Christine E. Drage, Esq.
Founding Partner | Owner

Christine Drage is one of the founding partners of W&D Law and has been a construction lawyer for over 23 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.

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

CityCenter, 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

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
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
(2012-2023 Supplements, Aspen Publishers)
The Nevada Chapter of State-By-State Guide to Design and
Construction Contracts and Claims
(2007-2023 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).