About John
John Gear trained first as an engineer and later as a lawyer. He earned a B.S. in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1980, followed by an M.S. in Engineering Management from Washington State University’s Tri-Cities campus in 1990. He then turned to law, receiving his J.D. from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School in 2004.
His early career began in the Navy as a submarine officer aboard the USS Omaha (SSN-692) in 1987. He moved into industry work as a principal engineer for Westinghouse Hanford Company in 1989 and later founded Catalyst Consulting Services in 1994, serving as a principal there. After law school he entered legal work, serving as a research lawyer at the Michigan Court of Appeals in 2004 and taking a regulatory affairs position at the Michigan Public Service Commission in 2006. In 2010 he established his own firm and has been the managing lawyer at John Gear Law Office since that year.
Those transitions from engineering and military service into law shaped a practice that combines technical understanding with legal analysis. His time at the public utility regulator involved work on regulatory filings and policy matters. Work at the Court of Appeals involved legal research and drafting. Earlier roles demanded project management and technical problem-solving. The combination of those experiences gives him a practical perspective on cases that involve technical or regulatory detail.
Gear has been active in bar and advocacy groups. He founded the Nonprofit Organizations Law Section of the Oregon State Bar in 2011 and has served on its executive committee. He has been a member of the National Lawyers Guild since 2001 and joined the National Association of Consumer Advocates in 2011. He also holds memberships in the Marion County Bar Association, the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association, the Oregon State Bar Elder Law Section and the Nonprofit Association of Oregon. He served on the Executive Committee of the Consumer Law Section of the Oregon State Bar from 2012 to 2014. These affiliations reflect regular engagement with consumer, elder and nonprofit issues.
As a lawyer licensed in Michigan and Oregon, Gear’s practice blends regulatory work, consumer law matters and nonprofit organization issues. He practices from the John Gear Law Office and handles litigation, regulatory filings and advising nonprofit boards. He focuses his practice on consumer protection, elder law and nonprofit organization matters.
