Oregon
- Multnomah Bar Association
- Oregon Association of Defense Counsel
- Norwegian