Thomas S. Sermak

Founder

Tom Sermak was born in Flint, Michigan. After high school, he attended the University of Michigan and earned a B.A. in English Literature. Then, from the University of Wisconsin, he earned an M.A., and in 1978, he earned a J.D. from the University of Oregon. He has lived in Oregon since 1974.

His first job, after being admitted to the Bar, was with a small general practice law firm in Eugene where he worked for two years and had six trials. After parting ways with this office, Sermak determined to work at Public Defender Services of Lane County, Inc. (PDSLC), where he hoped to gain further experience. Eventually, in January of 1981, he was hired at PDSLC as a research attorney and then six months later he was hired as a trial attorney. His previous three trials a year increased to twenty.

In 1984, PDSLC was forced to downsize and coincidentally, Sermak was offered an opportunity to return to private practice. As a private attorney, he and another lawyer contracted to provide public defense for Eugene Municipal Court. He also took court appointments in Lane County District and Circuit courts and had retained clients. A few years later, in late 1987, he was asked to come back to PDSLC as a major felony lawyer; a role in which he worked for the next twenty years.

In 2007, the newly incorporated Public Defender of Marion County, advertised for an Executive Director who would build the office from scratch. Sermak applied, was hired, and started work in April. He had a budget from OPDS, a laptop, and a reliable car to drive from Eugene to a coffee shop in Salem with Wi-Fi. That’s how PDMC began. The office opened its doors on July 1, 2007, and took its first cases on July 5th, with only two lawyers, one staff person, a law clerk from Willamette, and a lot to prove to a skeptical criminal justice system.

When Sermak retired in 2015, PDMC was essentially five times the size and well respected by the court, the DA’s office, local law enforcement, and the local defense bar. It was also the proudest achievement of Sermak’s career.

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