Annala, Carey Baker, Thompson & VanKoten was created in 1961 when Wayne C. Annala, who was raised in Hood River on a family-owned orchard and was engaged in private law practice in Portland, returned home in 1961 to take over the practice of John N. Mohr, who was a longtime leading Hood River attorney after his sudden death.

Of the other members of the law firm, Victor W. VanKoten and Jeffrey J. Baker
moved from larger Portland firms to join the law firm. Wilford K. Carey joined the firm in 1974 and Michael J. Thompson joined the firm in 1997, after four years as a public defender in the Mid- Columbia area. Both Jeffrey J. Baker and Michael J. Thompson are admitted to practice in Washington as well as Oregon.

Together the members of the law firm represent approximately 160 years of combined legal experience in various fields covering nearly all of the areas of law encountered by clients in the Mid-Columbia area.