About Robert B.
Robert B. Hamilton received his law degree from Lewis & Clark Law School in 1998 after completing a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology at the University of Texas at Austin in 1993. His education combined liberal arts training with three years of professional legal study. The sequence gave him time to explore courtroom practice as well as appellate procedure.
He began his legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable Robert Wollheim at the Oregon Court of Appeals in 2001. That early exposure to appellate work shaped how he approaches legal writing and case strategy. In 2003 he joined Goldberg, Mechanic, Stuart, and Gibson, LLP as an associate, where he handled litigation matters across state court dockets.
In 2004 Hamilton moved into public defense as a staff lawyer with the Metropolitan Public Defender. He spent that period in trial courts, taking cases from arraignment through jury verdict. Two years later he launched a solo practice under the name Lawyer at Law, working as a sole practitioner. The solo years broadened his responsibilities. He handled client intake, motion practice, and courtroom appearances without the support structure of a larger firm.
Since 2010 he has served as Of Counsel at Pacific Northwest Law, LLP. That role has kept him active on both state and federal dockets. He is admitted to practice in Oregon, before the Ninth Circuit, and in the District Court of Oregon. He also holds current membership in the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, reflecting ongoing ties to the defense community.
Hamilton’s professional path crosses appellate and trial work. A clerkship on the Court of Appeals gave him early experience in legal analysis and opinion drafting. Years in public defense added courtroom and client-facing work. Time as a sole practitioner required him to manage the full lifecycle of cases. Those elements combine in his present practice style.
Today he is based at Pacific Northwest Law, LLP as Of Counsel, where he appears in both state and federal courts. He represents clients in matters arising in Oregon courts and in proceedings before the Ninth Circuit and the District Court of Oregon.
