[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 150 (Tuesday, October 20, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S12740]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO DANA TASCHNER

 Mr. REID. Mr. President, I rise today to call attention to the 
outstanding achievements of a Nevadan who has dedicated himself to 
helping individuals who often lack the means to help themselves. Dana 
Taschner has achieved national recognition as a champion for victims of 
domestic violence and civil rights abuses. He is a 38 year-old lawyer 
from Reno who chooses cases that are relatively small-scale, but 
representative of many of the problems facing Americans. Time and 
again, Mr. Taschner has had the courage and initiative to take on cases 
that more prominent firms are hesitant to handle for political or 
monetary reasons. Dana Taschner truly brings honor to his profession.
  Mr. Taschner's devotion to fighting oppression recently earned him 
the American Bar Association's Lawyer of the Year award. He was chosen 
from a pool of approximately 245,000 other lawyers in North America, 
competing with litigators with much higher profiles and greater wealth. 
In 1993, Mr. Taschner took on the Los Angeles Police Department and 
succeeded in forcing them to change their policy regarding police 
officers who commit domestic violence. In this case, he represented 3 
orphans whose father, an L.A. police officer, murdered their mother and 
then took his own life. Taschner was able to overcome his own painful 
childhood memories of domestic abuse and secure the orphans a 
settlement. He argued that the department should not have returned the 
officer's gun after he had beaten his wife and threatened to kill her. 
He also forced the department to treat these matters as criminal cases, 
rather than internal affairs.
  In this era of cynicism and self-promotion, I believe we must take 
steps to encourage and reward sincerity. Dana Taschner's unwavering 
dedication to his clients can be seen in his personal relationships 
with them, relationships that often outlive the outcome of the case. As 
an attorney myself, I have seen firsthand how much our country needs 
people in my field who care enough about their clients to commit 
themselves personally, as well as professionally. Many litigators find 
it much easier to take the cases that bring financial gain, rather than 
attempting to help the true victims of injustice.
  I am proud that his colleagues have lavished accolades upon Mr. 
Taschner, but I believe it is a much greater sign of his success that 
his clients put their faith in him. Dana Taschner, whose integrity and 
selfless devotion to fairness truly embody our American justice system, 
is a role model for us all.

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