Katherine Heekin Announces Campaign for Attorney General

Portland, OR – Today Katherine Heekin announced her candidacy for the office of Oregon Attorney General.

“I am running for Attorney General because I value fairness, helping others, hard work, and public service,“ Heekin said. “Oregon’s Attorney General should be a tireless advocate for the people of the state of Oregon. As a lawyer in Oregon for seventeen years and a Certified Fraud Examiner, I bring with me a proven track record of fighting against fraud and abuse in both the private and public sector, being a champion for small businesses and individuals, and working to protect children from neglect and abuse.”

Katherine has dedicated her career to protecting small businesses and individuals in Oregon. She is the founder of The Heekin Law Firm, a firm that fights for the victims of fraud. Her clients include small, family-owned businesses, nonprofit organizations, small technology companies, builders, accountants, and individual Oregonians of all stripes.

"I am constantly impressed by Katherine's dedication to the plight of the public and everyday people, she isn't afraid to stand up to the establishment in pursuit of justice. As Attorney General, I know that she will be a fierce advocate for the people and state of Oregon," said David Coles of Coles Environmental Consulting.

After graduating from Princeton University and the University of Oregon School of Law, Katherine got right to work and has since worked across the state. She started in Eugene as a clerk for Judge Ann Aiken. She then joined the Frohnmayer Deatherage law firm in Medford, where she represented a medical software start-up after their trade secrets were stolen. In Portland, Heekin worked for Keating, Jones, Bildstein & Hughes and then Markowitz, Herbold, Glade & Mehlhaf, before forming her own firm in 2005. At these firms, she introduced and used software to more effectively represent clients and resolve cases, including large-scale anti-trust cases in the healthcare sector, and multi-million dollar fraud-related cases. Recently, she helped one of Portland’s nonprofit, neighborhood coalitions uncover fraud, recoup losses, and obtain a guilty plea for theft against the organization’s former operations manager.

"I have known and worked with Katherine since the beginning of her career, she has an impressive track record representing her clients. Her broad based experience will make her an excellent Attorney General. Katherine has always been a fighter and will not back down from the challenges of the job and what needs to be done to make Oregon a fair and safe place to live,” said Bill Deatherage of the Frohnmayer Deatherage firm in Medford.

Katherine is a highly respected attorney and community member. Her peers selected her to the Oregon Super Lawyers list in 2009, 2010, and 2011, and she was honored by the National Trial Lawyers Association as a Top 100 Trial Lawyer in Oregon.

Past President of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association Dana Sullivan endorsed Heekin’s campaign saying, “Having worked with Katherine, I can say with confidence that she is highly qualified to serve as Oregon’s next Attorney General. She is bright, tenacious and pragmatic. She has an impressive track record as an advocate for individuals and small businesses. Her private-sector background and her own experience running a business will enhance her effectiveness as the state’s top lawyer.”

She is past president of the Federal Bar Association Oregon Chapter and a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, in addition to serving on several committees with the Oregon Bar. She is also a founding board member of the Children’s Relief Nursery and she is a community member of the Portland Police Interview and Assessment Panel.

“As Oregon’s next Attorney General, I look forward to being able to help far more Oregon families and small businesses than I can by running my own firm. Under my leadership the Department of Justice will seek justice for all Oregonians, working to protect families and Main Street by fighting against corporate fraud and abuse. And I will be a dedicated advocate for our most vulnerable, protecting them from exploitation and neglect,” said Heekin.