On Friday, March 18, Willamette University College of Law alumnus Theodore E. Sims ’77 JD’80 was invested as the next Washington County Circuit Court judge. Governor Kate Brown appointed Sims, 60, on Tuesday, January 19. He fills the vacancy created by Judge Thomas Kohl’s retirement in December 2015. Kohl retired with about a year left in his term. Sims will serve the remainder of the term and then campaign for the post if opposed, as judges in Oregon are elected.
Sims is a resident of Tigard and was an attorney in private practice, representing clients in a wide range of civil matters, including personal injury, family law, and probate cases.
About Willamette University College of Law
Opened in 1883, Willamette University College of Law is the first law school in the Pacific Northwest. The college has a long tradition at the forefront of legal education and is committed to the advancement of knowledge through excellent teaching, scholarship, mentoring and experience. Leading faculty, thriving externship and clinical law programs, ample practical skills courses, and a proactive career placement office prepare Willamette law students for today's legal job market. According to statistics compiled by the American Bar Association, Willamette ranks first in the Pacific Northwest for job placement for full-time, long-term, JD-preferred/JD-required jobs for the class of 2014 and first in Oregon for the classes of 2012, 2013 and 2014. Located across the street from the state capitol complex and the Oregon Supreme Court in downtown Salem, the college specializes in law and government, law and business, and dispute resolution.