I am a former Oregon Administrative Law Judge and currently have a successful Utah law practice doing civil and criminal law. Lissa appeared before me years ago in DUII administrative hearings in Oregon. She was always prepared and knowledgeable about what arguments and challenges to make to avoid DMV license suspension actions for her clients. She’s good on paper and in the courtroom. DUII law can be convoluted and impenetrable and she had a strong grasp of the case law and relevant issues based on the given facts of a case.
I recently retained Lissa to handle a criminal matter for my son in Portland. It was a serious matter. After discussions with the assigned DA Lissa successfully persuaded the DA to “no file/charge” the case prior to the first hearing. Most clients are not even aware that their attorneys can do legwork after a police officer cites/arrests the suspect but before a screening prosecutor actually decides whether to bring charges against a defendant to avoid the charges altogether against their clients. Good attorneys work hard in this phase by introducing exculpatory factual evidence (tending to prove innocence) or arguing that the alleged facts don’t match the legal elements of a crime and that it would be difficult for the State to carry its burden of convincing a jury to convict beyond a reasonable doubt. Lissa got it done with my son!
I’m in a position to know the difference between a garden variety criminal defense attorney and a top shelf criminal defense attorney. Lissa was mentored many years ago by one of the top criminal trial attorneys in the state. She has built-on that knowledge base and experience by taking on high profile cases and unpopular clients. The maxim that “you get what you pay for” is never more true than in criminal defense. The cost-benefit analysis is not that hard when you’re facing possible jail/prison time, license suspensions, fines/restitution, and other collateral consequences like divorce, job loss, etc. Hire Lissa. You’ll be glad you did.