Our Staff

 

Executive Director

Juliana Minn

Juliana was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. She moved to Portland, OR, for her undergraduate degree and fell in love with its little big town charm. After deciding to make Portland her home, she attended Lewis & Clark Law School.
During law school, Juliana interned at the Small Business Legal Clinic. She also externed for a federal Judge, and a large local grocer. After law school, Juliana continued to work for businesses both big and small in renewable energy, software development, and marketing fields. Her experience ranges from reviewing wind park leases for a large corporation, to drafting service contracts for local businesses. Having been raised by a single-mom with a small business, Juliana is aware of the unique challenges that small businesses face. She is bilingual in English and Spanish. In her spare time, Juliana enjoys cycling and producing music with her friends.

 


Susan Felstiner Clinical Professor of Law

Susan Felstiner

Before joining Lewis & Clark Law School, Susan practiced with Cable Huston in Portland, Oregon, for over fourteen years, representing businesses in transactional and litigation matters.  Susan counseled clients on entity selection and formation, entity dissolution and employment practices.  She also represented clients in the negotiation of contracts and resolution of employment, construction and real estate disputes. She speaks Spanish with fluency, and has a long history of representing the Latino business community.

Susan is a frequent speaker to business organizations in English and Spanish.

Susan is a founding member and former officer of the Oregon Hispanic Bar Association, and a member of Oregon Women Lawyers and the Multnomah Bar Association. She is also on the Board of Directors of the Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center. She is committed to mentoring and supporting law students entering the legal profession.

Susan is an alumna of Lewis & Clark Law School. 




Staff Attorney

Brian Dasso

Brian Dasso was born and raised in West Linn Oregon. He graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Science and a focus on political science and business.  Brian obtained his law degree from the University of Washington in 2002, where he developed an interest in business and real estate law.  During law school, Brian also volunteered with a local nonprofit that was devoted to protecting and promoting clean water throughout Washington.

Prior to joining the Small Business Legal Clinic as a staff attorney in August 2016, Brian was an attorney with a law firm based in Lake Oswego, Oregon.  While there, his practice was focused primarily on business law, real estate law, and employment law.  Brian’s clients primarily included small business owners and homeowner’s associations.  He especially enjoyed working with small businesses and counseling them on issues from entity formation, to strategies for transitioning the business to the next generation.  Since joining the Small Business Legal Clinic, Brian has expanded his practice to work with nonprofit organizations and affordable housing developers. 

Brian’s other interests include hiking, skiing and traveling with his wife and two sons. Brian is a skilled woodworker and enjoys designing and remodeling his Northeast Portland that has been in his family for over 80 years.

Shanna Knight Photo Staff Attorney

Shanna Knight

Shanna started out as an Army brat, living in multiple states (and countries), but fell in love with the Pacific Northwest when she moved out to Sitka, Alaska for her undergraduate degree. She earned her law degree from the University of Idaho College of Law in 2013, with emphases in Native American law and environmental law, while also serving the Nez Perce Tribe as an intern and later as a legal researcher on wide-ranging issues, including governance, land use, and natural resources law.

Since then Shanna served several tribal governments while working at a firm in Washington, D.C., including advising tribes on economic development matters such as trademarks for tribal enterprises, contracts that protected tribal sovereign immunity, and land purchases. Her favorite work, though, was assisting with an agreement that protected cultural resources on private property while still allowing for safe economic development by the property owners. After returning to the Northwest, she worked at a nonprofit as a legal expert and volunteered with the SBLC to help clients with contracts and trademarks. Now at the SBLC full-time, Shanna looks forward to expanding her practice to serve more small businesses, including Indigenous entrepreneurs in rural Oregon.

 

Housley, Dan Adjunct Law Faculty Clinical Professor - Patent Program

Dan Housley

Dan is an IP Law Attorney f or IBM, where he has drafted patents related to block chain, machine learning, cloud computing, hardware design, neural networking and encryption. He also provides patentability assessments for multiple international invention review boards. Previously Dan was a medical technologist for ARUP Laboratories, where he performed high-complexity testing. Dan attended Lewis & Clark Law School and is an alumnus of the SBLC.

Dan grew up as the youngest of nine children on a small farm in rural Utah, but has also lived abroad and speaks fluent Slovak and Czech. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, hiking, video games, and cooking with his husband.

 

Operations & Marketing Manager

Adam Geisler

After receiving his BA from Pacific Lutheran University in May of 2010, Adam worked as the Student Employment Coordinator at PLU for two years before returning to his home, Portland.

Adam spent a year as a classroom SPED assistant prior to being hired as the Administrative Coordinator at the SBLC in June of 2013. In June of 2016, Adam was promoted to Operations and Marketing Manager.

Adam provides administrative, technical and secretarial support to the Executive Director, Clinical Professors and staff attorneys at the SBLC & the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic. Adam also provides this support to legal interns, law clerks, and pro bono attorneys.

In his free time, Adam enjoys spending time with his family and friends, singing, hiking, playing basketball, and seeing live music. Go Ducks and Go Blazers!

 

Madison Reynolds

Administrative Assistant

Madison Reynolds

Graduating from Portland State University in 2019 with a degree in liberal studies and minors in communication and anthropology, Madison started her career as a Workers Compensation claim examiner. Her attention to detail and expertise in managing complex cases defined her work.

Passionate about fostering small business growth, Madison transitioned to the Small Business Legal Clinic (SBLC) as an Administrative Assistant. Her commitment to organization and client support quickly established her as a vital SBLC team member. Hailing from Dallas, Texas, Madison’s affinity for the Pacific Northwest drew her to the region’s vibrant small business community. Her diverse educational background enables her to connect with clients and colleagues from all walks of life.

Beyond her work, Madison enjoys quality time with her Golden Retriever, playing the drums, and coastal crabbing. Her multifaceted approach to life mirrors her commitment to holistic support for SBLC and the businesses it serves. In her role as Administrative Assistant, Madison blends community enthusiasm, organizational finesse, and dedication to small business success. Committed to SBLC’s reputation for excellence, she looks forward to contributing to business growth in the region.