About Dayna
An experienced legal ethics practitioner and commercial and employment litigator, Dayna focuses her practice on the provision of ethics and risk management advice to lawyers, law firms, corporate in-house counsel, government attorneys, elected officials and political parties. She defends, advises, and serves as an expert on all aspects of the law governing lawyers and government officials including the defense of state bar and government ethics complaints, law firm formation, organization, management and dissolution, conflicts of interest, attorney-client privilege, lawyer disqualification and sanctions, lawyer mobility and lateral hiring, multi-jurisdictional practice, and use of social media.
Dayna’s employment counsel experience provides her with unique insights which allow her to advise lawyers regarding the interplay between their ethical obligations and their obligations as an employer.
Dayna’s depth of litigation and legal ethics experience, combined with her breadth of professional relationships locally, regionally and nationally, allows her to discretely deliver experienced, strategic, respected and committed advice and counsel to her clients.
Prior Experience
As a litigator for over 30 years, Dayna successfully represented companies and law firms in a broad range of disputes including breach of contract, unfair competition, trade secret violations, discrimination, leave laws, executive compensation and employee severance. In previous roles, she focused on plaintiff litigation matters involving employment, securities and complex commercial issues. Ms. Underhill began her career nearly 30 years ago in the public defender’s office. As a result of these multifaceted litigation experiences, she brings a well-rounded perspective to each client’s matter.
Professional and Community Engagement
Dayna is a regular local, regional, and national legal ethics speaker and author and is active in both professional and community activities. She has served on the Oregon State Bar House of Delegates, Oregon State Bar Legal Ethics Committee, Multnomah Bar Association Professionalism Committee, and Washington State Bar Disciplinary Advisory Roundtable. She has also served in the community on the Board of Trustees for the Oregon Law Institute, the Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington, and Northwest Academy, where she currently serves as Board Vice-Chair and Chair of Risk Management.
Dayna is a committed pro bono and access to justice advocate who has provided 50+ hours of pro bono service every year for over a decade throughout Oregon and Washington.