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Law school: Lewis & Clark Law School

Career highlight: Christian has tried more than 70 complex commercial cases and intellectual property disputes in state and federal courts and before arbitrators.

Noteworthy: A volunteer mentor for the Oregon State Bar鈥檚 New Lawyer Mentoring Program, Christian makes it a point to touch base with her mentee on an almost daily basis, colleagues say.

With a bachelor鈥檚 degree in justice from American University and a law degree from Lewis & Clark Law School, Dayna Christian jokes that she was so determined to become an attorney that she foolishly went through law school twice.

She initially intended to get into politics before a constitutional law class that was part of her political science coursework inspired her to become a lawyer. Christian earned an environmental law certificate from Lewis & Clark in 1997, not because she ever planned to practice environmental law but because of the program鈥檚 internationally renowned reputation.

鈥淚 wanted to have that experience of learning among the top students and professors in the field,鈥� she said.

Christian knew early on that she wanted to be a litigator. She began her career in the Multnomah County District Attorney鈥檚 office before going into private practice. She has tried more than 70 complex commercial cases and intellectual property disputes in state and federal courts and before arbitrators.

Cyber law is a key specialty for Christian, whose practice focuses on intellectual property, e-commerce, the Internet and electronic discovery, including computer forensics and digital evidence. She also counsels clients on computer privacy, security policies and practices, e-discovery, and electronically stored data retention.

鈥淚 think what I love most about my work is having people come to me when they need some help and being able to use my legal experience to offer that help,鈥� she said.

Christian serves on the board of trustees for the YMCA of Columbia-Willamette, is a committee member with the Defense Research Institute, and is a member of the Intellectual Property Sections of both the Oregon and Washington state bars. In addition, she is a volunteer mentor for the Oregon State Bar鈥檚 New Lawyer Mentoring Program.

鈥淒ayna lives mentoring, in life and law. Hardly a day goes by that she does not guide her OSB mentee,鈥� Jerry Carlton, firm principal, said in his nomination of Christian. 鈥淪he poses questions about how best to serve clients, provide pro bono services to the underprivileged, and balance work and life.鈥