Community Corner
Hess Injury Law Acquires Pendleton's Hill Law Office
Steve Hill's injury practice of more than 30 years joins Hess Injury Law, with the office staying at 310 SE Second Street.
This is a paid post contributed by a Patch Community Partner. The views expressed in this post are the author's own, and the information presented has not been verified by Patch.
When a long-running law practice changes hands in a town the size of Pendleton, the question clients ask first is usually the simplest one. Where do I go now?
In this case, the answer is the same door.
Hess Injury Law has acquired Hill Law Office, the Pendleton injury practice attorney Steve Hill founded in 1999. The transition took effect May 1, 2026. The office stays at 310 SE Second Street, Suite 200, and the practice keeps the same focus it has always had, representing people hurt through someone else’s conduct.
Hill has practiced personal injury law in Pendleton for more than three decades, handling cases for people hurt in vehicle crashes and other serious incidents. He has been selected to Oregon Super Lawyers, holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell, has been a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates since January 2016, previously served on the board of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association, and served as president of the Pendleton Rotary Club in 2013 and 2014.
Rather than close the practice or send clients to attorneys outside the region, Hill chose to hand it to Hess Injury Law, a regional firm led by Peter Hess. The Hess family has known and worked alongside Hill in the Eastern Oregon legal community for more than 25 years. Pendleton becomes the firm’s fourth office, joining Hermiston, Walla Walla and Pullman.
That matters more in a community this size than it might elsewhere. When an injury practice closes in a rural county, the nearest alternative is often in another city, which means clients travel or work with a firm that doesn’t know the local roads, the local courts, or the people involved. With Hess Injury Law already practicing across the region, Pendleton keeps a local injury practice backed by a firm with offices on both sides of the state line.
Vehicle crashes make up a large share of injury cases in Umatilla County, where I-84, Highway 395 and the two-lane routes between Pendleton, Hermiston and the Washington line carry a mix of commuter and commercial traffic that produces collisions year-round.
Hess Injury Law handles car accident and truck accident cases, along with wrongful death claims brought by families who lost someone in a crash.
For existing Hill Law Office clients, the practical details are short. Active matters continue to be handled at the Pendleton office, and Hill remains available to his current clients during the transition. Anyone with a question about a pending matter can call the office directly.
About Hess Injury Law
Hess Injury Law is an Eastern Oregon and Eastern Washington injury firm representing people hurt in vehicle crashes, including car, truck, and motorcycle collisions, and families who have lost a loved one in a crash. Peter Hess has practiced injury law in the region for close to two decades. The firm works from offices in Pendleton and Hermiston, Oregon, and Walla Walla and Pullman, Washington, and serves clients across Eastern Oregon, Eastern Washington, and Idaho. Consultations are free.
To learn more, visit hesslawoffice.com.
This post is an advertorial piece contributed by a Patch Community Partner, a local brand partner. To learn more, click here.