Clackamas County has hired former U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams as its new permanent county counsel.
Williams had served as interim county counsel after the departure of the county’s previous lead attorney Jane Vetto earlier this year.
The county board of commissioners unanimously approved his appointment at a meeting Tuesday.
FILE - Billy Williams on Feb. 21, 2020.
Conrad Wilson / OPB
Williams worked for the U.S. Department of Justice for 20 years, including nearly six years as Oregon’s top federal prosecutor. He became acting U.S. attorney for the District of Oregon in 2015 and was appointed to the position on a permanent basis by President Donald Trump in 2018.
He served in that role until 2021, when the Biden administration requested his resignation, which is common when a new president takes office.
Most recently, Williams worked the last four years with the law firm Best Best & Krieger LLP.
In a meeting Tuesday, Williams said he was blessed to work for the county on an interim basis “because it gave me an opportunity to get a sense of the office of what you all do, the important work that goes on on behalf of the county.
“I just decided to throw my hat in the ring and here I am,” he said. “So I’m grateful, honored to be here.”
Vetto left the county in June after just one year on the job. As previously reported by The Oregonian/OregonLive, the county paid her more than $250,000 in severance.
In addition to his interim work with Clackamas County, Williams and Best Best & Krieger LLP also had a one-year contract with Washington County to provide legal advice on federal policies. Signed in July, that contract is set to expire in June 2026.
A Clackamas County spokesperson was unsure whether Williams would continue working with Washington County, while Williams and Washington County did not respond to requests for comment. The Best Best & Krieger LLP website still lists Williams as a firm partner.
Williams’ appointment ends a three-month recruitment during which Clackamas County twice solicited applicants for the counsel position.
According to County Administrator Gary Schmidt, the commission interviewed four finalists for the position last week.
Williams has not officially signed the new contract yet but Schmidt said has accepted the county’s job offer. Williams’ starting salary will be $240,000 annually. Under his interim contract, the county paid him $325 an hour.
During his time as U.S. attorney, Williams worked on a number of high profile issues, including the prosecution of Ammon and Ryan Bundy for the 2016 occupation of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge and the first Trump administration’s effort to crackdown on racial justice protests in 2020. Williams also made headlines for advocating for local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration efforts despite the state’s sanctuary law.
Commissioners thanked Williams for his work over the past few months and for taking on the permanent job.
“My thanks to Billy Williams for putting in for this position as well,” Chair Craig Roberts said. “I really value his integrity, his leadership and his ability to bring people together to solve difficult problems, have difficult conversations, looking at how we can move forward in a productive way.”
