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While studying political science, P.K. Runkles-Pearson became so fascinated by the cases she came across in her constitutional law class that she decided to change her career focus from journalism to law.

鈥淚 wanted to take things that were complicated and make them simple,鈥� Runkles-Pearson said. 鈥淢any people can describe complex things in a complicated way. Simplifying something without stripping it of its real meaning is difficult, and that鈥檚 what I spend a lot of my time as a lawyer doing.鈥�

The associate at Stoel Rives is considered an expert in appellate work and employment law by her industry colleagues. She has prepared petitions for review to the Oregon Supreme Court, petitions for writs of certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court, and merits briefing in both Oregon and federal appellate courts. She also represents managers and supervisors from prominent local businesses in employment disputes. This year, she argued in front of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals four times, a rarity for an attorney her age.

A board member and cooperating attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, she successfully argued that an Oregon statute improperly criminalized the distribution of constitutionally protected materials to minors. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the statute as unconstitutional on First Amendment grounds and the Oregon Legislature repealed the statute entirely.

In addition to her pro bono work with the ACLU, she provides services to a local homeless shelter, a group working to oppose domestic violence, Planned Parenthood, Basic Rights Oregon and the Portland Children鈥檚 Museum.

Do you have any tattoos?

Nope 鈥� not because I鈥檓 opposed, but because I can鈥檛 decide!

If you could have a drink with any person, dead or alive, who would it be?

Kurt Vonnegut.

What do you spend your non-lawyer time doing?

Growing vegetables, canning and preserving, spinning yarn and knitting it, reading when I can. It鈥檚 like pioneer days at my house.

If you could have a superpower, what would it be?

Superpower, schmooperpower. I鈥檇 rather have a TARDIS and a sonic screwdriver.

What is your favorite word?

I could spend a year with my OED and not come up with the answer to that question. 鈥淔antod鈥� is a pretty awesome word though.

What is your most treasured possession?

My wedding ring.

What was the most influential Supreme Court decision of all time?

It鈥檚 cliche but true — Marbury v. Madison, in which Chief Justice Marshall asserted the court鈥檚 authority to strike down statutes on constitutional grounds. After that, probably NLRB v. Jones & Laughlin Steel or other cases that confirmed Congress鈥� ability to regulate broadly based on the Commerce Clause, or Chevron v. NRDC, which gave enormous power to administrative agencies.

What was the most harmful Supreme Court decision of all time?

It may be too early to say, but Citizens United v. FEC, which recognized the First Amendment rights of corporations, has the potential for untold havoc if left unchecked. History is full of awful decisions that were later made right; hopefully this is one of them.

What is the first concert you attended?

The Cranberries.

What was your favorite course in law school? Your least favorite?

I loved a special topics Constitutional Law seminar that some of us law geeks lobbied for. I鈥檓 not sure I had a 鈥渓east favorite鈥� class – I loved law school.

If you hadn鈥檛 become an attorney, what career would you have pursued?

Professor of political science or history.

What person do you most admire?

Thich Nhat Hahn.

What is the best part of being an attorney/the worst?

The best part of being an attorney is the privilege of weighing in on the most difficult issues of our day. In the last several years, I鈥檝e been able to work on free speech issues, the rights of the nonbiological mother in a lesbian relationship, and transgender rights, to name a few. The most difficult part is trying to stay balanced.

The coast or the gorge?

The coast. It鈥檚 great any time of year.