Practice Areas: Criminal Defense, DUI-DWI, White Collar Crimes; view more
Licensed in Oregon since: 2007
Education: University of Kentucky College of Law
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2023 
Selected to Rising Stars: 2021 Details
Founding attorney of The Law Office of Justin Rosas, Justin Rosas is a criminal defense attorney representing clients in Medford, Oregon. A relentless, passionate, strong advocate for his clients, he spent the first six years of his career as a public defender before opening his own firm. In all types of criminal defense cases, he understands the importance of good representation, and he has tried more than 60 cases before a jury.
Admitted to practice in the state of Oregon, Mr. Rosas attended the University of Kentucky Lewis Honors College, where he earned an undergraduate degree in philosophy and political science, then earned his Juris Doctor at the University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law. At Webster University, he graduated in 2008 with a Master of Business Administration, and in 2012, he graduated from the National Criminal Defense College.
Mr. Rosas has an Avvo “Superb” rating and was awarded both a Top Contributor Award and a Client’s Choice Award from the organization. A former member of the Oregon State Bar House of Delegates, he is currently a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and is former chair of the Oregon State Bar’s State Professional Responsibility Committee.
The American Institute of DUI/DWI Attorneys gave him an award for being one of the 10 Best DUI Lawyers in 2014. Mr. Rosas is a current ACLU lawyers committee member, a Director for the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, serves on the membership and diversity committees of that organization and he is on the Oregon Trial Skills College’s faculty. His pro bono and volunteer work include time spent with the Good Trouble Book Club of the Jackson County Bar Association, Southern Oregon Runners and Lawyers for Justice.
Practice areas
Criminal Defense, Criminal Defense: DUI/DWI, Criminal Defense: White CollarFocus areas
Criminal Law, DUI/DWI, White Collar Crime
- 60% Criminal Defense
- 20% Criminal Defense: DUI/DWI
- 20% Criminal Defense: White Collar
First Admitted: 2007, Oregon
Professional Webpage: https://www.southernoregondefense.com/the-team/justin-rosas/
Honors/Awards:
- , Award for 10 Best DUI Lawyers in 2014 from the American Institute of DUI/DWI Attorneys™
- , Client's Choice Award From Avvo
- , Top Contributor Award From Avvo
- 10.0 Rated On Avvo for Criminal Defense
Scholarly Lectures/Writings:
- Making the Case for Life Seminar in New Orleans, LA on August 27, 2020, https://www.nacdl.org/Event/2020-Making-the-Case-for-Life-Seminar
- An introduction to criminal defense for young lawyers at the Portland Learning the Ropes Seminar., Speaker, Criminal Defense: A Primer, Oregon Professional Liability Fund - Learning the Ropes, 2021
- "How can this moron on my jury pool possibly think that?!?""How can I ever win if these people don't know how wrong they are about their world views?!?" At the OCDLA Sunny Climate Seminar in Kauai:As defense champions, our inclination is to rail against the things we believe are unjust - and sometimes that can create unjust results for our clients. Jury deselection requires us to be non-judgmental and open to viewpoints that hurt our clients the most - so that those who hold them can earnestly and honestly tell us that they should not be on the jury. This is a deep dive into how we discuss hard topics that we may have firmly held beliefs about ourselves and get the jury that will acquit our client rather than the jury who has been served up some intellectual righteousness from defense counsel while our clients get sentenced., Speaker, De-Selecting Those Hall Monitors: How to Get an Empowered Jury of Understanding Humans and Avoid the Detention Hall for Your Clients, OCDLA - Sunny Climate Seminar, 2021
