Hon. Julie E. Frantz (Ret.) joins JAMS as a neutral after a distinguished career spanning more than three decades on the bench and in civil litigation. Since retiring from the bench in 2017, she has served as a mediator, arbitrator and court-appointed neutral/special master in a wide variety of practice areas, including business/commercial, employment, personal injury/tort, professional liability, construction defect and real estate. Judge Frantz’s preparedness, attentive listening and respect for all—both on the bench and in mediation and arbitration—have earned her a well-deserved reputation for fairness, transparent and detailed decision-making, and a dedication to resolution.
Judge Frantz was appointed to the Multnomah County Circuit Court in 1994, where she served for 23 years as a trial judge conducting civil and criminal cases. During her tenure, she served as president of both the Oregon Circuit Court Judges Association and the Oregon Law Foundation. For a number of years, she was also chief criminal judge, during which time she resolved hundreds of cases by establishing a calendar to conduct settlement conferences. She led the creation of Multnomah County’s Mental Health Court, which diverted eligible offenders from incarceration to probation with treatment and supportive services. These initiatives, among others, reflect Judge Frantz’s lasting impact on the justice system and the community.
For the dozen years prior to being appointed, Judge Frantz was an attorney in a civil litigation firm, where in 1986 she became the firm's first woman partner/shareholder and built a reputation as a very skilled litigator. Her practice focused on employment, professional liability, personal injury/tort and real estate cases.
Deeply involved in state and national legal organizations, Judge Frantz has served in a variety of leadership and mentorship roles, including on the Board of Governors of the Oregon State Bar. In 1992, she was elected the first woman president of the Oregon State Bar, and in 2014, she was elected president of the National Association of Women Judges. Judge Frantz is the recipient of numerous prestigious legal awards honoring her dedication to and leadership in the legal profession.
Representative Matters
Assault & Sexual Assault
- Mediated to a successful resolution aclaim of sexual assault by an off-duty police officer in a bar
Business Commercial
- Mediated to a successful resolution the many facets and intricacies (financial, client retention, future dividends, property, staff retention, fiduciary responsibilities, a multimillion-dollar professional liability claim in an ongoing estate matter, etc.) of the separation/dissolution of a law firm partnership
- Conducted an arbitration hearing involving a consumer’s claims of fraud, negligence and breach of warranty regarding the purchase of a modified truck to accommodate claimant's disability
Construction & Construction Defect
- Arbitrated through the attorneys’ fees award a claim of negligence and fraud for the faulty construction of a housing development on unstable soil
- Arbitrated claims of misrepresentation, breach of contract and negligence involving the renovation of real property; case settled just prior to the hearing after rulings on various motions
Employment Law
- Served as a special master in a federal district court case for over a year involving a claim of discrimination/wrongful termination and state and federal ADA violations brought by a leading surgeon against a hospital and two physicians; handled innumerable discovery and deposition issues, motions, attorney-client privilege issues, confidentiality of hospital/doctor/peer review issues, etc.; case ultimately settled
- Mediated to a successful resolution a wrongful termination case in which the employer failed to follow the required notice/steps, as well as ultimately failing to provide the appropriate legal basis for the firing, which otherwise would have been justified
- Mediated to a successful conclusion a claim of discrimination based on ageism by a driver for a trucking company
- Conducted an arbitration involving claims by strip club dancers/entertainers for failure to pay minimum wage and paying kickbacks; case settled after rulings on various motions
Estate Probate Trusts
- Arbitrated intrafamily cross-claims regarding disbursement of parental assets and primarily residence, also involving a claim of negligence against a realtor; case settled prior to hearing
Personal Injury
- Mediated to a successful resolution a claim, including multiple large liens, that began at $25 million against a railway in which a train ran over, in a controlled multidirectional crossing, an inattentive pedestrian, resulting in a leg amputation
