CHRISTIANSEN TRIAL LAWYERS - Key Persons
Keely A. Perdue was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, and attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 2012. After being offered an academic scholarship to attend the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Keely obtained her Juris Doctorate in 2015.
Keely began working at Christiansen Trial Lawyers in 2014 while obtaining her Juris Doctorate. During her time in law school, Keely served as an Articles Editor for the UNLV Gaming Law Journal, a Research Assistant to Professor Mary Berkheiser, and a Student Attorney for the Immigration Clinic. Keely also completed an externship with the United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Tennessee. Upon admission to the State Bar of Nevada, Keely was promoted to Associate Attorney at Christiansen Trial Lawyers.
Outside of the office, Keely enjoys spending time with family and friends.
I retired from the Public Defender's Office in 2003 and went to work for my son's law office, Christiansen Law Office. For the past 10 years, I have continued to practice exclusively criminal law in the Nevada state courts all over the state of Nevada.
Job Titles:
- Attorney
- Founding Partner
- Firm Attorney
Peter S. Christiansen is the founding partner and lead trial attorney at Christiansen Trial Lawyers, a boutique firm focused exclusively on trying catastrophic personal injury cases and criminal matters, as well as fraud and business-related disputes. A testament to Mr. Christiansen's advocacy skills, he is among the youngest attorneys ever to be inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers ("ACTL"), which is widely recognized as the preeminent organization of trial lawyers in North America. The mission of the ACTL is to maintain and improve standards of trial practice, professionalism, ethics, and the administration of justice.
Education
The University of Wyoming, College of Law, Laramie, Wyoming
J.D. - 00/1994
Firm attorney Peter S. Christiansen has taken part in over 100 jury trials in state and federal court. On the state felony and misdemeanor level, Peter James Christiansen was a public defender for nearly 30 years and is well acclimated to dealing with the hurdles that arise from these types of cases.
Born in Denver, Colorado, Todd received his undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of Utah in 1994. Todd received his law degree from Quinnipiac College School of Law in Hamden, Connecticut, in 1997. During law school, Todd was a member of the Probate Law Journal and served as its Supervising Editor. He was the recipient of the IOLTA Scholarship. He also received the award for Distinguished Academic Achievement in commercial law and superior classroom performance for his law school career. He was a member of the Phi Delta Phi Honors Fraternity.
After passing the Nevada bar examination in 1997, Todd worked as an associate attorney at one of the largest insurance defense firms in the state where here defended medical malpractice (now called professional negligence) and employment discrimination cases. In 1998, Todd joined a civil litigation firm where he practiced both insurance defense and prosecuted cases on behalf of injured individuals and their families.
Between 2002 and 2013, Todd was a partner in two different law firms where he focused on prosecuting personal injury cases on behalf of injured individuals and their families. His firms also represented several corporations defending cases involving premises liability, pharmaceutical negligence, and negligent security. Since 2013, Todd's focus is seeking justice for victims of catastrophic injury and death stemming from many different types of events, including car crashes, slips/trips, and falls, professional negligence, swimming pool incidents, civil rights violations, insurance bad faith, third-party assault, and defective products.
Todd is admitted to practice in the State Courts of Nevada and the United States District Court for the District of Nevada. He is also a member of the United States Court of Federal Claims, the American Trial Lawyers Association, the Nevada Justice Association and served on the Spring Valley Town Advisory Board from 2002 to 2008 including a two-year term as chairman. Todd also served as a court-appointed arbitrator in the mandatory arbitration program in the Eighth Judicial District (Clark County) for several years.
Todd's outside interests include spending time with his family and golf.
Education
Quinnipiac College School of Law, Hamden, Connecticut
Raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, Whitney J. Barrett was hired by Christiansen Trial Lawyers in 2007 while she was earning her undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Her hard work in the office did not go unnoticed, and she was promoted to various positions within the firm. While an employee, Whitney assisted the firm in obtaining several multi-million dollar civil settlements and jury verdicts for clients, as well as representing high-profile criminal defendants. This has provided her invaluable legal experience in client representation in all stages of the litigation process.
While working full time at Christian Law Offices, Whitney earned her Juris Doctorate from William S. Boyd School of Law. During law school, Whitney served as an officer of the Criminal Law Society and was a member of the Organization of Part-Time and Nontraditional Law Students, Nevada Justice Association, and Nevada Attorneys for Criminal Justice. Whitney also completed an externship for the Clark County Special Public Defender's Office, working on capital murder trials and appeals. Upon passing the Nevada bar exam, Whitney was hired by Christiansen Trial Lawyers as an attorney.
Outside of the office, Whitney enjoys spending time with her daughter, traveling, and participating in community charity events.