Steve Goldberg and PCC CLEAR Clinic YLS Pro Bono Spotlight

by Caulin Price Chair, YLS Pro Bono Committee

Steve Goldberg developed a passion for public interest work early in his career. His first legal position was with a legal aid office in Jacksonville, Florida. Soon after, Steve and his wife moved across the country, to Salem, where he worked for Marion County Legal Aid and then opened his own office. In 1980 he moved to Portland and started a practice where he worked for 27 years: Goldberg, Mechanic, Stuart, and Gibson. He then worked as a solo practitioner until his retirement in 2017. He became actively involved with Portland Community College’s CLEAR Clinic in January 2022.

While in private practice, Steve primarily focused on labor law, representing labor unions, including the International Union of Operating Engineers. He also took on medical malpractice and civil rights cases, becoming more heavily involved in the latter. Steve worked on cases challenging the involuntary reenlistment of a member of the National Guard, warrantless surveillance programs impacting Islamic charities, and the placement of an individual on the no-fly list after a humanitarian trip. During that time, Steve was also an active member of the National Lawyers Guild, which allowed him to do work in South Africa, Israel, Palestine, Tunisia, and Cambodia.

Steve’s work with the Guild is what led him to PCC CLEAR. A colleague introduced the clinic to Guild members, and Steve’s interest was piqued because of his former practice and his passion for helping people. After retiring in 2017, Steve wanted a productive way to spend some of his free time. PCC CLEAR provided him that opportunity, and he has been an active volunteer since.

PCC CLEAR is a no-cost clinic offering critical legal services to Portland residents at Portland Community College’s Cascade campus in North Portland. The services provided by PCC CLEAR include criminal record expungement, eviction defense, and DACA renewals.