Meet Our Instructors

Britt Axness

Courses -

Burnout and Compassion Fatigue: Maintaining Mental Health in the Legal Field

Understanding the Role of Psychological Evaluations in Immigration Advocacy

Britt Axness is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and has been practicing since 2008. She earned her Master of Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin. She has focused on working with adults who have experienced traumatic events or who have faced other significant challenges like mental illness, addiction and social marginalization. Ms. Urban Axness provides mental health trainings and other workplace education workshops to nonprofits, government agencies, and private businesses. These trainings assist staff and leaders to build resilience, healthy relationships, and overall well-being. She also has a private practice providing individual psychotherapy to adults. Britt is licensed in Oregon, Texas, and Washington.

Jessie Barrington

Course - Cultural Preservation, Protection, and Sovereignty in Indian Country

Jessie Barrington is an attorney and the Indigenous Practice Lead at Cultural Heritage Partners, PLLC. An enrolled citizen of the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians, Jessie brings over a decade of high-impact legal experience across Tribal, federal, and private practice arenas. Jessie serves as General Counsel to federally recognized Tribal Nations and First Nations clients, advising on a broad spectrum of issues including governance, business development, land-into-trust acquisitions, and environmental and cultural resource protection.

Jessie earned her J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School and is admitted to practice in Oregon and Virginia, as well as before the U.S. Supreme Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. She is co-author of American Indian Identity: Citizenship, Membership, and Blood and has written on Tribal self-governance, jurisdiction, and sovereignty-driven legal strategy.

Judge Adrian L. Brown

Course - Professionalism, Integrity, Civility, and Ethics for Lawyers

Judge Adrian L. Brown is a State Circuit Court Judge for Oregon’s 4th Judicial District, located in Portland, Oregon. She has served the bench as a trial court judge since January 2021. As a judge she served on the Multnomah County Bar’s Professionalism Committee and the State Bar’s Professionalism Commission.

Prior to taking the bench, Judge Brown was an experienced litigator in civil and criminal matters, having served as an Assistant United States Attorney and a United States Air Force Judge Advocate. She received her J.D. from Lewis and Clark Law School and her B.S. in Public Policy from Indiana University.

Bridget Clough

Course - From Conflict to Compromise: Mediation Fundamentals

Bridget Clough is a mediation and arbitration professional with over a decade of experience helping individuals and organizations resolve complex disputes. Currently serving as Senior Labor Relations Specialist at Oregon Health & Science University, Bridget brings a calm, tactful approach that inspires trust, fosters collaboration, and achieves lasting resolutions in high-stakes and emotionally charged cases. She also contracts with the National Center for Dispute Solutions. Bridget is the founder of her own mediation consultancy, where she provided services in conflict resolution, arbitration, policy development, training, and public speaking for over 10 years.

Bridget holds a Juris Doctor from Thomas Jefferson School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology/Criminology from Colorado Mesa University. In addition to her professional practice, she has contributed her expertise as a volunteer mediator with the Dispute Resolution Center of Beaverton, Oregon, and as an appointed member of the Governance Committee at Arco Iris Charter School.

Joseph Cox, CFE

Course - Financial Investigator and Attorney Collaboration in Fraud Investigations

Joseph Cox is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and licensed private investigator with more than twenty years of combined experience in law enforcement and investigative analysis. A U.S. Coast Guard veteran, he began his career managing multi-million-dollar accounts and implementing budget and purchasing controls. Following this, he transitioned to investigative work with the Portland Police Bureau, where he was a detective that specialized in complex financial crimes and served as a Homeland Security Investigations Task Force Officer on the Oregon Intellectual Property Theft Task Force.

Today, Mr. Cox leads Financial & Investigative Solutions, an independent consulting practice that helps individuals, small businesses, and organizations detect, prevent, and respond to financial misconduct. He also provides fraud awareness education and training to law enforcement, corporate clients, and community organizations across the country.

Nadia Dahab

Course - Mastering Appellate Advocacy From Brief to Bench

Nadia Dahab is a skilled trial and appellate advocate at the law firm Sugarman Dahab. She represents individuals in consumer, civil rights, and class action litigation.

