Rachael Burch is a criminal defense attorney with Janet Hoffman & Associates.
At the University of Oregon School of Law Rachael seized nearly every opportunity available to her to further the skills needed to become a compassionate advocate and formidable adversary. In addition to captaining the Moot Court Oral Argument team and working as an editor for the Oregon Law Review, Rachael spent two years working for the Oregon Federal Public Defenders as their Chief Law Clerk. There, she had her first introduction to criminal defense, assisting attorneys with Habeas Corpus petitions, Ninth Circuit appellate briefs, and Compassionate Release requests. Outside of her legal work, Rachael was employed at her alma mater, Willamette University, as the assistant coach for their debate union, and taught classes in basic debate and critical thinking skills to elementary school children through the international organization, ThinkTalk.
After graduating at the top of her law school class, Rachael spent a year in San Diego at Fell Law representing plaintiffs in a variety of cases including professional malpractice actions, employment matters, property disputes, and wrongful death claims. Her work in California included negotiating with opposing counsel to resolve matters outside of litigation, intensive pre-trial motion and discovery work, and second chairing a multi-million-dollar legal malpractice arbitration. Though she has now returned to criminal defense, her prior experience in civil law allows her a more nuanced view of the unique considerations faced by clients with parallel civil and criminal proceedings.
At Janet Hoffman & Associates, Rachael’s greatest professional joys come from exploring creative legal theories to challenge allegations and from spending time with her clients to understand their unique lived experiences. Her strong academic background, depth of practical experience and commitment to excellence, position her as an asset to the firm and to her clients.
Bar Admissions
Oregon
California