- Mediated an auto and truck collision involving multiple vehicles where injuries and preexisting condition were at issue, as well as proportional liability among multiple respondents; settled for the amount proposed once the final insurance claims adjuster participated post-mediation
Real Property
- Mediated to successful resolution a real property/HOA dispute ultimately resolved through the sale of the claimed offender's residence and application of the proceeds to satisfy a negotiated sum of the large accumulated debt from years of HOA violations
Honors, Memberships and Professional Activities
Honors
- Justice Vaino Spencer Leadership Award, National Association of Women Judges, 2020
- Justice Betty Roberts Award, Oregon Women Lawyers, 2017
- Mary Lowther Ranney Distinguished Alumna Award, Westridge School for Girls, 2017
- The Cecil W. Drinkward Award for Trustee Excellence, Oregon Episcopal School, 2007
- Fred A. Stickel Public Sector Award, Citizens Crime Commission, 2007
- STOP Domestic Violence Award, LPSCC & Family Violence Coordinating Council, 2004
- “Hero” (Achievement) Award, Oregon Women’s Political Caucus, 1994
- Distinguished Graduate Award, Lewis & Clark Law School, 1993
- Award of Merit, Multnomah Bar Association, 1992
Memberships and Board Service
Judicial Committees
- Oregon Circuit Court Judges Association
- President, 1997–1998
- Judicial Conduct Committee
- Vice-Chair, 2005–2006
- Member, 1999–2006
- Chair, Oregon State Criminal Justice Advisory Committee, 2008–2009
- Chair (appointed by the governor), Oregon Corrections Population Forecast, 2005–2017
- Member, Public Safety Task Force, 2013–2017
- Member, Task Force on Gender Fairness, Oregon Supreme Court/Oregon State Bar, 1995–1997
Bar Associations
- National Association of Women Judges
- President, 2014–2015
- Board of Directors, 2007–2015
- Oregon State Bar
- President, 2013
- Board of Directors, 2010–2015
- President, 1989–1990
- Board of Directors, 1987–1990, 1993–1996
- President, 1992–1993
- Board of Governors, 1990–1993
- Oregon Law Foundation
- Multnomah Bar Foundation
Committees
- Multnomah Bar Association
- Judicial Screening Committee, 1979–1980, 1988–1992
- Chair, 1990–1992
- Professionalism Committee, 1998–2001
- Committee on the Advancement of Equality in the Profession and Justice System, 1994–1995
- Continuing Legal Education Committee, 1987–1990
- Judicial Screening Committee, 1979–1980, 1988–1992
- Oregon Women Lawyers, 1984–2026
- Campaign for Equal Justice
- Executive Committee, 1993–1994
- Advisory Committee, 1994–2016
- Board of Directors, State Public Defender, 1985–1990
- Board of Directors, Multnomah County Legal Aid, 1984–1985
- American Judicature Society, 1994–1996
- Gus Solomon Inns of Court, 1994–1999
- State-Federal Judicial Council, 1993–1994
Community Board Service
- Patrons Advisory Council, Literary Arts, 2021–2026
- Lewis & Clark Law School
- Board of Visitors, 1994–2026
- Governance Chair, 2001–2012
- Board of Directors, Wind & Oar, 2018–2026
- Habitat for Humanity, Portland Region
- Chair, 2018–2021
- Board of Directors, 2009–2026
- Meals on Wheels
- Board of Directors, 2016–2024
- Volunteer, 1995–2015
- Stanford Association of Oregon
- Co-President, 2024–2026
- Board of Directors, 2017–2026
- I Have a Dream Foundation, 2008-2019
- Advisory Board, Girl Scouts Beyond Bars, 2004–2008
- Volunteer, House Construction, International Habitat for Humanity
- Ethiopia, 2013, 2016; El Salvador, 2014; India, 2018; Bolivia, 2019; Jordan, 2020; Indonesia, 2025
- Volunteer, Costa Rica, Cross-Cultural Solutions, 2006
Teaching/Training
- Faculty, New Judges Training College, 1998–2016
- Faculty, Oregon Trial Advocacy College, 2007
Bar Admissions
- Oregon, 1975–2024
Additional or Unique Skills
- Judge Frantz is a distinguished lecturer and has served as an adjunct professor at Lewis & Clark Law School, teaching Trial Practice, and as an instructor at Portland State University, teaching Search & Seizure Law.
Background and Education
- Frantz Mediation & Arbitration, 2022–2026
- Multnomah County Circuit Court
- Judge, 1994–2017
- Chief Criminal Judge, 1998–2013
- Senior Judge, 2017–2022
- Judge, Multnomah County District Court, 1994–1995
- Schulte, Anderson, DeFrancq, Downes & Carter, P.C., 1982–1994
- Shareholder/Partner, 1987–1994
- Associate, 1982–1986
- Metropolitan Public Defender, 1976–1981
- Trial Attorney, Director, Multnomah County Office, 1979–1980
- Law Clerk, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C., 1974
- J.D., Lewis & Clark Law School, 1975
- B.A., English, Stanford University, 1971
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Michele Wilson
1420 Fifth Ave. Suite 1650
Seattle, WA 98101
T: 206-292-0457