Adin Johnson Received the Rising Star Award from CCBA

Philbrook Law is excited to announce that Adin Johnson was recognized by the Clark County Bar Association (CCBA) on Sunday, March 12, with its Rising Star award, which is given to attorneys who have been practicing for less than five years, in recognition of outstanding achievements.

Matt Philbrook was asked to present Adin’s award, but he was out of town. Never fear, though – he sent along some thoughts which were read during the presentation. We’d like to share those thoughts with you now: not only will you get to know Adin a bit better, but we think you’ll see exactly why he is so deserving of the Rising Star award.

A bit about Adin’s background

Adin’s family settled in Clark County when he was in his teens. He has a habit of excelling in everything he puts his mind to. One thing you may not know about Adin is he held a top 5 world ranking in a video game called Stronghold Crusader. The game looks to be a cross between Sim City and Dungeons and Dragons. However, Adin claims it was widely popular and compelling. So, we’ll take his word for it.

Adin comes from a loving family and great support system. He studied Spanish in undergrad, and during his time at Willamette University School of Law became interested in issues facing immigrants. He volunteered at Lutheran Community Services helping Spanish speakers with US Visa applications. Adin also interned as a prosecutor in the Marion County DA’s office, where he got his first trial experience.

How Adin joined Philbrook Law

Adin Johnson joined Philbrook Law when Matthew was transitioning to full time plaintiff’s personal injury work and otherwise ready to grow the office. His legal career began just a few weeks after taking the bar exam in August of 2019. He was given a unique opportunity as a first-year attorney, to completely take over what had been a consistently thriving DUI, traffic and criminal defense practice. He was told that the phones were going to ring, and in a short time the work would all be his. He quickly took ownership of the position.

Why Adin truly is a Rising Star

If you spend time with Adin, you’ll realize he’s a great listener and asks A LOT of questions. It’s really one of his great strengths. He’s always learning, preparing, analyzing, and testing his thoughts. He has a great depth of knowledge about each of his clients, and connects with them on a compassionate level. He never gives up on a case or a cause before achieving the correct outcome. As a trial attorney he’s always prepared, connects with juries, shows respect to everyone in the courtroom, and consistently produced not guilty verdicts. In fact, the only case he partially lost was one I co-chaired with him in Tillamook County. I’m sure Adin will agree that we got some bad rulings on his pretrial motions.

The thing that impresses me most about Adin, and the reason I think he’s receiving CCBA’s Rising Star award, is his consistent willingness to step outside of his comfort zone. Adin is naturally a very cautious person, but he has big dreams. He understands that growth requires a willingness to fail, and failure is okay if he gives everything he has. When these two things come together success follows.

We were surprised and elated to hear that Adin was receiving this award. In less than four years he’s gone from the eager to learn little brother of the office, to someone deservedly recognized for his work. Proud is an understatement.

Congratulations, Adin, on your award!