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Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt has elevated a 36-year-old lawyer to head its construction service team. But Stephanie Holmberg鈥檚 youth belies a deep understanding of law and construction, according to her boss.

鈥淪he brings to us an industry perspective that is very much in line with our firm鈥檚 strategic positioning to be focused in six industries, one of which is real estate and construction,鈥� said Mark Long, managing partner of Schwabe. 鈥淭hat is obviously a huge benefit in terms of her leadership and the credibility she commands with the people she leads in that group.鈥�

Holmberg has been with the firm since 2015 after leaving Wilson Construction Company, where she served as general counsel.

鈥淲hat she brings, and she would never admit this herself, are some innate leadership skills, and she鈥檚 really caused that group to congeal as a team,鈥� Long said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 smart. She commands respect.鈥�

The construction industry is still feeling the effects of the Great Recession, Long said, and the legal field is being forced to adapt. Some law firms are responding by focusing on what they do best, or by expanding their number of lawyers or geographic footprint.

Schwabe has reorganized into industry groups to better serve clients, whose legal issues often cover several areas of law.

Construction clients often need help with contract drafting and negotiation, litigated complaints over construction defects or payment claims, employment matters, tax advice particular to the construction industry, or environmental issues. They come to their lawyers early in the development process, for entitlements, and stay involved with their counsel to the end of the life cycle of a project, where, unfortunately for them, many result in construction defect litigation.

Holmberg oversees around 19 lawyers in her subgroup. She formerly co-led the division with attorney Jeremy Vermilyea, who left the firm earlier this year to focus on his own practice.

鈥淭he nice thing about the construction service team is we have attorneys who can service all those needs; it鈥檚 kind of a one-stop shop,鈥� she said. 鈥淐ollaboration is really how we can best serve our construction clients.鈥�

Holmberg is a native of Lake Oswego. She鈥檚 a graduate of Vanderbilt University and University of Oregon School of Law. She鈥檚 married to Stephen Holmberg, an employee of Nike, and serves on the boards of directors for the National Association of Women in Construction and the Pittock Mansion Society.