Christine E. Drage, Esq.
Founding Partner | Owner

cdrage@wdlaw.com
www.wdlaw.com

Christine Drage is one of the founding partners of W&D Law and has been a construction lawyer for over 30 years.

She has represented and represents some of the largest and most prestigious design, construction, and project/construction management companies in the global A/E/C community, many of whom consistently rank among Engineering News Record’s Top 500 firms.

Christine’s experience includes complex litigation, mediations, arbitrations, and trials at the State and Federal Court levels, and in tribal courts, as well as claims and risk management and extensive contract creation and negotiations on multi-million and multi-billion dollar public and private projects involving every type of delivery method and legal issue, including but not limited to delays and cost overruns, project suspensions, terminations, contract breaches, Force Majeure events, liens, property damage, catastrophic personal injury and death claims on construction projects and post-construction due to alleged design and construction failures.

Christine has handled virtually every type of design and construction matter and legal issue in her career and works closely with clients and insurance carriers around the globe to effectuate consistently-successful results.

Christine is proud to serve on the American Arbitration Association’s prestigious legal panel of arbitrators and mediators for the AAA’s International Centre for Dispute Resolution, Complex Construction Division. The AAA’s mission is to lead the world in providing innovative measures to prevent, mitigate, and resolve disputes fairly and efficiently, with the utmost integrity and exceptional service.

Throughout her career, Christine has been routinely sought after for legal advice and representation on major construction projects throughout the United States, including but not limited to, transportation, energy, wastewater, healthcare, tunnel, education, commercial, and residential projects.

The extensive projects Christine has been involved in specifically include, but are not limited to:

  • 405 Freeway Delay and cost overruns and personal injury claims,
    Los Angeles, California
  • 91 Freeway Bridge Collapse, Riverside, California
  • Elko Regional Airport, Elko, Nevada
  • Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, California
  • McCarran International Airport, Las Vegas, Nevada
  • San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, California
  • Transbay Transit Center, San Francisco, California

Lake Mead Intake Tunnel, Las Vegas, Nevada
Seattle’s Alaska Way Viaduct/Replacement Tunnel, Seattle,
Washington
Healthcare:
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, California
UC Davis Medical Center, Davis, California
Energy:
Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project, Tonopah, Nevada
Niland Gas Turbine Power Plant Project, Imperial County, California

  • Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, California
  • UC Davis Medical Center, Davis, California

  • Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project, Tonopah, Nevada
  • Niland Gas Turbine Power Plant Project, Imperial County, California

  • Rancho California Water District – Ace Bowen Pump Station
    Improvements, Temecula, California
  • Southern Nevada Water Authority facilities, Henderson, Nevada
  • Turlock Irrigation District – Fuel Cell Cogeneration at City of
  • Turlock Water Quality Control Facility, Turlock, California

  • CityCenter (Multiple), Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Foxwoods Resort and Casino, formerly MGM Grand, Mashantucket,
    Connecticut (Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation)
  • Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Montage Deer Valley, Park City, Utah
  • Monte Carlo Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Paris Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa, Las Vegas, Nevada
  • The Palazzo, Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Venetian Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Wynn Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada

  • Foxwoods Theaters, Mashantucket, Connecticut
  • Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
  • The Getty, Los Angeles, California
  • The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, Las Vegas, Nevada

  • Lloyd D. George Federal District Courthouse, Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Regional Justice Center, Clark County, Nevada
  • Clark County Detention Center

  • City Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Las Vegas Premium Outlets, Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Millennium Tower, San Francisco, California
  • Trump Tower, Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Turnberry Towers, Las Vegas, Nevada

  • University of San Diego
    Bachelor of Arts – English, 1990
  • NCAA Division I Tennis
  • Brigham Young University
  • J. Reuben Clark Law School
  • Juris Doctor, 1993
  • International Moot Court, Trial Advocacy

  • America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators®
  • America’s Top 100 Bet-the-Company Litigators®
  • Super Lawyers, Mountain States, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017,
    2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025

  • State Bar of California
  • State Bar of Nevada
  • United States Supreme Court
  • United States District Court, Central District of California
  • United States District Court, Southern District of California
  • United States District Court, District of Nevada
  • American Arbitration Association’s legal panel of arbitrators and mediators
    for AAA’s International Centre for Dispute Resolution, Complex Construction Division
  • Clark County (Nevada) Bar Association
  • Orange County Chapter American Institute of Architects (Affiliate Member)
  • Clark County (Nevada) Chapter American Institute of Architects (Affiliate Member)
  • American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of Nevada (Associate Member)
  • WBENC – Women’s Business Enterprise National Council
  • Sports Lawyers Association

  • Managing the Risk of Condos and Other Residential Projects
    (April, 2017, Travelers Webinar)

  • The California Chapter of State-By-State Guide to Design and Construction Contracts and Claims (2012-2024 Supplements, Aspen Publishers)
  • The Nevada Chapter of State-By-State Guide to Design and Construction Contracts and Claims(2007-2024 Supplements, Aspen Publishers)
  • The XL Insurance Contract Guide for Design Professionals – A Risk Management Handbook for Architects and Engineers
    (2007, X.L. America, Inc.)

  • The Legal Side of Design – Mock Trial
    (September, 2015, American Institute of Architects, Las Vegas
    Chapter)
  • Construction Contracts
    (June, 2015, Idaho Society of Professional Engineers Annual
    Meeting)
  • Building Better Construction Contracts
    (June, 2014, Practising Law Institute)
  • Client Expectations of Perfection
    (Webinar for ACEC National, June 2012; ACEC National,
    April, 2013)
  • Standard of Care for Design Professionals
    (July, 2011, Nevada Society of Professional Engineers)
  • Managing Risk with the Right Contractual Language: Cautions and
    Recent Court Decisions
    (February, 2011, ACEC)
  • Impact of Legal Decisions Regarding Duty to Defend
    (2010, Nevada Society of Professional Engineers Regional
    Conference)
  • Being Prepared – Legal Concerns & Contracts
    (2009, AIA Nevada Design Conference)
  • Amending NRS 338.155 Regarding the Duty of Design Professionals
    to Defend Public Agencies on Public Works Projects in Nevada
    (May, 2009, Testified before Senate; AB 483 Passed, amending
    NRS 338.155 effective July 1, 2009; Presented to American Council
    of Engineering Companies, May 25, 2009)
  • What To Do Right When a Project Goes Wrong – A Lawyer’s
    Role on Behalf of Design Professionals During Construction of
    Problematic Projects
    (2008, X.L. America, Inc., West Region Conference)
  • Negotiating High Risk Contracts
    (2006, AIA, Half Moon Seminars)
  • Digital Technology: Risks and Rewards of Innovation
    (2006, DPRCG Loss Prevention Convocation)

  • Legislative Update for Design Professionals
    (November/December, 2007, Builder Architect Magazine,
    Southern Nevada Edition)
  • Risk Management for the Design Professional
    (May/June, 2007, Builder Architect Magazine, Southern Nevada
    Edition)
  • Understanding and Developing a Risk Management Policy for
    Condominium Projects
    (July, 2006, AIA California Council; a/e ProNet Practice Notes,
    Volume 16, Number 1)

W&D is a member of the exclusive National Association of Minority & Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF).