Our Attorneys

Steve S. Christensen -- born Salt Lake City, Utah, December 16, 1962 -- is a manager and owner of Christensen Thornton, PLLC. He graduated from Brigham Young University, B.A. in Japanese, and from J. Reuben Clark Law School, B.Y.U., 1989.  He is a member of the California State Bar, 1990, and the Utah State Bar, 1992. Formerly with Henriod, Nielsen & Christensen, Salt Lake City and Early, Maslach, et. al., Los Angeles. His practice emphasizes civil litigation and appellate work.  Mr. Christensen has extensive experience managing complex cases.  He has litigated many cases before judges and 16 cases before juries.  His practice has encompassed domestic relations, personal injury representation for automobile accidents and premises liability, banking and other commercial matters, real estate disputes, contract disputes, construction defects, internet and estate litigation. Mr. Christensen has handled appellate cases to the Utah Court of Appeals, the Utah Supreme Court, the 10th Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel and the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Lisa Broderick Thornton is a manager and owner of Christensen Thornton, PLLC. Her practice areas include general estate planning, guardianship and conservatorship petitions, Social Security Income and Medicaid benefits, special needs planning, and family law in the areas of adoption and divorce. Lisa was formerly an associate with Streich Lang in Phoenix, Arizona, served a clerkship with Judge Norman H. Jackson at the Utah Court of Appeals, and was a staff attorney with the Federal District Court for eight years. Lisa received her B.A. degree, cum laude, from Brigham Young University, and her J.D. degree, cum laude, from the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University, where she was a note and comment editor of the law review. She is a member of the Utah State Bar. She is president of the Utah Prader-Willi Syndrome Association and sits on the Board of the National Prader-Willi Syndrome Association. She formerly served on the Family to Family Board of the Utah Parent Center which helps parents of children with disabilities and also the Families Supporting Adoption Board of LDS Family Services. Lisa enjoys reading a good book, winning a competitive tennis match, and spending time with her husband and five children. Lisa understands the joy and challenges of life with a special needs child. Her youngest daughter has Prader-Willi syndrome. Lisa has donated thousands of hours helping Utah families and the special children they love.

Matthew B. Anderson received a BA in English and a minor in Sociology from the University of Utah in 2000, where he graduated with Phi Beta Kappa honors. In 2003, Matt graduated cum laude from the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University, where he served as a staff editor on the BYU Law Review. During his last two years of law school, Matt also worked as a law clerk in the litigation division of the Utah Attorney General’s Office. Upon graduating from law school, Matt spent a year clerking for Judge Anthony W. Schofield of the Utah Fourth District Court. After finishing his clerkship, Matt began working for the law firm of Sumsion & Crandall, PC, where his practice areas included general civil litigation, estate planning, real property law, and business law. In September 2007, Matt began working for the law firm of Christensen Thornton, PLLC, in the practice areas of general civil litigation and family law. Matt is a member of the Utah State Bar and is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah.

Matthew S. Tarkington is an Of Counsel attorney at Christensen Thornton, PLLC, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Mr. Tarkington’s practice focuses on business and commercial litigation – as well as domestic relations and appeals. Mr. Tarkington received his B.A. in Political Science from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. He is a 2002 cum laude graduate of the Valparaiso University School of Law, in Valparaiso, Indiana – where he was a member of the Honors Program, as well as the Editor-in-Chief of the Valparaiso University Law Review. After law school, Mr. Tarkington practiced at Lewis & Kappes, P.C., in Indianapolis, Indiana. Mr. Tarkington subsequently relocated to Salt Lake City, where he practiced with Wood Crapo, LLC, before joining Christensen Thornton in 2007. Mr. Tarkington is a member of the Utah State Bar and the Indiana State Bar. He is also admitted to practice before the Seventh Circuit and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeals.

Benjamin K. Lusty joined Christensen Thornton, PLLC, in June of 2008 after graduating from William and Mary School of Law in May of 2008. At William and Mary, Ben was inducted into the prestigious Order of the Coif, after graduating in the top ten percent of his class. While at William and Mary, Ben served as the Corporations and Business Associations teaching assistant, helping his fellow law students learn partnership, corporations, and securities law. During his time at William and Mary, Ben actively participated on both the Trial Team and the Moot Court Team. In simulated trial and appellate advocacy competitions, Ben, along with teammates, won and placed in the semi and quarter finals in tournaments dealing with personal injury litigation, corporate law, constitutional law, and administrative law. During law school, Ben spent his summers as a judicial extern for the Hon. J. Thomas Greene of the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah, and the Hon. Robert Faust of the Third Judicial District for the State of Utah. Prior to law school, Ben graduated magna cum laude from the University of Utah with a B.A. in History. While at the University of Utah Ben was elected to the honor societies of Phi Kappa Phi, and Phi Beta Kappa. Ben’s senior thesis, “The Regeneration of English Football” was later selected for publication in KinPubs, the University of Oregon’s journal of kinesiology and sports science. Ben is a member of the Utah State Bar, and is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah.

Brent J. Clayton began working for Christensen Thornton as a law clerk in 2008. He joined the firm as a full-time attorney in 2009 after graduating cum laude from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law and becoming a member of the Utah State Bar. In law school Brent developed a focus in real property and contract law; since joining Christensen Thornton he has also gained significant experience in general commercial litigation and family law. While in school, he served as Text and Citations Editor for the Journal of Law & Family Studies. Two of Brent's articles on current local adoption issues are published in that same journal: How Much Do You Need to Know About Yourself? Why Utah Should Start Letting More Adult Adoptees Decide, 10 J.L. FAM. STUD. 421 (2008), and A Day Late & A Dollar Short: Should Utah's Unmarried Dads Get One More Chance to Claim Their Newborns, 10 J.L. & FAM. STUD., 249 (2008). Before law school, Brent graduated cum laude with an Honors Bachelor’s Degree in English from the University of Utah. Outside of the office Brent enjoys his family, his camera, his horse, the mountains, and all combinations of those things.