A new fund in Oregon will support criminal defense clinics at the state’s law schools.
There are currently defense clinics at Willamette University in Salem, Lewis & Clark College in Portland, and the University of Oregon in both Portland and Eugene.
At UO, law students work with public defenders from Lane and Multnomah Counties, helping represent clients accused of misdemeanors.
"Students will be writing motions, they'll be making court appearances, they might do some litigation," said Jennifer Reynolds, the Dean of the UO School of Law. "They're basically going to be doing everything a bar attorney would be doing."
Now, state lawmakers have passed a bill which allocates $3.4 million to support these programs. They had previously approved $2.1 million in one-time funding in 2024.
Reynolds said upwards of 60 students participated in the three schools' clinics during the previous biennium. In the next two years, she said they're looking to double that number.
“It's good for the workforce, developing this talent in the pipeline," said Reynolds, "and it's good for our civic economy, because this is something that is part of our constitutional framework."
Reynolds said these clinics help address the state's pressing need for public defenders. According to state data, there are currently around 3,500 defendants in Oregon without legal representation.
The state hasn't yet announced what portion of the new funding will go towards each law school.
