David has been handling jury and court trials for the past two decades. A native Oregonian, David has a JD from Lewis & Clark Law and went to Sonoma and Humboldt State Universities as an undergraduate. He is licensed to practice in Oregon, Washington, and in the Oregon 9th Circuit, trial and appellate court. David was made Partner at McKean Smith in May of 2024.
Prior to becoming a lawyer, he worked as an ESL teacher abroad, a bricklayer, logger, bartender, timber cruiser and import car mechanic. David has litigated to conclusion a range of cases, including representing children, personal injury, criminal and delinquency, civil rights, civil assault, property rights, complex business cases, and others. He brings to bear this deep well of experience in advocating for children, individuals and businesses.
David’s specialty at law is his clients’ goals. The law is one tool for reaching those goals -but not the only one. David is a practiced listener and works to understand a client’s particular needs and to invoke a resolution -whether through the power of the law or through a variety of other tools -using client and counsel’s combined resources to reach favorable, efficient, stable outcomes.
Counsel’s role is to shield a client from the corrosive and stressful effects of conflict. Sometimes, the right advice isn’t especially legal at all; instead, it is human; a cornerstone of David’s practice is the presentation of all the options available for understanding and navigating the landscape of a dispute. Litigation is always an option; so is doing nothing. Within this range, David is adept at assisting clients in working out the right course given their individual goals and circumstances, including their tolerance for conflict.
David’s interests outside of law include public and non-profit board membership, rescue dogs, mechanics, carpentry, emergency medicine, Spanish, and art.
