Oregon Gov. Kate Brown appointed two Willamette Law alumni to open judge positions this week. Steven R. Powers JD’01 was named to position seven on the Oregon Court of Appeals, and Christopher A. Ramras JD’96 was named to position 15 on the Multnomah County Circuit Court. Both appointments are effective July 17.
Powers has worked at Parsons Farnell & Grein, LLP, since 2015 as an insurance coverage and appellate attorney. Prior to his position at the law firm, he served 
in Gov. John Kitzhaber’s office, where he was deputy general counsel and public safety policy advisor. He has also worked for Multnomah County, the Oregon Department of Justice, and the Oregon Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision.
Powers is a founding board member of the Oregon Filipino American Lawyers Association. He received his bachelor’s degree from Western State College of Colorado in 1997 and his JD from Willamette Law in 2001.
Ramras has been a senior deputy district attorney in Multnomah County since 2002. For a short time, he worked at Smith, 
Freed and Eberhard, and from 1996 until 2001, he served as a JAG Officer for the U.S. Air Force. He has experience as a military prosecutor and defense attorney for the military.
Ramras received his bachelor’s degree from the University of California San Diego in 1988 and his JD from Willamette Law in 1996. He is an active member of the Alliance for Safer Communities and the Multnomah County Sexual Assault Response Team.
In all, Gov. Brown appointed eight new judges to fill openings on Oregon courts.
“Oregonians will be rightly proud to welcome this group of exceedingly talented and diverse lawyers into judicial service,” Brown said. “This group entrusts some of Oregon’s finest lawyers with the fair and impartial administration of justice in our state.”
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 and mentorship. 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, 2014, and 2015. Located across the street from the state capitol complex and the Oregon Supreme Court, the college specializes in law and government, law and business, and dispute resolution.