It’s no secret that Oregon lacks public defenders. Over the past several years, national news outlets have reported the state’s public defense system has far fewer lawyers than it needs. That’s why this fall, the three Oregon law schools are doing something about it.
At Willamette Law, new Visiting Professor Kurt Wohlers is gearing up to launch the school’s newest experiential venture, the Criminal Defense Clinic. Wohlers previously worked as a public defender for Metropolitan Public Defender in Washington County.
While working in public defense, Wohlers enjoyed the mentorship and educational aspects as new attorneys joined the field.
“I love the enthusiasm they bring,” Wohlers says. “When they get their first case, they treat it really seriously and get excited about it, even if it’s small. They see things I completely miss. They have great ideas they’re bringing to the table.”
Wohlers considered a career in teaching for some time. The open position with Willamette Law was a good fit since he’s not sure he wants to give up interacting with clients just yet. As a full-time clinical professor, he will teach students about the criminal defense process from top to bottom as they take on real misdemeanor cases under his supervision.
Students will learn about discovery packets, which include police reports, body camera footage, photos, medical records and other evidence. They will also learn how to review the evidence, what they should look for, how to develop a theme and theory of the case, and how to be client-centered in their work.
“That’s a big thing in public defense – the client controls the outcome of their own case,” Wohlers explains. “At the end of the day, it’s the client’s life and outcome. Whether or not they go to trial, whether or not they want to testify – those are important decisions that are up to them to make.
“We’ll listen and give input, and our role is to provide the best options available.”
In addition to working with their clients, students will gain experience with the court system, up to and potentially including representing their clients as a “second chair” in front of a judge, along with a practicing attorney.
Wohlers will work with Marion County to assign misdemeanor cases to the students.
“It’s a very interesting time to be an indigent public defense attorney in Oregon,” Wohlers says. “The Oregon Public Defender Commission plans to double the number of public defenders in the next six years. This clinic is a part of that change.”
This academic year, all three Oregon law schools will have some type of Criminal Defense Clinic after the state legislature provided the funds.
“Law schools in the state are often competing for the same resources, but one of the great things about the defense clinic funding is how they worked together to bring this idea to the legislature, making sure the program works well for all the schools and the state,” Interim Dean Jeff Dobbins says. “It’s an important pipeline for increasing the number of public defense attorneys to address the work that needs to be done.”
Not only does the new clinic help Oregon address its public defense crisis, but offering it falls in line with Willamette Law’s larger goal to provide more experiential learning opportunities. Along with the school’s clinics in Trusts and Estates and Immigration Law, these hands-on experiences prepare students for licensure and the practice of law, Dobbins says. “Whether students enter practice through the Supervised Practice Portfolio Examination or the Next Generation Bar Exam (in effect in 2026), they will benefit directly from the knowledge of real-world practice that these clinics will provide.”
“Anything we can do to enhance experiential skill building for students is great,” Dobbins says. “Clinic is, in a lot of ways, the gold standard, so we are thrilled to be able to offer this new opportunity.”
