David T. McDonald

David T. McDonald is Of Counsel at Sherlag | De Muniz LLP.  David brought a wealth of knowledge, wisdom and experience when he joined the firm in 2021.  David's career has spanned 4 decades.  He earned his Juris Doctor from Lewis & Clark Law School, and was admitted to the Oregon State Bar, in 1986. In 1989, he passed the Washington state bar exam. In addition, David is licensed to practice in the Federal District Courts of Oregon and the Western District of Washington, the Ninth Circuit and the Supreme Court.  He has argued cases in the appellate courts of both Oregon and Washington and appeared in many administrative proceedings when the state has threatened to punish a professional but taking action against the individual's professional license.  He began as a public defender while still in law school and spent the four years following law school as a public defender before going into private practice in 1991.

David provides high quality representation and advocacy for people across Oregon and Washington, including the Federal District Courts in the District of Oregon and the Western District of Washington with a focus on representing people in the Portland Metropolitan Area and Southwest Washington.  His clients have faced charges from DUII to Homicide including charges involving sex crimes, while collar crimes, violent crimes, robbery and burglary, assault, manslaughter, theft and drug and alcohol crimes.  David takes a wholistic view of his representation by trying to ensure that the individuals he represents are humanized rather than demonized by the legal system.

During his career, David has earned much recognition for his legal abilities from both his peers and his clients.  In addition to being a valuable ally in the courtroom, David is an active member of a number of local, state and national legal organizations.  The Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association has bestowed two of its most prestigious awards on David.  In 2021, the OCDLA Board named him the recipient of the Ross M. Shepard Lifetime Service to OCDLA award.  In 2023, the Board named David the 20th recipient of the Ken Morrow Lifetime Achievement Award.  Four different OCDLA Presidents have singled him out for their coveted President Award.  Over the past decades both David and his law firms have been listed in Best Lawyers in America and in 2022, Best Lawyers named him the best criminal defense attorney in Portland.  He holds a "Superb" Avvo rating and has been listed as a Superlawyer from 2009-2012 and 2014-2024.  In OCDLA, he served as Chair of the Education Committee (10 years), as Co-Chair of the Building Fund Committee (4 years),   as vice president and on the association's board of directors and legislative committee.  In addition to being a life member of OCDLA, he is a sustaining member of the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Washington Defender Association.  

He has written and spoken on a number of complex issues and served as Editor and Author for several criminal defense publications.  When not involved in work, politics or pro bono environmental work David finds himself telemark turning, traveling with his partner of 40 years or hanging out on a beach in Baja.