I’ve spent my career advocating for families during some of their most difficult moments: custody disputes, divorces, and the critical decisions that shape children’s futures. As a family law attorney, I’ve seen firsthand what happens when the system works, and when it fails.

As a judge pro tem and court-appointed arbitrator, I’ve also experienced the responsibility of being the decision-maker. What I’ve learned is this: the outcome matters, but so does the experience. People remember whether they felt heard. They remember whether someone took the time to explain what was happening and why.

I am raising my family in Portland. I have served as vice-president of the ACCESS PTA and president of the ACCESS Foundation. My whole life is family, and it is the perspective I bring to every decision on the bench.

Before law school, I was a high school English teacher in the Mississippi Delta and New Orleans. I was also a Peace Corps Volunteer in Cameroon, focusing on AIDS education, women’s health, and empowerment. Those years taught me something the law never could: people do better when they are heard.

I have coached kids in both soccer and cross country in my neighborhood, including as an assistant coach for a local youth soccer team. Showing up on the sidelines is the same practice I bring to the courtroom: patient, prepared, and present.

I am a pro bono children’s attorney through the Multnomah County Circuit Court Children’s Representation Project, advocating for kids at the hardest moments of their lives. I am also a regular contributor to Trial Lawyer Magazine and serve on the board of The Commons Law Center.

I currently sit as a judge pro tem in Washington County approximately twice a month, where I hear domestic violence and stalking cases. I am also a court-appointed arbitrator in Multnomah County. I bring direct courtroom experience to a seat focused on domestic relations and juvenile law.

I began my legal career at the law offices of Ivan Karmel, where I practiced primarily family law. That firm became Karmel Savage, and I later established my own practice, Elizabeth Savage Law. While my practice areas have evolved to include appeals and civil litigation, I continue to practice family law and manage two other attorneys, including a family law associate.

As a law student, I served as judicial extern to Justice Rives Kistler and Justice Martha Walters of the Oregon Supreme Court. I also clerked at the Oregon Department of Justice, Financial Fraud and Consumer Affairs Division, working on cases ranging from consumer protection violations to class actions against major pharmaceutical companies.

• Pro bono children’s attorney, Multnomah County Circuit Court Children’s Representation Project
• Co-chair, Oregon Trial Lawyers Association Amicus Committee
• Regular contributor, Trial Lawyer Magazine
• Board of Directors, The Commons Law Center
• Member, Uniform Civil Jury Instructions Committee
• House of Delegates, Oregon State Bar
• Member, Multnomah Bar Association Ethics Committee
• Board member, Oregon Women Lawyers Foundation