Clara Butler

Metropolitan Public Defender

Metropolitan Public Defender has been on the cutting edge of public defense since our inception in 1971. Formed as a non-profit law firm, MPD contracts with the State of Oregon for public defense services. MPD was the first public defender organization under this system. MPD is the largest single provider of trial level public defense services in the state of Oregon, with offices in both Multnomah and Washington counties. We represent clients in criminal cases ranging from misdemeanors to capital murder, juvenille cases from deliquency to dependency, mental health cases from civil commitments to mental health courts, and specialty courts from drug courts to community court. We are also dedicated to building a holistic model in which MPD is a community-based resource, providing a broad array of legal services to low-income individuals for the purpose of improving outcomes such as long-term stability, through our Community Law Division. Our dedicated, client-centered staff is comprised of nearly 90 attorneys, as well as over 70 support staff made up of investigators, mitigation specialists, legal assistants, social workers, office assistants, data integrity specialists, and executive administration.