Meet Our Attorneys

Bryan Dawson Background

Law Practice:

Since 1996, Bryan has represented individuals and companies involved in personal injury, wrongful death, civil rights, insurance defense, patent infringement, employment, and construction defect disputes.  He has taken nearly a hundred cases through trial or arbitration and is experienced in discovery, motion practice, and appeals.  Through both jury trials and settlement, he has resolved many cases.  He has tried cases in most of the state courts in northwest Oregon and has twice argued before the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.  He has also served as an arbitrator in numerous cases involving bodily injury and breach of contract.

Personal Background:

Bryan was born in Portland in 1967 and attended publics schools in the suburbs.  He attended colleges and graduate schools in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., London, Chicago, New York, and Berkeley.  After graduating from law school, he worked for a large technology law firm for three years, representing clients such as Sun Microsystems and Cadence Designs.  In 1999, he and his wife and three kids returned to Oregon, where Bryan joined the family’s law practice.  He is very active in the Lake Oswego community, where he coaches youth sports and advises high school mock trial teams.

Education:

  • University of California at Berkeley (Boalt Hall) J.D. and Law Review, 1996
  • University of Chicago, M.A. Committee on Social Thought, 1993
  • Claremont McKenna College, B.A. Government, 1989
  • Clackamas High School, 1985

Work Background:

  • Dawson & Dawson, West Linn OR, 1999-present
  • Cooley Godward, Palo Alto CA, 1996-1999
  • Intern for Gordon Brown, Member of Parliament, Current Prime Minister, U. K. 1988
  • Intern for Ron Wyden, House of Representatives, D.C. 1987

Memberships:

  • U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, 2001-present
  • Oregon state courts and U.S. District Court for Oregon, 1999-present
  • California state courts (inactive) and U.S. District Courts for California, 1996-present
  • Oregon Association of Defense Counsel
  • Oregon State Bar (Member # 990123)
  • State Bar of California (Member # 184086)

Hobbies & Interests:

  • Fishing
  • Camping
  • Hiking
  • Skiing

Larry Dawson Background

From 1967 through 1970, Larry worked as an insurance adjuster while attending law school.  Since graduating from The Northwestern School of Law at Lewis & Clark in1970, Larry has helped thousands of individuals and companies resolve their civil law problems.  In the process he had a hand in changing Oregon law in ways that benefited virtually everyone who has or someday may have an insurance or injury claim.

One of Larry’s cases created a theory of liability (breach of fiduciary duty) that was not previously recognized in Oregon, but that has become a primary weapon for individuals in certain types of cases.  That theory assures that insurance companies and other fiduciaries are strictly accountable to their individual and corporate clients.

Another of Larry’s cases removed the statutory  “cap” on the amount of damages that an injured person can recover.  As a result, seriously injured individuals have the opportunity to collect the full measure of their damages.

Although Larry has tried hundreds of personal injury and death cases in virtually every court in Oregon, more significantly, because of his accomplishments in court and his knowledge of insurance claims practices, he has helped thousands of clients satisfactorily settle such cases.

Larry is a member of and is authorized to practice in all Oregon courts including the U.S. District Court for Oregon, and is a member of the Oregon Association of Defense Counsel, the Oregon State Bar (OSB no. 70034), and the Multnomah and Clackamas County Bar Associations.  From 1988 to 1993, Larry served by appointment of the Oregon Supreme Court on the Disciplinary Trial Panel for the Oregon State Bar.