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Law school: Notre Dame

Career highlight: Developed and moderated Oregon Association of Defense Council鈥檚 first Defense Academy, now an annual event.

Noteworthy: A former assistant Oregon attorney general, Barton was one of three candidates recommended by Sens. Gordon Smith and Ron Wyden for a federal judgeship.

Robert Barton knew he鈥檇 found his life鈥檚 calling after he saw his first trial and subsequently spent a summer working at the Suffolk County District Attorney鈥檚 office in New York City.

鈥淚 knew I wanted to be a trial lawyer after that,鈥� Barton said. 鈥淓very case was different. There was always a lack of predictability that made everything exciting. That hasn鈥檛 changed.鈥�

He graduated from Notre Dame Law School, then signed on as deputy attorney general in Sacramento in 1973 before moving on to a position as district attorney general in California鈥檚 Orange County.

In 1981 he moved to Oregon and began working as as Assistant AG in the Appellate Division in Salem. He moved to the world of private practice law in 1984 when he joined Cosgrave Vergeer Kester, and was made senior litigating partner in the firm in 1989.

Barton has brought more than 200 cases to juries. He has briefed and argued appeals in the California Supreme Court and Court of Appeals as well as the Oregon Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. In addition to litigating hundreds of civil action cases, he assisted the Oregon attorney general with a successful appeal before the United States Supreme Court.

鈥淚 think professionalism is what makes things work so well in Oregon,鈥� Barton said. 鈥淲e have a relatively small [per capita] lawyer pool and an underfunded court system, yet they鈥檙e still responsive and efficient.聽That comes from civility, developing a community of collegiality.鈥�

Fostering collegiality is something he maintains through his involvement in a host of legal organizations, including the Products Liability Section of the Oregon State Bar, the Federal Bar Association, the Oregon Association of Defense Council, the Multnomah Bar Association Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel, Defense Research Institute, ALFA International and the Gus Solomon Inn of Court.

One of his favorite community experiences was as a coach of the Lake Oswego High Mock Trial Team.

鈥淚 had no idea going in how refreshing, how invigorating it would be to work with those kids,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was able to teach them to be aware of the human element, factor in the elements of human behavior and treat others with respect and consideration. Kindness goes a long way, especially in an adversarial situation.鈥