Tom Andersen

​Tom Andersen isn't your typical politician. He is the son of a Presbyterian minister. The family dinner table conversations were about making the world a better place and his upbringing instilled in him the importance of community. Whether it is Tom's practice in law or public service, his work is grounded in what his father always said: “The poor and dispossessed of our world don't need charity, they need justice." Tom was born in Chicago, IL and moved to Oregon in 1973 to attend the University of Oregon School of Law where he graduated in 1976. He then moved to Vermont to do public interest legal work, including representing the interest of low-income groups. He moved back to Eugene in 1979, where he became a partner and litigator in a firm representing businesses and people in civil and criminal trials. In 1986 he began working as a trial lawyer for the State Accident Insurance Fund Corporation (SAIF). He worked for SAIF for 19 years in its critical claims unit, trying complex cases and resolving issues around toxic workplaces and environments. In 2007, he opened his own practice and began working independently to argue complex cases concerning workers compensation. In every…