Dean's Newsletter November/December 2022
Dear Alumni and Friends,

We have so much good news to share with you!

I am especially excited about the creation of a new Advocacy Center and teaching courtroom, both made possible by generous multi-million dollar gifts from our friends and alums. We will have more details about our Advocacy Center in the new year.

Our bar pass rate was 84% for first time takers for the Oregon July Bar Exam – 6 points above the state-wide average. This is an impressive feat especially when you consider that this class was impacted by COVID during all three years of their time in law school. Employment figures are strong as well, with 94% of our 2021 grads employed within 10 months of graduation, and our 2022 grads looking to follow that trend.
 
Our dedicated faculty have an impressive record of scholarship and continue to earn national recognition. They have also been diligently working with our students both on legal foundations and practical training.

Our hallways are bustling with energy as our community can once again work and thrive
together! This fall we welcomed many alumni and distinguished speakers to our campus in a whirlwind series of events, some of which had been postponed for two years. It was
invigorating to see so many alumni return to campus, engaging with our students, faculty and each other. The highlight of the fall was the inauguration of Robin Holmes Sullivan, PhD as the newest president of Lewis & Clark College. Robin is featured in our 2022 Advocate which is now online.

Warmest wishes,
Dean Jennifer Johnson
What's new with YOU? "Did you change jobs? Receive an award? Share your good news with your fellow classmates! Submit a Class Note.
Multi-Million Dollar Gifts Establish Advocacy Center, Courtroom at the Law School
Two major multi-million dollar gifts form the foundation for a teaching courtroom and an Advocacy Center at the Law School.

The Center, with its new courtroom, will enhance our students’ practical training in litigation, arbitration, mediation, and negotiation. It reinforces the school's commitment for its graduates to be practice ready.

The Courtroom gift is from alum and highly skilled trial attorney Mathew Bergman, ‘89. The Center is endowed by a gift from Andy Johnson-Laird, a law school friend who was inspired by accomplished attorneys he encountered in litigation. Both donors shared a desire to ensure that Lewis & Clark Law graduates are highly trained advocates.
84% Oregon Bar, 85% CA Bar Pass Rates!
We were the top school in Oregon for passage of the July Bar exam. The pass rate for first time takers, 118 L&C law graduates, was 84% against a statewide average of 78%. Since we are the largest school in the state, the statewide average usually mirrors our bar pass score.
Also, with California's difficult bar exam, 85% of our first time takers passed against a statewide average of 62%. Congratulations to all!
Law Review on Rebuilding Democracy;
Also, Rankings Rise!
Lewis & Clark Law Review (LCLR) published “Rebuilding Democracy and the Rule of Law.” The articles, written by prominent scholars, analyze how U.S. democracy has eroded over the past years, and present novel solutions for change.
Also, for the third year in a row, the Law Review has risen in the influential Washington & Lee Law Journal Rankings, now ranking 44th among general journals. More...
Comprehensive Report on Oregon Parole System
The Criminal Justice Reform Clinic joined forces with Portland State University to research and publish: An Eye on Reform: Examining decisions, procedures, and outcomes of the Oregon Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision release process. The report includes recommendations for a series of reforms that would improve the quality of the parole release process. More...
GEI Defeats Request to Raise Gas Bills
After successful advocacy by the Green Energy Institute (GEI) and Earthjustice, the Oregon Public Utility Commission partially rejected NW Natural’s request to raise gas bills. More...
Reducing Wildlife Trafficking in Peru
The Global Law Alliance for Animals and the Environment has been working with Peruvian officials and the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative to protect animals at risk of extinction from wildlife trafficking. More...
New Director at Small Business Legal Clinic
Alumna Juliana Minn ’16 was recently named executive director of the Small Business Legal Clinic of Lewis & Clark Law School, leading the clinic in providing business transactional legal advice to new and emerging businesses. More...
Boley Library Displays ‘Orphan Wells’
The photo collection, ‘Orphan Wells of Caddo County, Louisiana’ by photographer Meghan L. E. Kirkwood is on display in Boley Law Library through December. More...
Animal Law Advocates: MSL, LLM Applications Now Being Accepted
Applications are now being accepted for the new degrees for Animal Law LLM (for lawyers) and the MSL (for non-lawyers)—both offered in-person and online—for Fall 2023. The Animal Law degrees are the first in the world and the nation, respectively. More...
Upcoming Events
Martin Luther King Jr Endowed Lecture - January 18, 2023

Sports and entertainment lawyer, Jared Bartie, partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher is the featured speaker.

Save the Date! The 2023 auction event will be in person, on campus this year. It is not to be missed!
Join legal scholars and experts at the Law vs. Antisemitism 2nd Annual Conference as they discuss how law has been used both to perpetrate and to combat antisemitism, historically and today. Info
Faculty Honors
Professor Aliza Kaplan received the American Constitution Society Oregon Lawyer Chapter’s 2022 Hans Linde Award, as well as the OCDLA President’s Award from the state's defense lawyers, and the Juneteenth Award from the Uhura Sassa Culture Group at the Oregon State Penitentiary for her work in criminal justice reform. More...
Professor Samir Parikh has been named a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy (ACB) The ACB has approximately 1,000 Fellows, of which there are fewer than 60 professors of law. 
College Fellows have "the highest standards of professionalism, ethics, character, integrity, professional expertise and leadership contributing to the enhancement of bankruptcy and insolvency law and practice; sustained evidence of scholarship, teaching, lecturing or writing on bankruptcy or insolvency; community service; and commitment to elevating knowledge and understanding of the profession and public respect for the practice."
Jeffrey Bain Law Scholar and Professor of Law Melissa Powers ’01 has been named one of the newest members of The American College of Environmental Lawyers (ACOEL). Membership in the College is by invitation, and members are recognized by their peers as preeminent in their field.
Professor David Schraub is the third recipient of theHuffman Scholarship Award for his article Sadomasochistic Judging. The Huffman Award recognizes a professor at the law school for their outstanding scholarship described in a paper that was written the year prior. More...
Alumni Honors
The Oregon State Bar gave their Public Leadership Award to three alums this fall:
Jose Garcia-Fuerte '23,
Diego Gutíerrez '21 and Karla Márquez '22 for their work to establish UndocuLaw Northwest and "How to Apply to Law School for Non-citizen Immigrants" webinars.
Patent Clinic Celebrates Five Years
Lewis & Clark’s Small Business Legal Clinic (SBLC) is celebrating the fifth anniversary of its Patent Clinic. It remains the only USPTO certified law school clinic in Oregon. The programs allow clients to receive expedited processing and give the students limited recognition with the USPTO, which allows them to prosecute trademark and patent applications and speak directly with trademark and patent examiners in the USPTO. More...