The DA represents the citizens of the State. The DA’s Office does not represent individual victims. The DA supervises Deputy DAs who prosecute cases in their community. A Deputy DA will be assigned to review and prosecute each case.

Victims may be able to sue the criminal defendant in civil court. Victims do not need to hire an attorney unless they have issues outside the scope of the criminal prosecution, such as divorce proceedings, child custody, division of property, or a civil lawsuit.

Finding an Attorney

There are many ways to find a private attorney. If you feel comfortable discussing your situation with friends or family, you can ask them for names of attorneys they know or may have worked with in the past. You can look in the telephone directory under “attorneys” to find contact information for an attorney. You may also contact the Oregon Bar Association Referral Service at (503) 648-3763 and online at http://www.osbar.org/public.

If you have limited income, you may qualify for one of the programs listed below.

Legal Aid Services of Oregon (503) 224-4086
Oregon Law Center (503) 224-2414
St. Andrew’s Legal Clinic (503) 281-1500
Oregon State Bar Lawyer Referral Service (800) 452-7636