Richard M. Stephens
Dick is an experienced litigator against excessive government regulation. After serving with Pacific Legal Foundation for seven years, Dick was Policy and Research Counsel to the Washington House Republican Caucus during significant legislative changes to the Growth Management Act and the State Environmental Policy Act.
Upon formation of Groen Stephens & Klinge LLP, Dick has represented clients in court and before administrative bodies in the areas of water law, land use, regulatory reform, mining, and initiative law. He is currently a member of the Association of Washington Business Legal Affairs Committee in addition to its Land Use Committee.
Education
- B.A., Bob Jones University, cum laude, 1982
- J.D., Pepperdeine University School of Law, cum laude, 1985
Bar Memberships
Washington, Oregon, California, Federal Courts: United States Supreme Court, Fourth, Ninth and Seventh Circuit Courts of Appeal, Eastern and Northern Districts of California, District of Oregon, Western District of Washington, Court of Federal Claims.
- Co-author, Takings Law, Lucas and the Growth Management Act, 16 U. of Puget Sound L.Rev.1259 (1993).
- The Law of Unconstitutional Takings and the Private Property Owner, Northwest Woodlands, Summer 1993.
- Washington State Must Respect Property Rights When Implementing Growth Management Act, Legal Backgrounder (Washington Legal Foundation), July 1993.
- Ninth Circuit Welcomes Takings Where State Courts Are Inhospitable, 14 Oregon Real Estate and Land Use Digest, No.2 (1992).
- The Fees Stop Here: Statutory Purposes Limit Awards to Defendants, 36 DePaul Law Review 489 (1987).
- One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: The "Progress" Down the Employee Civil Rights Road, 36 Educational Law Rep. 37 (1987).
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Wyoming: Appomattox Courthouse Revisited, 11 Pepperdine Law Review 707 (1984).
- Government Takings: Just Compensation and Police Power Recent Cases Beg the Question, Law Seminars International, December 4, 2003.
- Growth Management Act: Growth Management Act Procedures that Violate Due Process and Recent Developments in Takings Jurisprudence, Law Seminars International, November 18, 2003.
- Washington Land Use Law, Do We Still Have Property Rights?, Law Seminars International, April 23, 2002.
- Land Use Law: Don't I Still Have Property Rights?, Law Seminars International, April 20, 2001.
- Government Takings: Overview of Federal Regulatory Takings Law, Law Seminars International, November 27, 2000.
- Public & Private Rights in Land & Resources: Workable Solutions, University of Washington, Institute for Environmental Studies, Seattle, June 1994.
- The Endangered Species Act, Law Seminars International, Honolulu, April 1994.
- Inverse Condemnation and Related Government Liability, American Law Institute - American Bar Association, Seattle, May 1992.
- Private Property Rights and Environmental Protection, Washington Research Council, Seattle, May 1992.