Phone: (503) 947-4700 | Fax: (503) 947-4793
Leadership
Kristen Boyd, Interim Chief Counsel
Kristen is the Deputy Chief Trial Counsel. She joined the Trial Division in 2004 as an Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal and Collateral Remedies section and served as the Assistant Attorney-in-Charge and then Attorney-in-Charge of the section. Before joining the Oregon DOJ, Kristen was a staff attorney for Legal Aid Services in Oregon and Idaho and clerked for a Washington State Superior Court judge. She received her undergraduate degree from John Carroll University and her J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School.
The cases assigned to the Trial Division cover a variety of subjects, including:
- Negligence and other tort claims for money damages
- Breach of contract and commercial actions
- Suits for declaratory and injunctive relief
- Employment litigation
- Lawsuits to obtain the rights to private lands for road improvement projects
- Natural resources and environmental law cases
- Constitutional and other challenges to laws and government programs
- Inmate civil rights litigation
- Collateral challenges to criminal convictions (habeas corpus and post-conviction relief)
Sections of the Trial Division
Civil Litigation Section
The Civil Litigation Section handles torts, employment, commercial disputes, prisoner civil rights lawsuits and real estate condemnation. Its lawyers also defend district attorneys when they are sued in civil lawsuits.
Corrections Litigation Unit
The Corrections Litigation Unit (CLU) handles civil litigation brought against the state, the Oregon Department of Corrections, and its employees brought by adults in custody at Oregon’s state correctional facilities. CLU attorneys handle a wide variety of civil rights claims in state and federal courts, as well as state tort claims related to medical negligence, personal injury, and other issues. This unit also covers state habeas corpus claims, in which adults in custody challenge either the authority for or the conditions of their confinement.
Criminal and Collateral Remedies Litigation Section
The Criminal and Collateral Remedies Section litigates cases filed by a convicted person seeking a new trial or a re-sentencing from a trial court. This Section seeks to uphold the convictions won by a district attorney when a case reaches the state post-conviction and federal habeas corpus stage. This Section also handles cases before the Psychiatric Security Review Board ».
Federal Oversight Unit
The Federal Oversight Unit litigates affirmative cases against federal agencies and officials, often in coordination with other states. These cases are staffed by a small number of attorneys assigned to FOU as well as attorneys assigned to other components of the Trial Division and other DOJ Divisions.
Special Litigation Unit
The lawyers in the Special Litigation Unit (SLU) defend state statutes and policies against constitutional challenges in state and federal courts. They also defend the state in complex litigation, elections litigation, class action lawsuits and environmental litigation.