Criminal Defense

Knowing the law is the price of admission. Every good criminal defense lawyer should know the law.

What has made me successful for 25 years is something harder to teach.

I know people.

I read prosecutors. I read witnesses. I read judges. I read juries. I know when to push, when to listen, when to negotiate, when to make someone laugh, and when it's time to stop talking and take the case to trial.

That instinct can change the outcome of a case.

The law matters. The evidence matters. Preparation matters.

But at the end of the day, criminal cases are decided by human beings.

A prosecutor decides what offer to make. A witness decides how to answer a question. A judge makes judgment calls. And twelve strangers may ultimately decide whether another human being goes home or goes to prison.

Understanding people isn't secondary to being a great criminal defense lawyer.

It's part of the job.

And it's one of the things I do best.

Aggressive doesn't have to mean loud.

Sometimes the best result comes from sitting across from a prosecutor and figuring out what is really driving the case.

Sometimes it comes from finding the one fact everyone else overlooked.

Sometimes it's knowing exactly how far you can push a witness on cross-examination — and when you've already made your point.

And sometimes you have to stand in front of twelve people and fight like hell for your client.

I've won back-to-back murder trials. I'm very comfortable with that last one.

For 25 years, I have represented people facing criminal charges ranging from misdemeanors to the most serious felony and murder cases.

I practice in Oregon state and federal court and bring the same approach to every client:

You can learn statutes. You can study cases. You can learn the rules of evidence.

Nobody can teach you instinct.

Nobody can hand you timing, emotional intelligence, humor, judgment, or the ability to connect with people from completely different walks of life.

Those skills have been as important to my career as anything I learned from a law book.

Because whether I'm negotiating with a prosecutor or talking to a jury, my job is ultimately the same:

Understand the people in the room — and give them a reason to see my client's case differently.

I'm not interested in looking tough for the sake of looking tough.

I'm interested in getting results.

If I can accomplish that across a negotiating table, that's where I'll be.

If we need a courtroom, I'll see you there.