Mr. Wilhelm grew up in Salem, Oregon. Dale was by a single mother in a home experiencing domestic violence, poverty, and involvement with the Department of Human Services. Mr. Wilhelm’s mom worked very hard to address the issues that plagued the family early on. Mr. Wilhelm was able to graduate from McKay High School and planned to go to college to become a music teacher.
After experiencing the decrease in school funding and frustration with the state of the schools of Oregon; Dale changed course to attend law school. Mr. Wilhelm graduated from Oregon State University (Go Beavs!), with joint attendance at Chemeketa Community College and Bangor University in Wales, United Kingdom. After a few years of working, Mr. Wilhelm attended Willamette University College of Law.
At Willamette, Mr. Wilhelm was focused on entering the public defense field. While attending Willamette, Mr. Wilhelm clerked with the Oregon Department of Justice in the Child Advocacy Section, assisting in representing the Oregon Department of Human Services. Upon graduating from Willamette University College of Law, Mr. Wilhelm earned a certificate in Dispute Resolution, inducted into the Order of the Barristers, and received the Roy Lockenour Award for Professional Responsibility.
Mr. Wilhelm’s first work out of Law school was to clerk at the Oregon Judicial Department for the Lane County Court, in the Juvenile Court. After this work, Mr. Wilhelm took on a role as a juvenile defense attorney for publicly appointed juvenile cases in Marion County. He continues this practice today with Cottage Street Youth Law. Today, Mr. Wilhelm works diligently to provide the best legal representation possible to his clients while advancing the rights for the families and youth involved in the Juvenile Justice System.
In his spare time, Mr. Wilhelm spends time with his family and friends as often as possible; they are the most important thing in his life. When he can, Mr. Wilhelm enjoys playing and singing music with various different performing groups (a Polka band for example!). If you want to get him talking, ask about: playing board games or card games, gardening, playing Magic: The Gathering, and about Oregonian’s rights to an attorney!