Shauna M. Curphey
Human rights, civil rights, corporate accountability
Legal Research and Communication Expertise: A decade of experience researching and analyzing human rights and civil rights in the context of corporate accountability, police reform, and anti-discrimination. Projects include published reports documenting human rights violations connected to natural resource extraction in Myanmar, policy analysis reports for the National Lawyers Guild on police accountability and police reform and amicus briefs to the Oregon Supreme Court.
Cross-Cultural Competency: Experience living and working in developing countries as well as working within teams of people with different cultural backgrounds and who do not all speak English as their first language. As Deputy Director for Global Legal Review, I direct and support a remote team of researchers from around the world. With EarthRights International in Thailand, worked with field researchers from Myanmar to draft reports and directed training for members of CSOs from ASEAN countries to guide human rights reporting. Traveled and worked remotely from Asia in 2017, with stays in China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan,
Strategic Leader and Team Builder: Frequently organizes diverse teams, including as the former co-chair of the amicus committee for Oregon Justice Resource Center (OJRC), and currently as volunteer Deputy Director for Global Legal Review. For the OJRC and the Northwest Constitutional Rights Center, created efficient processes for case intake, investigation, selection and management.
Networking and Collaboration: Able to engage, communicate and collaborate with diverse stakeholders including lawyers, academics, grassroots activists, and NGOs. At the OJRC, brought together a broad-based group of organizations to challenge the City of Portland’s de facto criminalization of homelessness. Through the Northwest Constitutional Law Center, developed partnerships with service providers and advocacy organizations to deliver “Know Your Rights” trainings on police misconduc
- Appeals & Appellate
- Civil Appeals, Federal Appeals
- Civil Rights
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Discrimination, Employment, Fair Housing, Police Misconduct, Privacy Law
- International Law
- Human Rights, Imports & Exports
- Not Currently Accepting Clients
- Florida
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- New Jersey
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- 9th Circuit
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- U.S. Supreme Court
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- Attorney
- Curphey & Badger, P.A./Curphey Law, LLC
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- ? Global Legal Review: Currently serving as volunteer Deputy Director, managing a diverse team of researchers addressing women’s rights in a variety of social and political contexts, identifying potential funding opportunities and overseeing the grant application process in conjunction with the International Women’s Initiative. ? Pacific Northwest Chapter of the International Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines: Strategic research identifying current U.S. funding streams for military aid to the Philippines and potential avenues for human rights advocacy on that issue. ? Litigate civil rights cases in state and federal courts at the trial and appellate levels, both solo and as part of a legal team. ? Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington: Drafted legal memos on issues surrounding campaign finance and the Mueller investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. ? Oregon Justice Resource Center: Co-chaired the amicus committee, writing briefs to the Oregon Supreme Court addressing issues of systemic bias in the criminal justice system. ? Albina Ministerial Alliance for Justice and Police Reform: Represented a grassroots coalition of police reform advocates in a multi-year settlement agreement between the U.S. Department of Justice and the City of Portland to address allegations that the Portland Police Bureau has a pattern of excessive force against people with mental illness.
- Volunteer
- EarthRights International
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- ? Co-authored two reports documenting human rights violations connected to natural resource extraction in Myanmar, resulting in publication and use in strategic campaigns for corporate accountability. ? Conducted desk research and authored legal briefing on anti-corruption laws of ASEAN-member countries. ? Designed curricula and conducted trainings for representatives from countries in the Mekong River region on human rights law, report writing and grant writing.
- Judicial Law Clerk
- U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon
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- ? Conducted legal research and wrote bench memoranda and draft opinions on civil rights actions, federal civil procedure and a variety of other substantive legal issues. ? Worked independently to meet all internal deadlines for draft opinions and bench memos and volunteered for extra assignments. ? Guided, led and supervised law student interns.
- Research and Writing Attorney
- Federal Public Defender for the District of Oregon
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- Researched and wrote pretrial motions, appellate briefs and memoranda on Fourth Amendment issues, due process, right to counsel, federal habeas, criminal procedure and evidence, among other issues.
- Loyola Law School Public Interest Fellow
- Northwest Center for Constitutional Rights
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- ? Successfully defended animal rights activist sued for his First Amendment activities. ? Wrote a successful fellowship grant application proposal and oversaw its implementation, met project deadlines and goals. ? Developed curricula for "know your rights" trainings for a variety of audiences, including homeless individuals, at-risk youth, and members of immigrant communities, resulting in an increase in clients seeking assistance with police complaints. ? Authored report including recommendations to improve Portland Police Bureau crowd control procedures, which is referenced in excessive force lawsuits arising out of police crowd control tactics. ? Recruited attorneys and worked with them on civil rights litigation and advocacy for police reform.
- Loyola Law School, Los Angeles
- J.D. (2006)
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- Honors: Summa Cum Laude, Ranked 2nd of 333 students in graduating class Order of the Coif Alumni Association Award (for outstanding service) (2006) Public Interest Scholar (Full Scholarship Recipient) (2003-2006)
- Activities: Research Assistant, Civil Rights Litigation Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review (2004-2006) Public Interest Law Society (2003-2006)
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- University of Washington School of Law
- M.A. (1999) | Communications
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- Honors: 4.0 GPA
- Activities: Teaching assistant, Introduction to Mass Communication
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- Alumni Association Award for Public Service
- Loyola Law School
- Public Interest Fellowship
- Loyola Law School
- Portland Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild
- Board Member
- Current
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- Oregon State Bar Appellate Practice Section
- Member
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- Oregon State Bar Civil Rights Section
- Member
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- National Lawyers Guild International Committee
- Member
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- American Bar Association International Human Rights Committee
- Member
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- Bringing Human Rights Home Lawyer's Network
- Member
- Current
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- NLG-PDX Joins Activists to Push Reforms in DOJ Suit Over Excessive Force
- National Lawyers Guild
- Who Is Your Client? The Challenges of Attorney-Client Privilege for Corporate Counsel
- Association of Workplace Investigators Journal
- The Burma-China Pipelines: Human Rights Violations, Applicable Law, and Revenue Secrecy
- EarthRights International
