Tiffany Davidson Receives 2023 Pro Bono Award of Merit

by Kelsey Benedick YLS Pro Bono Committee

Tiffany Davidson is one of two recipients of the MBA’s 2023 Pro Bono Award of Merit in recognition of her pro bono work with the Victim Rights Law Center (VRLC). In addition to her family law private practice and her work with the VRLC, Tiffany volunteers with other organizations, including LASO’s Domestic Violence Project.

first involvement with a family where domestic violence was both prevalent and hidden, and it helped her realize how insidious domestic violence is. Tiffany’s family recalls seeing a new drive in her during this time as her future career ambitions developed.

Tiffany Davidson

long history of pro bono advocacy and strong support for pro bono volunteer work. Bethany is now a member of the Stoel Rives Pro Bono Committee, where she continues the tradition of encouraging and supporting pro bono volunteering. The Pro Bono Committee includes representatives from each of the firm’s offices and is a coordinated, firm-wide initiative to promote a culture of commitment to pro bono.

Jeremy Sacks, chair of the Pro Bono Committee, describes Bethany’s commitment to pro bono: “For years, Bethany has been a leader in Stoel Rives’ pro bono program, both as a lawyer doing pro bono work on a host of topics and as an administrator helping to run our firm pro bono program in our Portland office. She takes her pro bono commitment seriously; her 20-plus years of work at the Night Clinic is just one example of why she’s an attorney who really walks the walk on pro bono.”

Since 2005, Bethany has served on the Board of Directors for Oregon Lawyers Against Hunger, and served as their president from 2009-12. Bethany is also a board member for Pet Peace of Mind, an organization that enriches the quality of life for seriously ill patients and the pets they love. In addition to her direct client work through the Night Clinic, Bethany has also acted as a subject matter expert and advisor to LASO attorneys on issues arising within her area of expertise.

Tiffany was born at St. Vincent’s Hospital and grew up in Oregon, where her early experiences fostered her passion for helping survivors of domestic violence. As a preteen, Tiffany began babysitting for a family that many on the outside would have described as perfect, but that she soon realized was anything but. This was Tiffany’s

It was important for Tiffany to practice in the community that shaped her, so after graduating from Willamette University College of Law and clerking for two Clackamas County Circuit Court judges, she accepted a position as a deputy district attorney in Curry County pursuant to a federal Violence Against Women Act grant. Tiffany’s cases that year involved domestic violence Continued on page 15 and child abuse, and she found herself helping the same abuse survivors over and over. Mindful of the fact that it can take a domestic violence survivor seven to 10 tries to leave their abuser, Tiffany decided to transition to civil family law practice, where she believed she would be better equipped to help clients ultimately leave their abusers and reclaim their lives.

To be the best possible advocate for her clients, Tiffany