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Portland-based law firm Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt PC has named one of its longtime local attorneys CEO.

Tom Tongue takes over from Graciela Gomez Cowger as chief executive. A fifth-generation Oregon attorney, Tongue has been with Schwabe since finishing law school in 1999. He served for five years as chairman of the firm鈥檚 Business Practice Group, and for nine years on Schwabe鈥檚 board of directors.

鈥淚 began my career at Schwabe and am honored to lead this next chapter to serve our clients, my colleagues and our communities,鈥� Tongue said in a prepared statement. 鈥淔rom solving unique business challenges to navigating the complex economic environment we are experiencing, I look forward to collaborating with our talented team to deliver solutions that support the long-term success of both our clients and our region.鈥�

Tongue earned a law degree from the University of Oregon School of Law, and a master鈥檚 in business administration from UO. As an undergraduate, he studied economics at Vanderbilt University. Tongue attended Lake Oswego High School.

Schwabe traces its history to 1892, and now has seven offices in Oregon, Washington, Alaska and California. The firm in July 2024 renewed its lease for its longtime headquarters in the PacWest Center in downtown Portland. Lease Crutcher Lewis recently completed a remodel of the space; Ankrom Moisan designed the project.

Schwabe represents contractors and industry groups in ongoing litigation challenging Gov. Tina Kotek鈥檚 executive order requiring project labor agreements for most large state projects. In April, Schwabe won a preliminary injunction from Marion County Circuit Court Judge Thomas M. Hart temporarily halting the requirement.