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Elizabeth Ewens

Partner, Stoel Rives LLP

Early in her career, Elizabeth Ewens remembers flipping through the pages of a 19th-century diary that had been passed down in an Idaho ranching family for generations. The ink may have faded, but the words painted a vivid picture of a time when water meant survival, dictating where cattle could graze and families could settle. These handwritten entries, carefully detailing the movement of livestock and the sources of water they depended on, were more than just history. They were evidence — proof in a modern legal battle over historic water rights.

For Ewens, a top water attorney at the Sacramento office of Seattle-based law firm Stoel Rives, moments like these encapsulate the deep historical and legal complexity of her field. “So much water law is rooted in the history of the state of California,” she says. “It involves complex hydrology and legal issues, and even public policy issues.”

A fourth-generation Californian, Ewens was introduced to the legal field by her father, who practiced real property law. But it wasn’t until she left the state that she became fascinated by the arcane systems that govern water in the West. After she earned her law degree at UC Davis in 1994, she and her husband Mark, a family medicine physician, moved to Colorado so he could complete his residency at a hospital in Denver. There she began her career in water law — and encountered that Idaho diary. She continued in the field after they moved back to Davis in 2000, starting at smaller, boutique law firms specializing in water and environmental law. 

Since joining Stoel Rives five years ago, Ewens has represented both public agencies and private clients, such as vintners and ranchers, navigating the legal maze of water access. Her work frequently involves mediating between competing interests: agriculture, municipalities, environmental concerns and historical water rights holders. 

“My approach to mentorship is primarily focused on one on one, but also seeing what you can do on a broader scale.”

Ewens thrives on problem-solving, preferring negotiation over litigation when possible. “The court process can be really fun and exciting if you’re an attorney. It’s not very fun and exciting if you are a client,” she says. “One of the biggest challenges, but one of the more satisfying aspects of my job, especially with new laws being imposed on a historic water law system, is getting a team around a table from very diverse perspectives and having folks roll up their sleeves and come up with solutions.”

Water law, like much of the legal field, has historically been male-dominated. Ewens says she was fortunate to be mentored by the late attorney Anne Schneider, one of the first women to rise to the top of the water law field in California. “I love my male colleagues, but there were not very many female mentors when I came up,” she says. “I was really lucky that she (Schneider) took the time to invest in me, both substantively and as a human.”

Today, Ewens is involved in Stoel Women’s Affinity Group (or SWAG), which advocates for policies that support women in the profession.

“You want people to feel like their practices are supported no matter the background or gender identity,” she says. “My approach to mentorship is primarily focused on one on one, but also seeing what you can do on a broader scale.”

Ewens also loves traveling, running and observing California’s water landscape firsthand. “Unfortunately for our children, road trips come with a fair amount of ‘Look at the level of the reservoir,’ or ‘Hey, look at the canal that’s transporting water,’ or ‘This is the Delta!’” she says. “But whether it’s for business or pleasure, looking at our resources firsthand and enjoying them is great.”  

View the list of honorees from 2015 through 2025.

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