Overview
I am a native of Seattle, Washington and attended college and law school in the Pacific Northwest. My legal career spans more than 20 years, primarily dedicated to the areas of family/juvenile justice and criminal law. During law school, I clerked at the Multnomah County DA's office in the domestic violence unit and gained valuable trial experience. For my first job out of law school, I moved to Guam with my wife and young son where I worked as an Assistant Attorney General, prosecuting child support and juvenile matters. I returned to the Portland area and resumed a long career in government service, starting with the Marion County DA's Office as a special statewide liaison to the Oregon Child Support Program, overseeing program administration and policy matters. I missed the courtroom and took a position in the Washington County DA's Office as a Deputy District Attorney, handling child support enforcement cases. I transferred to the juvenile prosecution unit and enjoyed a lengthy tenure handling dependency and delinquency cases that touched the lives of children, youth and their families. Later in my career, I worked in the criminal prosecution section, handling misdemeanor crimes where I experienced first-hand the shortcomings of the criminal justice system for many individuals.
My past experiences shape the approach I bring to my current practice areas of criminal defense, family and juvenile law matters and estate planning. I value collaborating with clients, colleagues and judges to achieve the best resolution for my clients with integrity and respect for the adversarial process. I am passionate about helping my clients and advocating for their interests; I listen and appreciate the perspectives and ideas my clients share about the case. I work hard to earn and maintain the trust of my clients by reaching a just and desired result in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible.
When I am not at the office or the courthouse, you may likely find me out on the road somewhere riding on two wheels, enjoying a long run or hike, climbing a mountain with friends, snowboarding with my son or maybe just relaxing with my wife and a good book along our all-time favorite camping spot, the Metolius river in central Oregon.