Oregon municipal courts are not courts of records with a few exceptions. Florence, Oregon, Municipal Court is the only municipal court of record outside the Portland metro area. This results in the biggest distinction between city and state courts: in municipal courts you get two bites at the apple. Since there is no court reporter or audio-recording device in muni courts, such as Eugene, Springfield, Roseburg, Cottage Grove, and others, you can appeal a jury trial loss to to the circuit court, such as Lane County or Douglas County Circuit Courts, and have a brand new jury trial with no consequences from losing the first. The only difference is the jury pool (city vs. county residents).
If your case is in Springfield, Eugene, or Junction City Municipal Courts, our firm’s case analysis is slightly different than state/circuit court for several reasons that you should discuss with an experienced Oregon municipal court trial attorney .
Municipal courts typically handle DUIIs (drunk driving), shoplifting, public order offenses (typically involving alcohol), MIPs (minor in possession of alcohol) assaults, loud parties, etc. Cottage Grove does handle some domestic violence cases whereas Springfield and Eugene do not.
Eugene Municipal Court handles a lot of cases involving college kids, ranging from loud parties to MIPs. Often in a case like this, the parents of the student are contacting us from out of state or from the Portland area. With the client’s permission, we can keep parents apprised of the case and be included in correspondence (i.e., police reports, offers, etc.) that doesn’t involve attorney-client privilege.
Text or Call trial attorney Mike Arnold at 541-359-4585 for more information 24/7.
