David C. Portillo is an associate in the Orange County office of Lewis Brisbois and a member of the Construction Practice.

Before joining Lewis Brisbois, David worked at a medium-sized civil litigation defense firm where he handled a variety of cases involving personal injuries, landlord-tenant disputes, premises liability, and insurance issues.

At Pepperdine School of Law, David served as the Notes and Comment Editor of the Administrative Law Journal and was team captain of the Pepperdine Moot Court team, competing in multiple national competitions and earning accolades for his oral advocacy skills. In law school, David interned for the Honorable Patricia Donahue with the United States District Court for the Central District of California. He also volunteered with Orange County's Public Law Center, aiding victims of domestic violence and asylum seekers. David's work with PLC became the basis of his article analyzing recent developments in asylum law. 

Prior to law school, David graduated from Austin Peay State University, where he interned in the office of Representative Cameron Sexton at the Tennessee General Assembly.

Publications

Admissions

• State Bar Admissions
  • California
• United States District Courts
  • United States District Court for the Central District of California

Associations

Orange County Bar Association

Awards & Honors

• Dean's Merit Scholar - Pepperdine School of Law
• Best Oral Advocate - Vincent S. Dalsimer Moot Court Competition 2022
• Regional Champion - ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition 2021
• Semi-Finalist - Armand Arabian Appellate Advocacy Tournament 2020

Education

Austin Peay State University

Bachelor of Arts, 2016

Pepperdine Law School

Juris Doctor, 2022