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Deputy D.A. enters practice in equine law By JOHN DARLING for the Mail Tribune After five years as Jackson County deputy district attorney and assistant county counsel, Debbie Minder has left to open a practice in several legal areas, including the unusual field of equine law, for which she prepared in a long career as a horse breeder. Minder, 45, prosecuted more than 60 criminal trials as deputy district attorney from 1996 to 2000. In the county counsel's office she provided legal advice to health and human services, the airport, animal control, property management, assessment, treasury and vector control. Minder, the daughter of U.S. Marine Corps test pilot Maj. Gen. Hal Vincent, was raised around military bases throughout the United States and Far East. She graduated in business at Southern Oregon State College and received her law degree from the University of Oregon. On the family's Colestine Valley ranch, Minder bred quarter horses for 10 years, maintaining a syndicated stallion and 23 mares. "I've had horses all my life and have learned the business side in depth," she said. "The Rogue Valley has a huge horse industry, so I'll be available to write contracts and handle legal issues about anything relating to breeding, boarding, training, hunts, shows, classes and clubs." As deputy D.A., Minder handled a full load of misdemeanor cases and sometimes prosecuted criminal cases, such as the robbery of the North Main Street Safeway in Medford. "That one has an ironic twist that makes me chuckle," she said. "After we got a conviction, I transferred over to the county counsel's office and handled the county's purchase of Safeway for parole and probation offices. "So, when the robber gets out of prison, he'll be checking in regularly with his parole officer in the Safeway he robbed." District Attorney Mark Huddleston said, "She always did a great job, was well-prepared and put her heart into the prosecution of cases - a great trial lawyer and very detail-oriented." Minder prosecuted several racketeering cases in which con men sold non-existent espresso stands or partnerships in the redevelopment of homes to which they held no title. "It was amazing to see astute business people and investors pulled into these deals on a handshake - and often in a church setting. The racketeers just had unbelievable skill at communicating on their (investor's) level and talking them out of their money." To counter racketeering, Minder and her colleagues made presentations at service organizations, informing area business people how to spot a con. While she enjoyed trial work, Minder said, "It started to become redundant, prosecuting the same people over and over and seeing there wasn't enough room to keep them in jail. You end up feeling you're not making any progress." In the county counsel's office, Minder served as legal counsel for the White City Planning Commission, handling issues of urban growth and road development. She oversaw the county's transfer of the historic 100-acre Hayes Cemetery to the city of Gold Hill and streamlined the county's process for leasing property and annexing to fire districts. Minder's office opens Jan. 3 in the Estate Building on Crater Lake Avenue. Her practice will include cases involving business, real estate, land use, divorce and family law. John Darling is a free-lance writer living in Ashland. E-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.