Before joining Sugerman Dahab, Nadia served as Senior Litigation Attorney for the Portland nonprofit Innovation Law Lab, where she was co-lead and class counsel on several complex matters challenging Presidential and federal agency actions seeking to restrict the rights of immigrants and refugees. Nadia continues to focus her pro bono work on the fight for immigrant and refugee justice. She began her legal practice—and developed many of her litigation skills—at the Portland law firm of Stoll Berne.

Nadia graduated from the University of Oregon and served as a law clerk to Justice Rives Kistler of the Oregon Supreme Court and Judges Mary H. Murguia and Susan P. Graber, both of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Michael DeBlis

Course - Storytelling as Strategy for Lawyers

Michael DeBlis is a trial lawyer. He graduated Cum Laude from The Thomas M. Cooley Law School and Summa Cum Laude from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law with his Masters of Law in Taxation.

Michael spent the first six years of his legal career as a public defender in the NJ Office of the Public Defender cutting his teeth on some of the most serious felony cases to pass through the state courts of New Jersey. He then joined his father's law practice, DeBlis Law, expanding the practice into civil tax controversies and international tax compliance.

As a graduate of the National Criminal Defense College, Michael has trained under some of the best-known criminal defense attorneys in the country. When he's not in the courtroom, you can find Michael on stage. He is a professionally-trained actor who has performed in off-Broadway productions and on-stage at Shakespeare in the Park.

Brian Decker

Course - Representing the Criminal Defendant: Mechanics, Ethics, and Judgment

Brian Decker is the Chief of the Northwest Regional Trial Division at the Oregon Public Defense Commission, where he leads a team of attorneys and staff providing trial-level representation across the Portland metro area.

Before joining the Commission, Brian served as Director of Transparency and Accountability at the Oregon Justice Resource Center, where he focused on government oversight and criminal-justice reform. Earlier in his career, he was a public defender with Metropolitan Public Defender in Washington County, an Assistant United States Attorney in Arizona, and a state-court public defender there as well. Brian writes and teaches on criminal defense, ethics, and professional judgment.

John Devlin

Course - How Mindfulness Can Make You a Better (and Healthier) Lawyer

John Devlin mediates all types of civil cases, including motor vehicle, employment, civil rights, and professional negligence claims. He also litigates civil rights cases for the families of people who have died in custody and for children who have experienced abuse in the foster care system.

John graduated from the University of Chicago Law School and served as a law clerk to the Honorable Ed Carnes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the Honorable Shira Scheindlin of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. After his clerkships, he worked as a commercial litigator in Washington, DC for several years and as a local prosecutor in Multnomah County.

He is the Chair of the Oregon Chapter of the Mindfulness in Law Society and a member of the Oregon State Bar House of Delegates. Additionally, John has presented on mindfulness for many organizations, including the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association.

Barbara Diamond

Course - Microaggression Interventions for Lawyers

Barbara Diamond is the founder of Diamond Law Training, an anti-bias trainer and consultant, and a documentary filmmaker. She also brings over 30 years of experience from her practice as a labor and employment arbitrator and workplace attorney. She is a founding member of the Oregon State Bar constitutional law section, a former member of the OSB Labor & Employment Section, and a frequent speaker for the Oregon State Bar. Barbara has been presenting on implicit bias and related topics for over 10 years, and her recent training and consultant clients include Shared Neutrals, Cherriots transit, UA 290, and University of Oregon – Department of Education. Barbara earned her JD from NYU Law School and BA from Binghamton University.

Doreen Dodgen-Magee, Psy.D.

Course - Practicing Self Care So You Can Practice Law

Dr. Doreen Dodgen-Magee is a licensed psychologist based in Portland, Oregon, with over 20 years of experience working with adults navigating loss, depression, relationships, and life transitions. She maintains an individual therapy practice alongside a national speaking practice, delivering continuing education programs for psychologists, medical professionals, educators, and attorneys.

Dr. Dodgen-Magee's research focuses on how chronic stress, technology overuse, and workplace culture affect cognitive performance, emotional regulation, and professional competence.

