As I write this letter, events are moving quickly with regards to COVID-19. We have taken a number of actions to keep our students, faculty and staff safe and at the same time, ensure that we maintain our high standard of legal education.
Professors are teaching their classes remotely and will continue to do so through the rest of the semester. With rare exceptions, our clinical programs are operating remotely as well. We will also administer all exams online. We are applying many of the best practices from our recently developed distance learning LLM program to all of our other law programs. Fortunately, we have been preparing for such an eventuality for a couple of weeks so our transition has been fairly smooth.
Whenever possible, staff are working remotely and those on campus are practicing “social distancing” – a new term we have all come to appreciate!
Our faculty, students and staff have been supportive and flexible as we work through these turbulent times together.
We have kept the Boley library open with reduced hours and have restricted access to our Lewis & Clark community (faculty and students) only. Our resourceful librarians have made many research programs accessible remotely and they are available via internet chat to those who need help. If you, our alums, have urgent library needs, we will do our best to accommodate you, but please be patient as we first take care of our students.
Unfortunately, we have postponed or cancelled all of our spring events including Commencement. Our admissions preview day is being re-imagined as a preview week, all online. We will also keep seeing individuals who drop in for a tour as long as we can, employing social distancing measures!
It can be hard to remember that there is any other news besides coronavirus, but indeed, we are still making good headlines here, including the fact that U.S. News once again ranked us #1 for environmental law. Enjoy the stories of our recent accomplishments from clinics, students, faculty and alums in this newsletter.
I am proud of our community in these trying times! I hope this finds you well, and that you take all precautions to stay well.
My very best,
#1 in Environmental Law - Again!
Our environmental law specialty program is number one in the country (again) according to U.S. News and World Reportrankings. Read more...
International Law and CBLI Host Conference on Import-Export Law
Animal Law Litigation Clinic Files Lawsuit Against USDA over Slaughter of Sick, Injured Pigs
The Animal Law Litigation Clinic, representing animal protection groups, sued Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and the Department of Agriculture today for failing to protect pigs who are too sick or injured to walk at slaughterhouses, posing serious risks to animals and food safety.Read more...
Lewis & Clark Law School Welcomes Arthur Haubenstock as Executive Director of the Green Energy Institute
Energy leader Arthur Haubenstock will oversee the Institute’s work to support the transition of the Pacific Northwest and western region toward a 100% clean energy system. Read more...
CJRC and Local Non-Profit Forensic Justice Project, Work Together on New Clinic Project
The Criminal Justice Reform Clinic (CJRC) at Lewis & Clark Law School, together with the Forensic Justice Project (FJP), a local nonprofit in Portland, Oregon, is offering CJRC students a new clinical project centered around forensic science issues to begin in Spring 2020. Read more...
Earthrise Settles Case Protecting Wild Salmon
Earthrise Law Centersettled a case protecting wild salmon from a net pen collapse that released hundreds of thousand non-native Atlantic salmon into the Puget Sound. Read more...
Earthrise Leads Efforts to Fight Proposed Changes to NEPA
Earthrise Law Center submitted comments on the government’s proposed changes for the how federal agencies must comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Read more...
First Place Award from the American College of Legal Medicine
The American College of Legal Medicine (ACLM) recognized Christopher Griffin ’20 for his paper, Urban Indian Health Care: At Odds with the Trust Doctrine, Federal Policy, and Self-Determination?Read more...
First Diehl Environmental Law Fellows Announced
Three current students and one recent graduate were selected as the first four recipients for Diehl Fellowships Read more...
Maddy Munson '21 Named Wyss Scholar
Maddy Munson ’21 is the third Wyss Scholar to be selected from the law school. Read more...
Faculty News
Professor Lisa Benjamin Moderates Webinar on the Outcome of COP25
Lewis & Clark Law School and the Global Network for Human Rights and the Environment (GNHRE) hosted its first webinar Read more...
Lewis and Clark alums Morgan Wren Long (’07) and F.G. “Jamie” Troy II (’95), have been appointed to the Multnomah County Circuit Court. Read more...
And, in Washington County, Alumnus Brandon Thompson was appointed as Judge. Read more...
LC Law Alums Present at Superfund 2020 symposium
Three Lewis & Clark Law School alums, including Leah Feldon (’04), Cyndy Mackey (’86), and Laura Kerr (’14), provided expert analysis on Superfund issues organized by the Environmental Law Education Center (ELEC). Read more...
Good luck to our Alumni Candidates for Judgeships
Three alumni and one adjunct professor from Lewis & Clark Law School are running for local judicial openings on upcoming ballots. Read more....
