December greetings! When we opened the law school this fall, I worried that despite our best efforts, it would be difficult to maintain in person classes for the full semester. Yet, here we are and I could not be more grateful.
Students and faculty have mastered the hybrid system of teaching and learning, with students attending classes in-person and on Zoom. Fortunately, due to the safety protocols followed by our entire community, we have only one positive COVID-19 case reported on our law school campus. Students are now taking their exams remotely and will not return to campus for classes until the middle of January. If you would like to wish students good luck on their exams, feel free to add a note to Boley Law Library’s “Virtual Bacon” page!
This fall semester, despite the pandemic, our clinics kept making headlines – and most of this newsletter is devoted to their accomplishments. Clinics and other practical training experiences such as externships allow our students to put theory into practice and to experience firsthand how their advocacy can impact real people.
As we begin to wind down 2020, I hope that you and your families enjoy healthy and safe holidays. I am looking forward to 2021!
My very best,
Dean Jennifer Johnson
Small Business Legal Clinic Expands Its Patent Program with Education and Patent Filings
The Small Business Legal Clinic (SBLC) is working to educate entrepreneurs on patents to protect their unique products as well as filing patent applications for clients. The clinic has filed seven patents for clients this year. Read more...
Low Income Taxpayer Clinic Presents to Migrant Parents and Educators
Sarah Lora, Director of The Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, and clinic student Karla Márquez ’23 presented ITIN information at the annual Oregon Migrant Education Program (MEP) Conference on November 6 and 7, 2020. Read more...
Criminal Justice Reform Clinic Obtains 14 Clemencies Since April -- and is Featured by OSB for Nonunanimous Jury Work
The Criminal Justice Reform Clinic (CJRC) petitioned for and received an amazing 14 commutations for their clients since April of this year. CJRC also made Oregon history when Governor Kate Brown commuted its client to the Parole Board after reducing his sentence from Life Without Parole to Life, the first time such a commutation has happened in Oregon. Read more...
The Clinic and Professor Kaplan are featured on the cover of November's OSB Bulletin for for their work to end nonunanimous jury convictions in a story on the SCOTUS decision Ramos v. Louisiana.Read more...
Earthrise Protects Salt Ponds in the Bay Area
Earthrise Law Center at Lewis & Clark Law School,on behalf of their client San Francisco Baykeeper, won an important case in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California to protect salt ponds in Redwood City, California. Read more...
Working At The Roots: How Animal Advocates Can Become Critical Allies Against Domestic Violence and Animal Cruelty
The Center for Animal Law Studies described the well-recognized link between animal cruelty and domestic violence on the occasion of the National Domestic Violence Awareness Month (NDVAM). Read more...
National ABA Video on Disabilities Features SBA President
Hiring lawyers who have disabilities shouldn’t be seen as a tokenizing move," states Law school student and SBA President Amanda Pham Haines ’21 in an ABA video emphasizing the importance of de-stigmatizing disability in the legal field. Read more...
Upcoming Events
Alumni Virtual Happy Hours
The Alumni Board of Directors and Recent Graduate Council invite you to join alumni, faculty and friends for a virtual happy hour. Come to one or both events!
The Tax Court, a national court based in Washington D.C., has cited the book an additional ten times. It was also cited by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in 2013 and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina in 2008. Read more...
Rohlf's Paper on Wolf Protections Cited by the New York Times
Professor Dan Rohlf’s interdisciplinary paper, co-authored with other researchers, was cited in a New York Timesarticledescribing the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s decision to remove federal protections for grey wolves under the Endangered Species Act. Read more...