A Gold and Silver Nautilus Award-winning author, Dr. Dodgen-Magee has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, Time Magazine, on Nightline, and Amanpour & Company. She maintains a blog with Psychology Today and is a sought-after podcast guest, including appearances on Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness and PRI's Innovation Hub. Her books include “Deviced! Balancing Life and Technology in a Digital Age” and “Restart: Designing a Healthy Post-Pandemic Life.”

Taylor Duty

Course - Advising Small Businesses

Taylor Duty is the Lead Business Attorney at JJH Law, P.C., and she has served clients in both Oregon and Washington for over a decade. Taylor regularly guides businesses, from single member LLC’s to large corporations, through various stages of the business process including entity formation, risk mitigation, contract review and negotiation, investment and relationship strategy, and mergers and acquisitions. She has prosecuted and defended numerous multi-million-dollar litigation cases involving claims of breach of contract, employment discrimination, and fraud.

Taylor received her J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School and her B.A. from the University of Oregon. She is involved with both the American Bar Association and Oregon Women Lawyers, in addition to serving as a Board Member for Active Children Portland.

Alison Ecker

Course - Understanding the Role of Psychological Evaluations in Immigration Advocacy

Alison Ecker is an Oregon-licensed attorney practicing immigration law. She was born and raised in Albany, Oregon. Alison has lived, studied, and worked in every major city in Oregon from Eugene to Portland, where she now lives. She lived for several years in Mexico City with her husband (who is Mexican) and children before moving back to the U.S. to become a lawyer. She entered law school with the intent to specialize in immigration law, and during her studies, Alison completed an externship at a nonprofit in Mexico City. She also traveled to the border to conduct a visit at "Tent City" during the family separation crisis. As a deaf lawyer, she also advocates for better access and inclusion for lawyers with disabilities within the legal profession. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, going dancing, and thrifting.

Amity Girt

Course - Know the Signs Child Abuse Recognition and Reporting

Amity Girt is a civil litigator with The Law Office of Josh Lamborn in Portland, Oregon, where she focuses her practice on civil justice for victims. Prior to this, she spent 15 years at the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office and managed both the child abuse unit and the violent crime unit. Her two decades of legal practice has been focused on protecting the vulnerable. Amity received her J.D. from the University of Utah and her B.A. from the University of Oregon.

Erin Greenawald

Course - Empowering Clients to Better Access the Legal System A Human-Informed Approach to Legal Advocacy

Erin Greenawald is the owner of Greenawald Law and a certified Forensic Experiential Trauma Interview (FETI) trainer. She focuses on engaging with and representing crime victims and survivors through a human-centered, trauma-informed approach and process. Ms. Greenawald previously worked at the United States Attorney’s Office in the District of Oregon, the Oregon Department of Justice, and both the Yamhill and Marion County District Attorney’s Offices. In each of her roles, she has been an advocate for survivors or abuse and marginalized community members. Ms. Greenawald received her J.D. from Willamette University College of Law and her B.A.Sc. from Santa Clara University.

Michelle Homan Kerin

Course - Representing State & Federal Law Enforcement Officers in Parallel Proceedings

Michelle Kerin is a partner at Angeli & Calfo and a seasoned litigator with more than 20 years of experience in complex civil and criminal matters. Prior to entering private practice, Michelle served for 11 years as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Oregon where she led multi-district investigations involving money laundering, securities and bank fraud, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations, and cyber and environmental crimes. She was designated as one of the district's Computer, Hacking and Intellectual Property (CHIP) prosecutors and served as Deputy Chief of the Economic, National Security and Cyber Crime Unit.

Michelle is a recipient of the Federal Bar Association's James Burns Award for professionalism in federal court practice, the Frank Noonan Award for excellence in federal prosecution, and the Portland Police Bureau's Achievement Medal. She has taught as an adjunct professor at Lewis & Clark Law School for more than a decade and served as faculty at the National Advocacy Center, the Department of Justice's national training center. She is a frequent presenter to lawyers and law enforcement on white-collar criminal law and procedure.

