The senior guide Paul, the junior guide David, the sinkable Roost and the boss, Paul.

As a young man, David worked on a cattle ranch, assorted logging crews, the Lincoln Ranger Station fire crew, and eventually hit the big time as a fly fishing guide on the Blackfoot River in western Montana. This is the river that Norman Maclean wrote about in his book, “A River Runs Through It.” David had a knack for falling off horses (almost always avoiding falling trees) and sinking his boss’s favorite guide boat, the “Roost.” These early experiences taught David much about people, hard work, consequences, and the value of a good hat.

During the winters, David pursued his studies at Pacific Lutheran University where he majored in Business Administration and minored in History. His first “real” job was as an accountant for a start-up lumber company. His initial training required him to learn the differences between red oak and white oak as he unloaded box cars of lumber by hand. So much for the college degree! He soon moved on to pursue the field of Law.

While attending Willamette University College of Law, David clerked for the appellate division of the Oregon Public Defenders Office and regularly argued the plight of convicted felons before the Oregon Court of Appeals. Here David learned the importance of wearing a good tie in the courtroom and of making eye contact with the judges when pleading his clients’ cases.

During his college years in Washington and Oregon, David was drawn to the Cascades and pursued his interest in mountain climbing. After falling off Mt. Hood in 1985 and experiencing the services of the Oregon Air National Guard and a good surgeon, he acquired a sense of what was important in life: namely, fly fishing in Montana and the relationships we cultivate during our lifetime.

At its essence, the law is about relationships. Norman Maclean wrote, “It is those we live with and love and should know who elude us.” In his role as an attorney and mediator, David has spent his career helping clients in business and family relationships.

David has seen a lot in over 25 years of practicing law. He appreciates how hard people work, how tough life can be, and how our relationships affect us. His focus is on understanding his clients’ objectives and motivations and providing legal services that accomplish these objectives with clarity and common sense. He can also recommend a good dry fly for the Blackfoot River on a July evening. After all, if you're not handsome, you had better be handy.