Partner
Per Olson practices exclusively criminal defense in state and federal court. He takes on a wide variety of cases from misdemeanors to major felonies, including DUII, fraud and theft, violent crimes, sex crimes, white collar crimes, drug crimes, and other interstate and transnational crimes. Per has obtained multiple acquittals for his clients in state and federal court.
Per was recognized by Best Lawyers of America as the Criminal Defense: General Practice “Lawyer of the Year” in Portland for 2024. He was also named Lawyer of the Year for Criminal Defense: General Practice in 2020 and for Criminal Defense: White Collar in 2023. Per also appears in Oregon’s Super Lawyers in the category of criminal defense.
Per graduated magna cum laude from Willamette University in Salem, and then attended Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland where he graduated cum laude in 1993. Per served as the law clerk for Circuit Court Judge Robert W. Redding (1994-1995) and then for Oregon Supreme Court Justice George A. Van Hoomissen (1995-1997). Per joined the firm in 1998, and became a shareholder in 2005.
Per is a member of the Oregon State Bar and the Washington State Bar Association. He is also admitted to the United States District Court for the District of Oregon, the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the United States Tax Court, and the United States Supreme Court. Per is a member of the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the Multnomah Bar Association. He has sat on the Pro Bono Committee of the Oregon State Bar’s New Lawyer Division and the Group Insurance Committee of the Multnomah Bar Association. He has written an amicus brief for the ACLU of Oregon, and he is a past board member of Hands On Portland, a nonprofit organization that promotes volunteering in the community.
6/28/18 client review:
The Best!
Per was hired a year-and-a-half into my case and two failed trials. He immediately jumped in with both feet and did such great research that he had the case dropped within three months of taking the case. The charge was sex abuse in the first degree, a very serious charge that could have given me 75 months in prison. Through His Brilliant legal prowse, he was able to find out that the woman accusing me had falsely accused others, been arrested for striking a police officer and never charged, and was just plain psychologically unstable. I thank Mr Olson very much for being the best attorney I could have ever asked for. I suggest him to anyone who needs a real fighting attorney. Click here for more reviews
