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Derily Bechthold recently joined the City Attorney鈥檚 office, where she represents the Bureau of Fire and Police Disability and Retirement.

鈥淚t鈥檚 an exciting time and it鈥檚 a fairly new system, so there鈥檚 a lot of opportunity for growth and development,鈥� said Bechthold, who previously administered private and public group practice policies for Standard Insurance Co.

While the two jobs differ in many ways, they are similar in that they allow Bechthold to build a relationship with her client 鈥� her favorite aspect of being a lawyer.

Bechthold decided to become an attorney after her father died when she was young.

鈥淎n attorney helped my mom and it really made an impression on me as a way to help people,鈥� she said.

After earning degrees in political science, economics and international business from Seattle University, Bechthold received a Human Rights and Humanitarian Law Certificate from American University鈥檚 law school in 2003. She earned her law degree from Lewis & Clark Law School the following year.

Bechthold clerked for the Multnomah County District Attorney鈥檚 Office and Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Richard Baldwin before joining The Standard as in-house counsel in 2006.

Diversity within the profession is a passion for Bechthold, who for several years served as chair and fundraising chair for the Oregon Minority Lawyers Association and is involved in the Opportunities for Law in Oregon (OLIO) Program. She also serves as a mentor at Lewis & Clark and is a regional judge for its Jessup International Moot Court competition.

Peter Tran, a Lewis & Clark law student, said he feels fortunate that Bechthold is his mentor and has been available to help him when he has faced difficulties.

鈥淏esides being an invaluable resource, Derily is also a wonderful and caring person,鈥� he said. 鈥淔rankly, she is an exemplary example of what a lawyer should be,鈥� he said.

What was your most useful law school course (and why)?

Contracts and legal writing were my most useful courses. I work with contracts a lot in my career and the course helped with understanding their interpretation. Legal writing helped because communication is so important to being a lawyer.

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

I think I would have pursued something in the realm of politics, behind the scenes. I was an assistant campaign manager in Washington before law school. It鈥檚 a very interesting and challenging line of work.

Finish this sentence: Happiness is 鈥�

being with my family.

What trait do you most admire or like in others?

Patience.

Tell us something about yourself that might surprise most people.

I am a third-degree black belt in Shorin-Ryu karate and I started taking lessons when I was 8.