In the race for a seat on the Oregon Court of Appeals, attorney Tim Volpert has the most relevant experience and is best prepared for the job.

Volpert is a partner at Davis Wright Tremaine in Portland, where he has focused on appellate law for more than 20 years. After graduating from Willamette University College of Law in 1981, he was a judicial clerk on the Court of Appeals and later a trial lawyer for an insurance defense firm.

The Court of Appeals handles nearly all appeals from Oregon’s trial courts and administrative agencies, totaling 3,000 to 4,000 per year.

Volpert said serving as an appeals court judge has long been an aspiration, and he now feels prepared for its challenges because he has had experience in so many of the types of cases the court handles. Appellate work requires a different focus from trial judging, he said, making his background particularly relevant.

In the community, Volpert helped found a program at Grant High School where he and other lawyers have taught law and history for 12 years. His volunteer work has also included the Senior Law Project of Legal Aid Services of Oregon.

His opponent, Linn County Circuit Court Judge James Egan, has been on the trial bench since his appointment by then-Gov. Ted Kulongoski in July 2010. He graduated from University of Oregon School of Law in 1985 and says he has spent most of his career representing ordinary people in desperate situations. That included personal injury, workers’ compensation and Social Security disability as well as service with the U.S. Army Reserve in Kuwait.

Egan’s commitment to helping ordinary people is important, but we believe Volpert’s variety of experience before the appeals court makes him better-prepared for a seat on the Oregon Court of Appeals.