Diane Klocke

Course - Advocacy and Trial Skills: Lessons from Criminal and Civil Practice

Diane Klocke is an experienced trial attorney with over 15 years of litigation experience. She focuses her practice on business and employment litigation at Summers Compton Wells LLC. Prior to private practice, Diane worked as a Special Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Missouri and as an Attorney Advisor for the Social Security Administration. She also served as a county prosecutor, where she handled numerous jury trials and hearings. Diane received her J.D. from Southern Illinois University School of Law and her B.A. in accounting from Southeast Missouri State University.

Brenna Legaard

Course - Patent Data Analytics & Advising Clients

Brenna Legaard is an accomplished first-chair trial attorney, patent lawyer, and intellectual property strategist with more than 20 years of experience advising technology companies on the protection, commercialization, and enforcement of their innovations. She is a partner at Invenio LLP, and her practice spans high-stakes litigation, strategic IP portfolio development, licensing, and deal support. Brenna is also deeply engaged in the evolving landscape of litigation finance, leveraging this important tool to fulfill the promise of the patent system for inventors. Brenna has been listed in Best Lawyers in America® in the categories of intellectual property litigation, patent litigation, patent law, and commercial litigation since 2011. She is a frequent speaker on the intersection of IP, litigation funding, and insurance, and is experienced in structuring enforcement strategies that align with the underwriting and risk considerations of capital providers.

Donna Maddux

Course - Ethics Issues in Complex Digital and Cyber Crimes World

Donna Maddux is an Oregon-based partner at Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP, and a member of the Constangy Cyber Incident Response Team. Donna has provided fully-managed cyber incident response services to hundreds of clients, of all sizes and in all industry sectors.

Donna previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Oregon. She prosecuted a wide range of cases involving wire fraud, healthcare fraud, and money laundering. Prior to her time as a federal prosecutor, Donna served as an Assistant Attorney General for the Attorney General’s Office of the Oregon Department of Justice. Donna serves as the President of the Financial Crimes and Digital Evidence Foundation (FCDEF). Additionally, she previously served as the chair of the Oregon State Bar's Criminal Law Section and on the executive board of the Owen M. Panner American Inn of Court.

Donna received her J.D. from Lewis and Clark Law School, MA in Higher Education Administration from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and BA from West Chester University.

Robert S. Milesnick

Course - Negotiation & Mediation Skills for Effective Conflict Resolution

Robert S. Milesnick of Craft Mediation Northwest is a certified mediator and experienced employment lawyer with more than two decades of practice in state and federal litigation. A former Assistant U.S. Attorney and employment litigator in both Washington and Oregon, Rob has represented plaintiffs and defendants in complex workplace disputes and brings a deep understanding of conflict resolution to his practice. For the past 23 years, Rob has been a certified mediator, including service as a collateral duty mediator with the U.S. Department of Justice, where he mediated EEO disputes for the Executive Office of United States Attorneys.

Rob was a member of the Oregon State Bar Board of Governors (2020–2024) and is a current member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Oregon Mediation Association. He earned his B.A. in English and Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University, and his J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law.

Joanna Perini-Abbott

Course - Foundations and Ethics of Client Counseling

Professor Joanna Perini-Abbott is the Director of the Lewis and Clark Law School Advocacy Center. She has been a practicing litigator since 2010, working in public defense, civil litigation, and private criminal defense. She has represented clients in federal and state courts, arbitrations, and regulatory investigations. Professor Perini-Abbott served on the Oregon Board of Bar Examiners from 2017-2023. She clerked for the Hon. Joel M. Flaum on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Professor Perini-Abbott earned her B.A. from Washington & Lee University and her J.D. from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law.

Sean Riddell

Course - Expose Control and Persuade with Efecive Dross-Examination

Sean J. Riddell owns a law practice, representing crime victims, law enforcement officers, and veterans. Prior to that, he worked at the Oregon Department of Justice and the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office. Sean is a Marine and combat veteran. He received his JD from Lewis and Clark Law School, his M.S.S. form the US Army War College, and his BS from Le Moyne College.

