The attorneys
Three lawyers who came up through the public defender's office in Coos Bay and chose to build their careers here.
Drew Scott Betts
Partner and founder
- Focus
- Family law, criminal defense, contract disputes, estate planning, and probate.
- Admitted
- Oregon State Bar, October 2020.
- Member
- Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.
- Education
- J.D., University of Oregon School of Law. B.S. in Economics and Philosophy, University of Oregon.
- dbetts@laurellaw.net
Attorney Drew Scott Betts is a proud partner and founder of Laurel Law LLC. She was sworn into practice by United States District Judge Ann Aiken in October 2020. Drew spent the last four years working as an associate at Costello Law Office, P.C., gaining experience in a multitude of civil practice areas. Prior to her time as an associate, Drew worked at the Southwestern Oregon Public Defender's Office, where she practiced adult criminal, civil commitment, juvenile delinquency, and juvenile dependency cases.
Drew is a proud double Duck, having earned both her Juris Doctorate and Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and Philosophy from the University of Oregon. She feels the most at home in the courtroom, advocating for her clients and pressing issues of fairness and accountability.
Drew has a strong commitment to expanding access to justice for the greater Coos County area. Her goal is to provide high-quality legal services close to home. Drew is currently accepting cases involving family law, criminal defense, contract disputes, estate planning, probate, and more.
Brenton Erickson
Attorney
- Focus
- Criminal defense, with a trial practice focused on felony cases.
- Education
- J.D., University of Michigan Law School, 2021. B.A. in Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Brigham Young University, 2018.
Brenton is a trial attorney who has spent his career in criminal defense. He began as a law clerk and then an attorney with the Utah County Public Defender Association, after clerking in the Constitutional Defense and Special Litigation division of the Utah Attorney General's Office. In 2023 he joined Southwestern Oregon Public Defender Services in Coos Bay, and since 2024 he has practiced private criminal defense on the coast, taking felony cases across Oregon.
He works to improve the quality of criminal defense practice in Oregon. His public defender years gave him deep trial experience, and his passion for legal research and writing means his cases are thoroughly litigated. What he values most is the chance criminal defense gives him to counsel and represent real people while engaging with a broad range of legal issues. At Michigan he was part of MDefenders and the Human Trafficking Clinic.
Taylor Rose
Attorney
- Focus
- Criminal defense.
- Admitted
- Oregon State Bar, 2021.
- Member
- Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.
- Education
- J.D., Lewis & Clark Law School, Portland.
Taylor came to Coos Bay in 2021 as an assistant public defender with Southwestern Oregon Public Defender Services, representing people charged with crimes who could not afford a lawyer.
At Lewis & Clark she worked in the Criminal Justice Reform Clinic, and she spent two stints with Metropolitan Public Defender in the Portland area, first as a research and writing intern and then as a certified law student handling cases in Washington County.