Education:

• Willamette University College of Law, J.D. 
• Northwest Christian University, B.A.

Affiliations:

• Admitted Oregon State Bar
• Admitted Oregon Federal District Court
• National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
• Member of Impaired Driving Committee, National College of DUI Defense (with published articles)
• National Top 100 Trial Lawyers 

Reviews:

https://www.avvo.com/attorneys/authorized/97338-or-neil-halttunen-5147689#reviews

About:

Mr. Halttunen is an experienced criminal trial attorney with a passion for protecting the civil rights of individuals and those facing criminal charges. Mr. Halttunen has represented countless clients facing a wide range of criminal charges from misdemeanors to murder.  

 Mr. Halttunen obtained his law degree from Willamette University and began his legal career at the firm. Mr. Halttunen quickly made a name for himself as a skilled litigator and effective negotiator, and his clients praise him for his ability to provide compassionate and aggressive representation. While attending law school, Mr. Halttunen began clerking with the firm where he immediately began gaining real world experience in criminal defense and other civil matters. This experience inspired Mr. Halttunen to stay with the firm and learn how to litigate a case at all stages of the proceedings. As the result, Mr. Halttunen has amassed an extensive collection of legal motions and memoranda which have proved to be successful in many cases even before going to trial. When the case has not been resolved, Mr. Halttunen is not afraid of trial and has amassed a successful trial record. Mr. Halttunen believes this is because he pays attention to details and has a strong work ethic. There are no guarantees in any case, but Mr. Halttunen will put his experience and background to work for you.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Halttunen worked as a police officer where he had assignments including detectives where he was responsible for investigating cases that included financial fraud. Mr. Halttunen has used his experience as a detective to parse through financial fraud cases at the firm finding defenses where none seemed to be available. Mr. Halttunen was also a member of the major crash teams and investigated many serious injury and fatal car crashes including as the lead investigator. Mr. Halttunen was also the Drug Recognition Expert for the crash team.   He has attended the IPTM Traffic Crash and Homicide school. This is important because in Oregon, a manslaughter charge carries mandatory minimum prison time and can result in significant prison time if convicted. Many of these cases involves allegations of impaired driving combined with a complete crash reconstruction so they can be very complex cases that involve both lay and expert opinion evidence combined with scientific evidence. Because of his experience, Mr. Halttunen knows exactly what police are supposed to do in these cases and has been successful in finding errors to the benefit of clients.

Mr. Halttunen is exceptionally well versed in DUII cases because of his time as a Drug Recognition Expert and the two years he spent exclusively enforcing DUII. Mr. Halttunen' s expertise is well known and attorneys from throughout Oregon reach out to Mr. Halttunen regularly for assistance with their own cases. After marijuana was legalized in Oregon, Mr. Halttunen noticed an increase in arrests for marijuana DUII that he believes were not supported by the evidence. This inspired Mr. Halttunen to begin teaching a twelve hour course to attorneys on how to defend drug DUII cases. This course has received exceptional reviews and Mr. Halttunen has received calls from attorneys that attended the course letting him know they had success at trial as the result.

When he is not in the courtroom, Mr. Halttunen enjoys barbequing, travelling, camping and riding motorcycles. Mr. Halttunen is actively involved in Pop Warner Football.

Mr. Halttunen believes that just because someone has been arrested does not mean that arrest reflects who they are as a whole person. He knows that when someone walks into his office, they have a problem that is causing them a great deal of stress. Mr. Halttunen takes the time to address that stress, and to provide peace of mind. 

Case Examples:

False allegations happen. Client was facing lengthy prison sentence after being accused of sex crimes against a family member. Mr. Halttunen conducted his own investigation and was able to produce evidence in trial proving the allegations could not have happened. Mr. Halttunen also engaged the right experts to demonstrate the complainant was experiencing mental health symptoms that may explain the allegations. At trial, the client was acquitted of all eight felony counts he had been charged with by the state.

Client was married and on the brink of divorce. His wife accused him of rape, filed a restraining order to remove him from the home, and took possession of all the marital assets including a large sum cash in the family safe. Mr. Halttunen was able to prove the wife lied about the rape allegations to gain financial advantage in the divorce.  Client was acquitted of all charges.  

Client of the firm was facing multiple charges including Manslaughter in the First Degree. Mr. Halttunen noticed a defect in the indictment. That defect was challenged at trial resulting in the most serious charge being dropped.

Mr. Halttunen represented a very young client who had a substance abuse problem. The client had engaged in a crime spree that was going to cost this young man a prison sentence that would span from age eighteen until his early forties. The evidence in the case was overwhelming. Mr. Halttunen negotiated a resolution that resulted in the client receiving a sentence that will allow for his release in 3-4 years depending on his participation in prison programs.   

Client was arrested for DUII and their blood alcohol content measured .19. Mr. Halttunen successfully challenged the DMV suspension. Police made procedural errors in the case.  Mr. Halttunen filed a motion to suppress and demonstrated to the judge that the officer was not being truthful on the witness stand, so much so that the judge advised the officer of his right to remain silent. The motion to suppress was granted and the case was dismissed. Mr. Halttunen also secured a financial settlement from the police in favor of his client for the violation of her rights.

Client charged with a controlled substance DUII. Police suspected the client was intoxicated by methamphetamines and marijuana. The prosecutor used two police officers, including a drug recognition expert, and a forensic toxicologist in an attempt to convict the client. Mr. Halttunen used his own background as a drug recognition expert to demonstrate to the jury that the police and prosecutor were wrong.  The client was acquitted of DUII. 

Client charged with felony level assault and recklessly endangering another person. Mr. Halttunen demonstrated to the jury that the client used lawful force in defense of another person. Client acquitted.