This past spring Professor Jennifer Johnson was named the new Erskine Wood Sr. Professor of Law. The endowed professorship was created by a generous gift from Louise Wood, the widow of the late Erskine Wood Sr. Former dean James Huffman was the first incumbent of the award, and the previous holder of the professorship.
Wood, who died in 1983 at the age of 103, was a renowned Portland admiralty lawyer and the last living person to know Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce tribe. Wood graduated from Harvard University in 1901 and from the University of Oregon Law School in 1912. He was the senior partner in the firm of Wood, Tatum, Mosser, Brooke & Holden, and many believe he was one of the greatest admiralty lawyers in the United States. His widow, Louise Wood, requested that appointees to the professorship be individuals committed to the established traditions of the American legal and constitutional system.
Johnson joined the Lewis & Clark Law School faculty in 1980. She earned degrees from Mills College and Yale Law School before clerking for Judge Alfred Goodwin, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. She was then in private practice with the Portland law firm of Stoel Rives before joining the faculty. In 2008, Johnson was named Jeffrey Bain Faculty Scholar in recognition of her exemplary teaching and scholarship in business law. Also in 2008, Johnson was elected to the American Law Institute. She is a member of the Oregon State Bar and serves on various bar task forces charged with drafting business legislation. Johnson currently teaches classes in business associations and securities regulation as well as the first-year Legal Elements introductory course. Her primary research areas are in corporate and securities law and her recent scholarship focuses on securities regulation, arbitration, and litigation.
“I am very honored to be selected as the second holder of the Erskine Wood Sr. professorship,” said Johnson. “Jim Huffman will be a hard act to follow. I look forward to the installation ceremony in October and hope to see many alums at the lecture.”
Johnson will be installed as the new Erskine Wood Sr. Professor of Law on Monday, October 24, 2011, at 8 p.m. in Agnes Flanagan Chapel at Lewis & Clark College. She will present a lecture, “Fleecing Grandma: A Regulatory Ponzi Scheme?” The lecture is open to the public, and all alumni are welcome to attend. For more information, contact Doreen Corwin, director of faculty services, at 503-768-6852.
