Susan F Wilk

Susan F Wilk

5.0
Rating: 8.2

Licensed for 27 years

Criminal defense Lawyer at Portland, OR
Practice Areas: Criminal Defense, Appeals

101 SW Main St., Suite 1700, Portland, OR

About Susan

Biography

Practice Areas

2

Practice Areas

Appeals 50%

23 years

50%

Fees and Rates

We have not found any cost information for this lawyer


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Licenses

Licensed in Washington for 27 years

State: Washington

Acquired: 1998

Active

No misconduct found

Location

Federal Public Defender - District of Oregon

101 SW Main St., Suite 1700, Portland, OR, 97204

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Susan F Wilk's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

5.0 /5.0

1 Client Review

5 star (1)
4 star (0)
3 star (0)
2 star (0)
1 star (0)

Posted by anonymous | September 11, 2012

Susan relentlessly fights for the accused as well as the convicted.

Susan represented me in a criminal matter where the police lied and stated they'd seen me leaning out the window of my BMW purchasing crack from a street dealer after which point I supposedly raced off and they had to chase me, losing sight of my car, however later supposedly they located me at the 7...-11 a few blocks away. They lied and said I granted permission to open my trunk, to open a locked case in my trunk where they said they found drug paraphernalia and a lock pick set. This was all nonsense to begin with, as I had two passengers who would give testimony that we drove at a leisurely pace from my office to the 7-11. The cops fabricated a bunch of nonsense and it was looking pretty bad for me. Initially the prosecution offered me 32 months to plead guilty. Susan was my knight in shining armor. She believed in me and she defended me voraciously every step of the way, never giving an inch - she wouldn't let a single thing be handed to us by simply luck. Oh no. Susan makes her own luck. We decided to go to trial and we went. All the way up to picking a jury. So here we are, 9am first day of trial, the prosecutor leans over and offers one final chance to take a deal of 18 months - Susan snorted and told the prosecutor to put her gloves on, we were going to put the matter before the jury. The prosecutor then asks the judge to give an extension to 1pm as her witnesses - the police department - hadn't shown up. The judge granted an extension to 1pm at which point the prosecutor asked for an extension until the following day. Evidently the cops who were going to lie on the stand for the prosecutor had gone hunting someplace where there was no cell phone coverage. That's funny, they knew about the trial time and date, they had been there the previous Thursday when we'd finished picking our jury. They new and they skipped out, afraid to be caught in lies on the stand. The prosecutor knew she had no case when she leaned over and offered her final deal...what a waste of everyones time and money. Susan and her tenacity, her fierce drive coupled with her awesome mental power scared the liars into not showing up to court. They knew she'd find them in their lies. So that was that. She made a motion for the case to be dismissed, and it was and I walked. If you get the chance, use this attorney, thank your lucky stars, and remember, your lawyer can't help you if you aren't completely honest with them.

See All Client Reviews

Susan F Wilk's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Susan
Lila Jane Silverstein headshot
Lila Silverstein

Criminal defense lawyer | May 26

Relationship: Co-worker

"Susan is an exceptional criminal defense lawyer. Her written and oral advocay skills are unparalleled, and she cares deeply about her clients. She has extensive experience as both a trial lawyer and appellate attorney, and appears in both state and federal court. If a friend or family member were in trouble, Susan is the first person I would call."

Kimberly Gordon headshot
Kimberly Gordon

Criminal defense lawyer | Apr 12

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Susan is bold, incredibly smart, and thoughtful about her cases. I have seen her work at both the trial and the appellate level. She has the respect of her colleagues, the opposition and the judiciary. The respect is well-deserved and any client represented by her would be in very good hands."

David Zuckerman headshot
David Zuckerman

Appeals lawyer | May 12

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer's work. Susan works tirelessly for her indigent clients. Most of them probably don't realize how lucky they are to get a lawyer with her talents for free."

View All Endorsements
Jason Brett Saunders headshot
Jason Saunders

Criminal defense lawyer

David Zuckerman headshot
David Zuckerman

Criminal defense lawyer

Experience

Rating:  8.2 (Excellent)

Honors

2010

Certificate of Appreciation, Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

2007

Certificate of Appreciation, Washington State Office of Public Defense

Work Experience

2015 - Present

Assistant Federal Public Defender, Federal Public Defender, District of Oregon

2002 - Present

Senior Staff Attorney, Washington Appellate Project

2013 - 2014

Associate, Law Office of Michael Iaria, PLLC

2009 - 2010

Senior Litigation Associate, McAllister Olivarius

2002 - 2009

Senior Staff Attorney, Washington Appellate Project

1999 - 2002

Staff Attorney, The Defender Association

1998 - 1999

Staff Attorney, The Society of Counsel Representing Accused Persons

Associations

2013 - Present

King County Bar Association

Attorney Member

1998 - Present

Washington State Bar Association

Affiliate Member

Sample of Legal Cases

State v. Powell, 150 Wn. App. 139, 206 P.3d 703 (2009)

Conviction for rape in the second degree reversed

State v. Redmond

Conviction unanimously reversed.

State v. Everybodytalksabout, 161 Wn.2d 702, 166 P.3d 693 (2007)

First degree murder conviction reversed

State v. Perez-Mejia, 134 Wn. App. 907, 143 P.3d 838 (2006)

First-degree murder conviction reversed

State v. Morse, 156 Wn.2d 1, 129 P.3d 832 (2005)

Conviction reversed and dismissed.

State v. Cardenas-Muratalla

Conviction reversed and dismissed.

See More Legal Cases

Education

1998

University of Washington School of Law

Juris Doctor

1993

Oberlin College

BA - Bachelor of Arts

Speaking Engagements

2014

WDA's Investigations Training: Challenging Identification Procedures

Eyewitness Identification -- Investigation Strategies

2014

WDA Annual Conference

Eyewitness Identifications: Litigation Strategies

2014

WACDL: Essentials for Support Staff

Ethics for Legal Support Staff

2009

Washington Defender Association Annual Conference

Effective Representation of Juvenile Clients from Appointment to Appeal

2008

Suppressing Evidence: Delivering the Knockout Punch

Search and Seizure

2007

Office of Public Defense Parents Representation Project

Caselaw Update

Publications

2004

Parents’ Representation Deskbook, Washington State Juvenile Non-Offender Benchbook, Washington State Office of Public Defense Reasonable Efforts

Languages

English

Spanish

Avvo Rating

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