Michael R. Levine - Portland, OR
Attorney at Levine & McHenry LLC
Lawyers in Portland, OR
1050 SW 6th Ave Suite 1414 Portland, OR 97204
- 1 Super Lawyers®
-
52
Years
Experience
Updated: 05/07/2026
Attorney Information
Overview
Mr. Levine has been practicing criminal law for over thirty-five years. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Columbia University in 1966 and his law degree from the University of California at Berkeley in 1974, where he was an associate editor of the California Law Review.
After starting his career as a prosecutor for the City of Los Angeles, Mr. Levine was an Assistant Federal Public Defender in California in the late 1970s and early 1980s, where he received the Outstanding Defender award. From 1982 until 1990, he served as the District of Hawaii's first Federal Public Defender, appointed by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. From 1990 to 2002, Mr. Levine practiced as an Assistant Federal Public Defender for the District of Oregon.
In 2002, Mr. Levine entered private practice, opening the Law Office of Michael R. Levine. In 2010, he formed his current partnership, Levine & McHenry LLC, with Mr. McHenry. Mr. Levine has argued numerous times before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and has appeared twice before the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Levine is a member of the Oregon, Hawaii, and California State Bars and has been named an "Oregon Super Lawyer" since 2006. He is also a member of the Criminal Justice Act Panel, a group of attorneys in private practice that have been selected by the Oregon Federal District Court as qualified to handle federal indigent criminal defense cases. He was chosen by his peers to be included in the publication The Best Lawyers in America for the years 2014 to 2024.
Mr. Levine is also the author of "171 Easy Mitigating Factors" (formerly "88 Easy Departures"), a widely acclaimed publication on successful mitigating factors in federal sentencing hearings from district courts around the country. Click here for information on ordering "171 Easy Mitigating Factors."
In addition to his work as a defense lawyer, Mr. Levine has taught Legal Writing at UCLA and Criminal Law at the Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii, and Evidence at Lewis and Clark law school. He is also the former president of the Hawaii Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, as well as the former State Chair of the Oregon State Bar Disciplinary Board. He has also been a featured speaker at multiple conferences held by the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, and has been an adjunct professor at Lewis and Clark Law School.
Awards and Honors
Honors
- Outstanding Defender Award
- Oregon Super Lawyer, 2006 - 2022
- The Best Lawyers in America, 2014
- Named 2024 Super Lawyers
Other Sources of Feedback About Michael R. Levine
Included on the 2026 Oregon Super Lawyers list
Past Lists
- 2025 Oregon Super Lawyers list
- 2024 Oregon Super Lawyers list
- 2023 Oregon Super Lawyers list
- 2022 Oregon Super Lawyers list
- 2021 Oregon Super Lawyers list
- 2020 Oregon Super Lawyers list
- 2019 Oregon Super Lawyers list
- 2018 Oregon Super Lawyers list
- 2017 Oregon Super Lawyers list
- 2016 Oregon Super Lawyers list
- 2015 Oregon Super Lawyers list
- 2014 Oregon Super Lawyers list
- 2012 Oregon Super Lawyers list
- 2011 Oregon Super Lawyers list
- 2010 Oregon Super Lawyers list
- 2009 Oregon Super Lawyers list
- 2008 Oregon Super Lawyers list
- 2007 Oregon Super Lawyers list
- 2006 Oregon Super Lawyers list
Education
-
Legal Education
-
University of California, Berkeley, School of Law,
Berkeley,
California, 1974
Law Review: California Law Review, Associate Editor
-
University of California, Berkeley, School of Law,
Berkeley,
California, 1974
-
Non Legal Education
-
Columbia University, 1966
B.S.
-
Columbia University, 1966
Classes and Seminars
-
Taught Legal Writing at UCLA, Criminal Law at the Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii
-
Speaker, Multiple Conferences held by the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
-
Speaker, Conference for the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys
- Evidence at the Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland
Published Works
Articles
-
Author, "171 Easy Mitigating Factors" (formerly "88 Easy Departures")
Bar Admissions
- Oregon
- Hawaii
- California
- U.S. District Court District of Oregon
- U.S. District Court District of Hawaii
- U.S. District Court Northern District of California
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of California
- U.S. District Court Southern District of California
- U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit
- Supreme Court of the United States of America
Other Affiliations
- Criminal Justice Act Panel (Member)
- Hawaii Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (Former President)
- Oregon State Bar Disciplinary Board (Former Chair)
- Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (Member)
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (Member)
Contact
1050 SW 6th Ave
Suite 1414
Portland, OR 97204
Fax: 503-224-3203
Email: Send a message
Website: https://www.levinemchenry.com
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