I have 38 years of experience defending people in criminal matters. I began my legal career with the Clark County Public Defender's office in 1975. I have been a member of the Nevada Bar Association since 1976. I was a team chief for 26 of the 28 years I worked for the Clark County Public Defender's Office. In that capacity, I supervised a team of 5 to 6 attorneys. I also trained new attorneys. In addition to my administrative and supervisory obligations, I always carried a caseload that averaged between 100-150 clients and any given time. I also ran the appellate section of the Clark County Public Defender's Office from about 1978-1985.

I retired from the Public Defender's Office in 2003 and went to work for my son's law office, Christiansen Law Office. For the past 10 years, I have continued to practice exclusively criminal law in the Nevada state courts all over the state of Nevada.