Hi! I’m Brook Reinhard, and I’m running for re-election for Willamalane Park and Recreation District! I was born in Eugene and lived in Eugene or Springfield most of my life. My family and I live in Springfield and love this community and have a deep appreciation of Willamalane and all the opportunities it offers people in Springfield to connect with each other, enjoy the outdoors and stay healthy.
I’ve been on the board since 2021 and am currently the vice president of the board. I can’t say enough good things about Willamalane or the talented people we have working for the district. It’s also a joy to be part of the board – Greg, Chris, Kiersten and CJ are dedicated public servants and all four of them are dedicated to this community and helping grow Willamalane and keep it vibrant.
Biographical information: I went to Springfield High School and graduated in 1999. I studied journalism at UO, working for the student newspaper as a reporter and editor while attending classes. After receiving my bachelor’s of science in 2003, I went to work in Klamath Falls at the Herald and News, and spent a year out of state working for a newspaper in Arkansas before applying for law school. I attended Willamette University College of Law, and had the good fortune to take classes from professors such as Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul De Muniz. During law school I clerked for Eugene attorney Hugh Duvall, and also spent a year working as a court-certified law student for the Polk County District Attorney’s office, taking 8 cases to trial. I graduated from Willamette in 2009 with a juris doctorate and a certificate in alternative dispute resolution, which has been incredibly useful in my work as a negotiator and advocate.
During law school, I married my wife, Valerie. We moved to Roseburg where I worked for Umpqua Valley Public Defender for 7 years before moving back to Eugene to take a job as the executive director of Public Defender Services of Lane County, the largest law firm in the county and a nonprofit public defense firm. I helped grow the office from 18 attorneys to 34 attorneys, decreased attorney caseloads and fought to improve the results we were delivering for our clients. In the summer of 2024, I told my board I wanted to go into private practice, and bid a fond farewell to PDSLC to begin Reinhard Law in October 2024.
My law practice focuses on defending people in Oregon charged with crimes in state, municipal and justice court. I also help people out with traffic cases like DUIIs and restoring driving rights, and restraining and stalking orders both for people who need protection and people who have been unjustly accused of misconduct. I’m experienced with trials of all types, taking more than 90 cases to trial over the last 15 years (everything from trespassing to murder.)
Other than my legal practice and Willamalane, I spend my time with Valerie and our kids. We enjoy spending time outdoors, raising our small farm worth of pets (chickens, a rabbit, a dog and a cat) and being active members of University Fellowship Church in Eugene. I also teach as an adjunct professor at University of Oregon School of Law and Willamette University School of Law.
If you have any questions about my work for Willamalane or our parks, you can email me at Brook.Reinhard@willamalane.org (if it’s a program or park-specific question, I’ll try to make sure it goes to someone at the district who knows more than me and can help you.) If you have a question about my law practice, you can email me at brook@reinhard.law.
Thanks for reading, and if you’re a registered voter in Springfield (or the unincorporated area outside of Springfield that’s a part of Willamalane) I’m asking for your vote. Thanks!