This oral history interview with Neva Elliott was conducted by S. Diane Rynerson from April 10 to July 10, 1992, as part of the United States District Court Oral History Project. The interview was conducted in seven sessions. The audio for session 7 is missing; its contents are included in an incomplete transcript of the interview.

In this interview, Elliott discusses her family background and early life in Damascus, Oregon, including her social life and her father’s store; she also discusses attending Jefferson High School in Portland, Oregon. She then talks about attending Reed College, particularly her involvement in drama, then attending Northwestern College of Law in Portland while working as a secretary for Charles Spackman. She talks about working after graduation for U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Esta Snedeker as a court referee in Portland, then for lawyer Frank Seaver as a secretary. She discusses the challenges she faced as a woman in finding a job as a lawyer. She then talks about starting her own law practice in Portland during World War II, when many men were serving in the military and the demographics of the city had changed. She also shares her memories of Judge Claude McCulloch. She talks about some of her cases as a lawyer, including being hired by a woman called as a witness against Chicago mobster Mickey Cohen, and the woman’s subsequent murder. She then lists women lawyers she was acquainted with during her career. She briefly discusses serving as a pro tem judge on the Multnomah County District Court. She talks about the many clubs she’s been involved with; her world travels; and her social life in Portland.