- Please mark your calendars. On Thursday, July 29 at noon, the Jackson County Bar Association will be hosting the following CLE presented by Justin Rosas and Justina Lara: "Decriminalizing Drug Offenses: Measure 110 in the Context of the Broader Discussion of Drug Prohibitions Becoming a Community, Mental Health and Medical System Issue Rather than Simply Relying on What the Justice System Can Offer." The JCBA will be applying for an access-to-justice credit for this program. This CLE will be presented via Zoom; the Zoom link will follow in a separate email closer to the event. Full description follows:In the context of discussing the new treatment modalities and civil violation punishments for minor drug offenses under Measure 110, join us for a discussion of drug treatment options, emerging new thoughts about how to stem the addiction problem in our country and the increasing call for decriminalization of drugs. We will be discussing our work on the ACLU Attorney Panel and may add additional speakers as we get closer.From the ACLU:Just after the 50th anniversary of President Richard Nixon’s declaration of the “war on drugs,” the American Civil Liberties Union and the Drug Policy Alliance released a Bully Pulpit Interactive poll showing strong support for eliminating criminal penalties for drug possession and replacing it with a new approach centered in public health. The new poll shows the vast majority of American voters believe the policy has been a failure that has only increased drug-related harms and contributed to overcrowding the nation’s jails and prisons. Among the poll’s findings: 65 percent of voters support ending the “war on drugs”; 66 percent of voters support “eliminating criminal penalties for drug possession and reinvesting drug enforcement resources into treatment and addiction services”; Nearly two-thirds of the country believe we need a new approach based in public health, not law enforcement. 63 percent say drug use should be addressed as a public health issue while only 33 percent say it should be addressed as a criminal justice issue; 83 percent say the “war on drugs” has failed. This exceeds 80 percent among Democrats (83 percent), Independents (85 percent), and Republicans (82 percent);64 percent of Americans support repealing mandatory minimum sentences for drug crimes; and61 percent of voters support commuting, or reducing, the sentences of people incarcerated for drugs.“On this 50th anniversary of the drug war, President Biden must make good on his campaign promises and take steps to begin dismantling the system of over-policing and mass incarceration that is endemic to the war on drugs. Today, drug possession continues to be the number one arrest in the United States, with more than 1.35 million arrests per year. Every 25 seconds, a person is arrested for possessing drugs for personal use, with Black people disproportionately targeted by this over-policing,” said Udi Ofer, director of the ACLU’s Justice Division. “It’s time to adopt a new approach that treats substance use as a public health issue rather than a criminal justice one. The Biden administration can make headway in ending this harmful and racist war by commuting the sentences of people incarcerated in federal prison for drugs. Doing so will help reduce the problem of mass incarceration and the over-policing of Black and Brown communities in the United States.” “A different reality – one where we treat people who use drugs with dignity and respect, and one where drugs are no longer an excuse for law enforcement to surveil, harass, assault, and even kill Black, Latinx, and Indigenous people – is 100 percent possible, and these results clearly prove that,” said Kassandra Frederique, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance. “Fifty years later, it is no secret the devastation the drug war has caused to our communities, and yet drug possession still remains the most arrested offense in the United States. And so, it should come as no surprise that Americans are ready for a drastically different approach, one where drugs are no longer used as an excuse to hold us down. We deserve to live in a world where the health and safety of our communities is paramount, and that means eliminating all the ways in which we are criminalized and building an alternative response to get the support and help we need.”On any given day, tens of thousands of people are incarcerated for drug possession. Thousands are convicted, cycle through jails and prisons, and spend extended periods on probation and parole, often burdened with crippling debt from court-imposed fines and fees. Their criminal records can lock them out of jobs, housing, education, welfare assistance, voting, and much more, and subject them to discrimination and stigma. The cost to them and to their families and communities, as well as to the taxpayer, is devastating.We will be discussing steps forward for how our community can follow Portugal's model for treating substance abuse disorder and also giving specific legal advice to lawyers on the change in the statutes as well as their ethical responsibilities with new situations that may arise. , Speaker, "Decriminalizing Drug Offenses: Measure 110 in the Context of the Broader Discussion of Drug Prohibitions Becoming a Community, Mental Health and Medical System Issue Rather than Simply Relying on What the Justice System Can Offer." , Jackson County Bar Association, Legal Industry, 2021
