Charged with a crime in Multnomah County, Oregon? Here are a few things unique to the county that I have learned in my years of practice here.
Public Defense
Many people here qualify for a public defender. You may already have been assigned one. Many public defenders in Multnomah County are excellent lawyers and they will zealously defend your case within the constraints of the dozens and sometimes hundreds of other clients they are assigned.
If you are unhappy with the lawyer you are assigned by the court, you do not have a right to get a different lawyer. If you want to have greater autonomy and choice, you can hire a private criminal defense attorney. A good private lawyer will have more time and resources and often better support staff to do a thorough investigation and mitigation on your case. And you will reach a resolution much sooner on average.
The Court
Do you have to go to all of your court appearances? If in doubt, yes--show up. In person. If you have an attorney, you may be able to phone in or file paperwork to avoid going to most of your court dates. Talk to them about it.
The Multnomah County Courthouse is located at 1200 SW 1st Ave, Portland, OR 97204. For most court dates, this is where you will need to go. However, for initial appearances (arraignments) or probation matters, you may be required to appear in the Justice Center (JC), located at 1120 SW 3rd Ave, Portland, OR 97204.
Multnomah County DA
The district attorney's office in this county is composed of a wide variety of deputies and staff, all of whom have their own views on the goals of the criminal legal system. The elected DA as of this writing is Nathan Vasquez (former Republican, currently Independent), and he was elected on a law-and-order platform. Regardless, the office supports many programs that divert people from prison to rehabilitation and treatment. Criminal defense attorneys who regularly practice in Multnomah County often have a good understanding of these programs and can direct clients accordingly.
To get the best results in negotiation with this office (plea bargaining) it is important to have an attorney who has a good reputation as a trial lawyer, and who also works in this county enough to know the attributes of the deputies handling your case. One advantage to using the public defenders can be a high level of familiarity with the members of the Multnomah County DA's office.
Warrants and the Jail
If you are unfortunate enough to have a warrant (search for your name here to check--if the last record says "Bench Warrant" you have a warrant) you will likely need to turn yourself in to the Justice Center to clear it. Turning yourself in is inconvenient but it is also viewed by the judges and the DA as taking accountability, and you may be more likely to be released. If you anticipate any possibility of release the same day, it is best to turn yourself in by 3am to ensure that you get on the 9am docket.
It is sometimes possible to clear warrants without turning yourself in, but this is a complex process that requires your attorney's assistance.