Attorney Spotlight: Josh Lamborn
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Josh Lamborn graduated from Lewis & Clark Law School in 1997. He worked as a Multnomah County Prosecutor for 12 years prosecuting crimes ranging from rape to robbery to aggravated murder. From 2007 to 2009 Mr. Lamborn was also an instructor at the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training where he trained Oregon police cadets in Constitutional Law, Felony Person Crimes, Domestic Violence and Juvenile Law. As a prosecutor, Mr. Lamborn worked extensively with victims of violent crime. In private practice, Mr. Lamborn specializes in representing victims of sexual assault, child abuse, wrongful death and people catastrophically injured by negligent acts of others. Mr. Lamborn is on the Oregon Crime Victims Law Center Board of Directors, is a member of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association and is an instructor for the State Victim Assistance Academy.
How or why did you first get interested in working with NCVLI and victims’ rights?
Working with crime victims was a large part of my job as a Deputy District Attorney, but mostly from the perspective of making sure the defendant was convicted. When I left the DA’s office in 2009, I did not intend to focus my practice on crime victim representation, but I started to get referrals for those cases. I started working with crime victims as my clients so I needed to know what their goals were. I also met people who were passionate about victim rights and soon realized I had a lot to offer crime victims in the civil justice system because of my experience in the criminal justice system. I enjoy helping crime victims better understand how the systems work and helping them get what they need from the entire process.
As an organization what is NCVLI’s greatest strength?
NCVLI’s greatest strength is its faculty. They are dedicated and enthusiastic about their work.
What are your hobbies?
I enjoy fly fishing for steelhead, playing with my kids Calvin and Effie and, since I am too old to play basketball anymore, I took up golf.
What has been the most rewarding thing you have done in your professional life?
The most rewarding thing I have done in my professional life is to open my own law firm. I enjoyed working as a DDA, but I have never regretted leaving. The only things I miss are going to trial on a regular basis and the people, both in the DA’s office and the judges, defense attorneys, clerks, guards and others working in the courthouse.
What has been the most rewarding thing you have done in your personal life?
The most rewarding thing I have done in my personal life is to start a family.
What would you most like NCVLI or the victims’ rights movement to accomplish in the next five years? Twenty years?
Right now my priority is amending the statutes that restrict victims’ rights to obtain a copy of police reports and other documents detailing their abuse.
Why should someone else get involved with NCVLI and victims’ rights?
I work with a lot of civil plaintiff attorneys. Many of them align themselves with criminal defendants in their practice. I think that is partially because they see themselves as defenders of the constitution and partially because they do not think they can make any money representing crime victims. I try to educate civil attorneys that crime victims have constitutional rights as well and representing crime victims is more compatible with their plaintiff oriented practice. I also try to help civil attorneys think of creative ways to use the criminal and civil justice systems to compensate crime victims.