Mary Sofia

Course - Direct Examination and the Power of Story

Mary Sofia is a criminal defense attorney based in Portland, Oregon. She has spent over a decade representing adults and juveniles facing criminal prosecution and is the founder of Sofia Law, LLC. Mary has significant trial and motions practice experience as someone who has worked in both law firms and public defense offices.

Mary was recognized as a 2021 Super Lawyers Rising Star and named to Forbes Advisor's 2024 list of Top Ten Criminal Defense Lawyers in Portland. A frequent CLE presenter, Mary has spoken at OCDLA's Search & Seizure Conference, OCDLA's Annual Summer Conference, the Juvenile Law Training Academy, and for county bar associations across Oregon on topics including search and seizure, juvenile justice reform, ethics, and protective orders. She is an active member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, Oregon Women Lawyers, and multiple county bar associations.

Mary received her J.D. from Lewis and Clark Law School and BA from the University of Nevada, Reno.

Rachel Sowray

Courses - Several on ethics and constitutional law topics

Rachel Sowray has been an attorney for over 15 years. She started at a local district attorney's office, focusing on domestic violence and stalking cases. Rachel later worked in the District of Oregon U.S. Attorney's Office on a complex economic crimes caseload. She now practices antitrust and privacy law. Rachel taught constitutional law to third year law students at the University of Oregon School of Law, focusing on the Equal Protection Clause, First Amendment and other individual rights. Before law school, Rachel worked on domestic policy for several elected officials in Washington, D.C.

Rachel describes herself as a democracy geek since she has spent her career as a public servant. She also started a nonprofit focused on increasing civic engagement and access to voting. Rachel has served on several boards of directors in the legal community, too.

Rachel received her B.A. from the College of William & Mary, her M.P.P. from George Washington University, and her J.D. from the University of Oregon.

Judge Maalik Summer

Course - Professionalism, Civility, and Integrity in Legal Practice

Judge Maalik Summer serves on the Washington County Circuit Court in Oregon, presiding over criminal, civil, and family law matters. Summer previously served as a judge on the Beaverton Municipal Court, where he adjudicated criminal and traffic violation cases. He also served as a pro tem judge on the Washington County Circuit Court and as an administrative law judge for the Office of Administrative Hearings. Before his judicial service, Summer practiced as a family law attorney, representing individuals in domestic relations and dependency cases. Judge Summer earned his J.D. from the University of Oregon and his bachelor’s degree from Regis University. He received the Minoru Yasui Justice Award in 2022 for his commitment to advancing the cause of justice on behalf of underrepresented communities. In 2024, Judge Summer was recognized for his leadership and advocacy for equity, inclusion, and cultural competency in the legal system with the Roberts & Deiz Award from Oregon Women Lawyers.

Sarah Tuthill-Kveton

Course - Make AI Your Professional Ally: Practical Tips and Ethical Insights

Sarah Tuthill-Kveton is a partner at Chock Barhoum, LLP and Chief Legal Officer for CaseMark, a document automation software company for the legal field. She has extensive litigation experience in both state and federal court, specializing in insurance defense, personal injury, premises liability, and professional malpractice. Sarah started her career as a public defender. She earned her J.D. from Gonzaga University School of Law and her B.A. from the University of Oregon.

Ashley Vaughn

Course - Using Anti-SLAPP Motions to Protect Free Speech

Ashley L. Vaughn is a Partner at Dumas & Vaughn, a Portland-based boutique law firm. She has been representing survivors of child sexual abuse, adult sexual assault and harassment, and domestic violence in civil litigation for over a decade. She also specializes in defamation claims and anti-SLAPP motions, does some appellate work, and handles civil Title IX cases involving educational institutions. Ms. Vaughn is active in her community, having served on several boards of directors, including Reading Results, the Rocky Butte Farmers Market, and National Crime Victim Law Institute.. Ms. Vaughn received her B.A. from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga and her J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School.

Interested in Being an Intructor?

We would love to hear from you about presenting a CLE for CLEcast. Please email us at info@CLEcast.net with your contact information and the topics you would like to present.