Position Title

Of Counsel Attorney

Rich was born at Parks AFB during the Korean Conflict and spent his childhood in Hayward California. His Father was a Capt. in the Army from Normandy to Berlin. Both his parents were social justice advocates. Rich was raised in a diverse community and culture that sponsored heightened awareness of disempowerment of communities and individuals.

Rich completed his undergraduate education at San Diego State University in 1974. In 1975 he was employed in the counseling department at Snyder Continuation High School in San Diego. In 1975 Rich moved to Oregon to attend Lewis and Clark Law School. While in law school Rich worked as a group worker at juvenile detention in Multnomah County and full-time in 1977 and 1978 at Juvenile Court as a certified law student employed by the Mult. DA Office.

Beginning in the Spring of 1979, and into 1985, Rich was primarily involved in law practice in defense of juveniles, parents dealing with CSD, and adults charged with crimes. Since 1985 Rich has been in private practice emphasizing juvenile law, criminal law, family law and administrative law.
Rich has been involved in thousands of cases involving DHS, abuse, and neglect investigations and how those allegations and cases intersect with criminal law, juvenile law, family law and administrative law. Rich has tried at least 2,000.00 contested cases. In criminal law Rich has taken more than 100 cases, including many Measure 11 matters, to jury trial. Rich has appeared in matters all over Oregon and in nearly every county.
Rich knows personally what it's like to experience powerful loss and family loss and respects the injuries and traumas that impact on his clients and others. Rich thrives on being an advocate for the unjustly disempowered. Rich believes that systems think systemically, and that process is harmful to individuals and families.

Rich was married to our nation's first quadriplegic female attorney. She died in 1994. Her legacy remains many places, but importantly with their two children, their husbands and his four grandchildren. Rich likes to spend time with his family, extended family and friends, gardening, road biking and attempting to resist the encroachment of the aging process.