Janet Lee Hoffman

Janet Hoffman is a highly experienced criminal defense attorney based in Portland, Oregon. The mission and culture of Janet Hoffman & Associates LLC is a direct reflection of Janet Hoffman’s commitment to defend and protect her clients, to be their ally and advocate, and to fight on their behalf in every instance. Ms. Hoffman is both colleague and mentor to the handpicked, highly skilled associates of the firm.

Ms. Hoffman has dedicated her career to providing the highest quality defense to all of her clients, while at the same time she strives to raise standard of practice through creative and zealous advocacy. Her mark in trade is to advance innovative, legal defenses and to promote aggressive motion practice. Ms. Hoffman has established significant legal precedent in both state and federal courts, involving a wide range of criminal issues ranging from white-collar and corporate crimes, to fraud, environmental crimes, violent crimes, corruption and sex crimes. She also is a leader in the profession through her ongoing teaching and publishing.

In the more than 30 years Janet Hoffman has practiced criminal defense, she has obtained the highest professional ratings. She is a member of the International Society of Barristers and was awarded an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell (top rating in skill and ethics by her peers). Janet is also a member of the Portland Business Journal’s BizWomen Coalition, a membership group of C-level executives and business owners.

Ms. Hoffman has been listed in Best Lawyers in America every year since 2001 and in early 2013, she was selected by her peers as the Best Lawyers® “Lawyer of the Year” in the Criminal Defense: White-Collar category – Portland area. Upon being listed in Top 50 Oregon Super Lawyers in 2011, Ms. Hoffman had this to say: “Being a super lawyer means having the ability to listen carefully to the client and articulate information they would otherwise be unable to present on their own behalf. It means mastering the rules of evidence and being able to argue for your client’s best interests in ways that are new, innovative, and successful. It also means not losing sight of the fact that because of our bar licenses, we have a monopoly on this system. That monopoly requires us to maintain the highest integrity and compassion for the people we serve.”

Ms. Hoffman is a frequent speaker and instructor on topics related to voir dire, jury selection, use of demonstrative evidence, cross-examination, trial techniques, expert witness testimony, presentation of defense theories and the Oregon Evidence Code. She has taught trial practice skills in multiple states.

She began her career as a public defender and is currently a member of the Gus J. Solomon Inn of Court and an editor of the Oregon State Bar Litigation Journal. In the past, Ms. Hoffman served as a member on the Board of Governors of the Oregon State Bar, and the Board of the Multnomah Bar Association. She also served on the Uniform Trial Court Rules Committee and the ACLU Lawyers’ Committee (Northern District).

She received her BA from the University of Redlands in 1973 and her JD from Boston College Law School in 1977. She worked as a public defender until 1981, when she entered private practice.