- An eight page article published in the Champion regarding the exclusion of social media evidence., Writer, Closing the Door on Social Media Evidence, NACDL - The Champion, Criminal Defense, 2021
- A presentation to our local Inn of Court on racial justice in the criminal system and how to be anti racist in our practices., Presenter, Inn of Court - Racial Justice in Our Criminal Justice System, Inn of Court, Attorneys, 2021
- When Forensic Evidence Reveals the Bad Apple: A Case Study in Ethics & Prosecutorial Misconduct – Justin Rosas (Medford, OR), Presenter, Forensic Science and the Law - Prosecutorial Misconduct, NACDL, Criminal Defense, 2021
- I spoke on protest defense and public policy changes to OCDLA in the wake of the George Floyd murder and protests., Panelist, Freedom is a Constant Struggle, OCDLA, Criminal Defense, Social Justice, 2020
- Idaho Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in Sun Valley, ID on April 17, 2020, http://www.idacdl.org/DrawOnePage.aspx?PageID=9
- Forensic Science & Law Seminar in Las Vegas, NV on April 3, 2020
- Midwinter Meeting & Seminar in San Diego, CA on February 13, 2020
- I spoke to the local William Deatherage Inn of Court on Social Media and Its Use at Trial, Speaker, Social Media in Trials, Inn of Court, Criminal Defense, 2013
- I spoke on racism in our local system to our local bar association., Panelist, Good Trouble Book Club, Lawyers for Justice, Jackson County Bar Association, 2020
- I spoke in Eugene, OR for OCDLA on Self-Defense in Oregon., Speaker, Self-Defense in Oregon, OCDLA, Criminal Defense, 2014
- I spoke on Cross Examination at OCDLA's Trial Skills College, Speaker, Cross Examination, OCDLA, Criminal Defense, 2019
- I spoke on the best practices for cross examination at Trial Skills College for the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, Speaker, Cross Examination, OCDLA, Criminal Defense, 2020
- I spoke on becoming a criminal defense attorney to a group of young OSB attorneys for the Professional Liability Fund., Speaker, Learning the Ropes, Oregon State Bar/Professional Liability Fund, Criminal Defense, Oregon State Bar, 2020
- I spoke on trials during covid to the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, Panelist, Trials During Covid, OCDLA, Criminal Defense, 2020
- I spoke on Suppressing Social Media Evidence at NACDL's Spring Seminar in San Diego, CA., Speaker, From Twitter to Chirp, NACDL, Criminal Defense, 2020
Special Licenses/Certifications:
- Murder Qualified - OPDS, 2008
Educational Background:
- National Criminal Defense College, 2012
- Webster University - MBA, 2008
- University of Kentucky Honors College - Philosophy and Political Science with Honors, 2003
- White Station High School, 1999
Pro bono/Community Service:
- President of Southern Oregon Runners, 2016
- Race Director for Lost Creek Trail Runs 50k/30k/Relay/5k, 2020
- Helped Found the Good Trouble Book Club - a racial justice book club for the Jackson County Bar Association, 2020
- Founded Lawyers for Justice, a local pro bono, social and racial justice attorney group., 2020
- Led a National Campaign for Colin Kaepernick's Know Your Rights Legal Defense Initiative connecting Social Justice Protestors with Attorneys, 2020
Videos:
- A piece on racism in our local system., Good Trouble Book Club, Jackson County Bar Association, 2020
Bar/Professional Activity:
- NACDL Board of Directors, 2021
- Became a Member of the ACLU Lawyers Committee, 2021
- Became a Member of OCDLA's Legislative Committee, 2021
- Became Co-Chair of the Diversity Committee for NACDL, 2021
- Oregon State Bar House of Delegates, 2015-2018
- Chair of the State Professional Responsibility Committee, Oregon State Bar, 2017
- ACLU Board Member, 2011
- Inn of Court Board Member, 2015
- OCDLA Trial Skills Faculty, 2019
- OCDLA Trial Skills College Faculty, 2020
- OSB - Served as Outside Bar Counsel, 2016
- Diversity Committee Member - National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, 2020
- Membership Committee Member - National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, 2020
- OSB House of Delegates Member, 2015
- State Professional Responsibility Board - I served a four year term and was Chair my final year, 2017
- OSB - Legal Ethics Committe Member, 2013
Industry Groups:
- We Defend the People
Selections
1 Year Super Lawyers
1 Year Rising Stars
- Super Lawyers: 2023
- Rising Stars: 2021
