BACKGROUND
Shenoa Payne was born and raised in Sheridan, Oregon -- a small, rural Oregon town. Her father worked at a lumber treating plant and her mother worked at the local newspaper. Payne's background is rooted in the working class and is what gave her the commitment to represent workers and individuals rather than large corporations.
Payne graduated from Azusa Pacific University, summa cum laude, with a B.A. in psychology and sociology in 2003. Payne returned to Oregon to receive her law degree, magna cum laude, from Willamette University College of Law in 2008. Before law school, Payne advocated for the needs of individuals with disabilities as a behavioral therapist, camp counselor, and co-manager of a group home. Those experiences are what led to her commitment to advocate for individuals with disabilities as an attorney.
After law school, Payne served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Rick T. Haselton of the Oregon Court of Appeals from 2008-09 and the Honorable Virginia L. Linder of the Oregon Supreme Court from 2009-10. Payne's valuable experience clerking at both appellate courts serves as the foundation for Payne's appellate and litigation support practice.
Payne practiced at a down-town mid-size full-service civil law firm from 2010-2015. There she worked on large-scale class actions, a variety of civil cases including anti-trust litigation, employment rights, housing discrimination, maritime, and trust litigation. She briefed and argued complex motions and appeals, and worked as part of a team of lawyers, which served as the foundation of her career.
In 2016, she founded her own law firm. She practices law in a unique, client-centered way, placing clients before profits. Payne often takes cases that push the boundaries of the current law, taking risks where others won’t and seeking to make new law. She looks for opportunities for broad scale systemic change, and works cooperatively with other civil rights lawyers and non-profits in order to bring about the best results for her clients.
BAR ASSOCIATIONS AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon — a nonpartisan organization dedicated to defending and advancing civil liberties and civil rights
Lawyers Committee
American Association for Justice – national trial lawyers association dedicated to promoting a fair and effective justice system
Amicus Curiae Committee
Board of Governors
Diversity and Inclusion Committee
Employment Rights Section, Past Chair
Legal Affairs Committee
LGBT Caucus, Past Chair
Wool Yaeger Cabraser Scholarship: Founder and Founding Donor
American Bar Association — national representative of the legal profession whose mission is to defend liberty and deliver justice
Civil Rights and Social Justice Section
Council of Appellate Lawyers, Oregon State Chair
Multnomah Bar Association — lawyers from the Portland metropolitan area associating for justice, service, professionalism, education and leadership
Court Liaison Committee
National Civil Justice Institute (formerly the Pound Civil Justice Institute) — national legal “think tank” created by trial attorneys providing programs and publications that give a balanced view of issues affecting the U.S. civil justice system
National Employment Lawyers Association — organization that advances employee rights and serves lawyers who advocate for equality and justice in the American workplace
OGALLA -- organization that promotes the fair and just treatment of all people under the law regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity
Oregon Women Lawyers - organization that promotes women and minorities in the law
Oregon Trial Lawyers Association – organization whose members promote access to the civil justice system
Amicus Curiae committee, Past Chair
Board of Governors
Leadership Academy Founder and Chair
Minority Caucus, Past Chair
Public Justice — organization that pursues high impact lawsuits to combat social and economic injustice, protect the Earth’s sustainability, and challenge predatory corporate conduct and government abuses.
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
American Association for Justice Distinguished Service Award — 2021
America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators — 2019-2023
National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 — 2019, 2020
Oregon Super Lawyer — 2019-2024
Oregon Super Lawyer Rising Star –- 2013-2018
Oregon Trial Lawyers Association Outstanding New Lawyer – 2014
PUBLICATIONS
Fight Back Against Bias and Fear: State lawmakers have made LGBTQ youth the latest target of discriminatory legislation, which puts vulnerable adolescents at more risk, AAJ Trial Magazine, 35 (Sept 2022)* (co-authored with B.W. Walas).
Fighting Identity Erasure, Hear Our Voices: Experiences from AAJ’s LGBTQ trial lawyer members, AAJ Trial Magazine, 57 (Sept 2022).
NDA Coercion, OTLA Trial Lawyer 28 (Summer 2022)
Social Media, Ch 24, Documentary Discovery, OTLA Motor Vehicle Deskbook (2021)
A Culture of Secrecy: How the #MeToo Movement Has Shed Light on the Dangers of Arbitration Clauses and Nondisclosure Agreements, OTLA Trial Lawyer 32-35 (Fall 2018)
Punitive Damages: Why Road Ragers are the Next Drunk Drivers, OTLA Trial Lawyer, 32-33 (Fall 2017)
Non-Disclosure: How the ADA Protects Your Client's Medical Information, OTLA Trial Lawyer, 20-22 (Spring 2015)
The Ethical Conundrums of Unpublished Opinions, 44 Willamette L. Rev. 723 (2008).
*This issue of AAJ’s Trial Magazine, dedicated to the topic of Civil Rights, received the 2023 Excel Gold Award in the category of “Single Topic Issue.”