John Kaempf is a trial lawyer who, for over 30 years, has specialized in representing churches and religious schools in the courts of Oregon and Washington.

John is one of the most sought after civil defense trial lawyers in Oregon and Washington. He won lawsuits filed against Jesuit High School, the Foursquare Church, Mount Angel Abbey, the Multnomah Athletic Club, the Miss USA pageant, and Philip Morris.

For 10 consecutive years,  John Kaempf has been named one of the “Best Lawyers in America” in Civil Litigation Defense.  He has also been honored by “Oregon Super Lawyers” since 2006, every year the award has been given.  It is  is granted to only the top 5% of attorneys.  Since 2019, John was awarded the highest possible distinction in the Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent® rating. It is the peer-rated honor awarded to lawyers with the highest level of legal ability, integrity,  and distinguished professional excellence. It is the highest of three awards issued by Martindale-Hubbell®, and is largely dependent on an attorney’s peer reviews from judges and other attorneys.

In 2022, he won a historic First Amendment victory in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for his client, the Christian owner of the Miss USA Pageant. You can read a short article about the court’s ruling here.

For 30 years, he has specialized in defending child sex abuse lawsuits against religious entities and individuals throughout Oregon and Washington.  He has defended some of the biggest child sex abuse cases in the country, including a recent case against a private school involving over 70 plaintiffs.

He also defends lawsuits against religious entities brought by students, church members, teachers, pastors, and other employees of religious institutions.

He has expertise in First Amendment defenses to lawsuits against religious entities.