A Bit About Myself

My Legal Experience

• 11 years as Trial Judge, Multnomah County Circuit Court

• 14 years as Trial Attorney, including 10 years private practice

• 5 years as Executive Director of the Oregon Law Center

• 4 years as Director of Litigation, Multnomah County Legal Aid

• 1 year as Judicial Clerk to Judge Robert Foley, Oregon Court of Appeals

A career devoted to helping others, a lifetime of public service:

• Presided over drug treatment courts and started the first mental health court in Multnomah County

• Co-founded Oregon Uniting, an educational nonprofit, in 1999, later merged with Uniting to Understand Racism

• Represented employees in employment discrimination claims, such as workers comp, disability and sexual harassment in private practice

• Helped found the Oregon Law Center when federal funding for legal aid programs was slashed in 1995; found local funding to keep a full range of legal services available to low income individuals including farm workers

• Chaired the OR Judicial Department’s Access to Justice Committee from 1998 – 2002

• Board Member, Fair Housing Council of Oregon (Promoting equality of opportunity in housing) (1993-2002)

• Board Member, Multnomah Defenders, Inc. (Non-profit providing criminal defense to indigent clients) (1999-2001)

• Board Member, Project Linkage (Volunteer in-home services to seniors), (1984-85)

• Board Member, Raphael House (Shelter for victims of domestic violence), (1977-79)

• Co-Founded the Oregon Coalition Against Domestic Violence; helped to implement provisions of Abuse Prevention Act (1978)

• Recipient of the Oregon Women Lawyers Judge Mercedes Deiz Award and the Metropolitan Human Rights Center Russell A. Peyton Award

A Family Dedicated to Education and Public Service

I grew up in San Jose, California in a working class family. Though neither of my parents went to college, it was important to them that my brothers and I go far in our education. My father was a road surveyor for PG&E, and he coached little league and served on the school board. My mother was a homemaker who raised my three brothers and me, but spent her free time volunteering at our schools, working to get school bonds passed and parent teacher associations formed. Julia Baldwin Elementary in San Jose is named in honor of her hard work and dedication.

Growing up, I worked odd jobs shining shoes, delivering newspapers and waiting tables. I put myself through college working as a stock clerk for IBM and on the assembly line at the General Motors plant. I married my high school sweetheart Teresa shortly after we graduated. Law school and the natural beauty of the region brought us to Oregon in 1977 and we’ve been here together ever since.

During the first ten years of our marriage, we took turns helping each other work our way through college and graduate school. While I started my career as a public interest lawyer, Teresa became a special education teacher for Portland Public Schools. For over twenty years she taught and tutored the most vulnerable among our future generations. To this day she continues to tutor special education students. During that time we also raised two wonderful children.

I am proud that the importance of education and public service has been passed on to our children. My daughter Anna is a lead teacher at the Albina Head Start Teen Parent program. My son Andrew works as a professional mentor with Friends of Children. My parents strongly believed in the power of education to help individuals move beyond their circumstances, and the importance of working ceaselessly to make your community a better, more vibrant place. Looking at my children, I am proud to have passed on that tradition.