Advocate Magazine
Cover Story
Building on Excellence
We talk with incoming dean Alicia Ouellette about the inspiration she found at Lewis & Clark, her values, and strategic vision for the future.
Features
A Legacy Established
Dean Jennifer Johnson has steered Lewis & Clark Law School through a history-making decade.
Rate Your Experience
Professor Keith Cunningham-Parmeter discusses the power of customer ratings systems on gig workers and how antidiscrimination protections in employment law could be triggered.
From the Dean
From the Dean
We have begun another academic year with an exciting and talented group of new first-year students.
News of Note
Supervised Practice Portfolio Examination Offers Alternative to the Bar Exam
Lewis & Clark Law grads now have an alternative pathway to licensure from the Uniform Bar Examination: the Oregon Supervised Practice Portfolio Examination (SPPE).
Advocacy Center Expands Opportunities to Learn and Practice Legal Skills
Lewis & Clark Law School launched the Advocacy Center in 2023 to provide robust experiential learning opportunities for students.
Alumnus Román Hernández ’00 Commencement Speaker
Román Hernández shared the challenging pathway that led him to be the distinguished attorney and celebrated leader of his community today.
New Public Defense Practicum Partnership with Metropolitan Public Defender
As Oregon faces a crisis-level shortage of public defenders, the law school is partnering with Metropolitan Public Defenders (MPD).
Grads Achieve Highest Bar Pass and Employment Rates In Oregon
Lewis & Clark’s Class of 2023 achieved the highest post-graduate employment rate of any law school in Oregon and continued the school’s trend of holding the highest bar pass rate in the state.
First Endowed Law School Deanship in Oregon
Lewis & Clark Law School Dean Jennifer Johnson has been awarded the first endowed law school deanship in the state.
Professor Janet Steverson Receives 2024 Leo Levenson Award
The graduating class of 2024 bestowed the prestigious Leo Levenson Excellence in Teaching Award on Douglas K. Newell Professor Janet Steverson.
Clinic Updates
Global Law Alliance for Animals and the Environment (GLA)
The GLA continues to advocate for transformational outcomes in international animal and environmental law.
Western Resources Legal Center (WRLC)
The Western Resources Legal Center (WRLC) offers a litigation practicum to L&C law students with hands-on legal training on behalf of natural resource users.
Small Business Legal Clinic (SBLC)
This year, the SBLC business clinic had 28 interns and the patent clinic had four.
Farmed Animal Protection Project
The Farmed Animal Protection Project (FAPP) offers students a two-semester experiential learning opportunity focused on farmed animal protection.
Crime Victim Litigation Clinic (CVLC)
Throughout the fall of 2023 and spring of 2024, Crime Victim Litigation Clinic students engaged in significant legal work nationwide.
Green Energy Institute (GEI)
Thanks to donor support, the clinic employed several top-notch law clerks to assist us in advocacy efforts.
Earthrise
This year marked a bittersweet transition for Earthrise, as Earthrise Director and Clinical Professor Allison LaPlante ’02 left the law school after almost 20 years.
Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC)
In 2023, the LITC successfully served 179 local clients in various tax related matters.
Student Milestones
2024 Wyss Scholars Focus on Environmental Conservation
Hayden Wyatt JD ’25 and Ian Connolly JD ’25 are Lewis & Clark Law School’s 2024 Wyss Scholars, noting their commitment to environmental justice and conservation efforts across the West.
Law Student Wins National Intellectual Property Writing Award, the Second Win for L&C in Four Years
Frank Morton-Park ’23 has been named the 2023 recipient of the Robert C. Watson Intellectual Property Award.
2023–24 Multnomah Bar Association Fellows
The MBA Fellows Program provides students with a guaranteed ten-week summer internship.
2024 PILP Auction Raises $60K, Funds Nine Summer Internships
The Public Interest Law Project (PILP) raised $60,230 at its 2024 auction, funding summer stipends for nine law students working in public interest positions.
Ilona Hyett ’24 Receives National Clinic Student Award
Ilona Hyett’s exemplary work at the Small Business Legal Clinic (SBLC) garnered her the Clinical Legal Education Association (CLEA) Outstanding Clinic Student Award.
2024 Lezak Social Justice Fellows Named
The Lezak Fellowship awards summer stipends to law students committed to community service and social justice.
Moot Court Team Achieves Quarterfinals at National Competition
For the first time in over a decade, Lewis & Clark Law School’s moot court team advanced to the national quarterfinals of the National Trial Competition.
2024 Davis Wright Tremaine International Law Writing Competition Winners
The International Law Committee named Kelsey Chapman-Sutton ’24 and Beth Sethi ’24 as the recipients of this year’s Davis Wright Tremaine International Law Writing Award.
Earthrise Student Argues Before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
Earthrise Law Center sent rising star Drew Baloga ’24 to argue in front of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals last fall.
Faculty and Staff News
Professor Susan Felstiner Facilitates Workshop Series with Ukrainian Clinics
Professor Susan Felstiner has helped to develop a groundbreaking U.S.-Ukrainian Clinicians Workshop Series.
Professor Benjamin Advocates for Historic Climate Change Opinions
Professor Lisa Benjamin recently submitted co-authored briefs advocating for state obligations.
Professor Okoh’s “Forgotten Waters” Among Top 20 Articles of 2023
The Environmental Law Reporter (ELR) has named “Forgotten Waters,” by Professor Michele Okoh, as one of its top 20 articles of 2023.
Mandiberg Appointed to New Oregon Public Defense Commission
Distinguished Professor of Law Emerita Susan Mandiberg is serving as one of 12 members of the new Oregon Public Defense Commission (OPDC).
Wold Advocates for Whales
Professor Chris Wold continues to draw attention to the state of international whaling and advocating for enforcing international law.
Professor Sarah Lora Co-Authors Chapter on Tax Advocacy
Professor Sarah Lora, director of the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC), co-authored a chapter in the International Handbook on Clinical Tax Education.
Professor Tabrez Ebrahim Receives Fulbright Specialist Award
Professor Susan Felstiner has helped to develop a groundbreaking U.S.-Ukrainian Clinicians Workshop Series.
IAALS Awards Oregon Task Force on Alternatives to the Bar
Professor of Practice and Director of the Advocacy Center, Jo Perini-Abbott, accepted the Rebuilding Justice Award.
Faculty Highlights
Includes selections received from August 1, 2023 through July 31, 2024. Read all the latest news from faculty and find more details about these listings as well as media appearances, visit law.lclark.edu/faculty/news/highlights.
Honoring Director of Earthrise Professor Allison LaPlante ’02
Clinical professor, alum and director of Earthrise Law Center, Allison LaPlante, announced her departure from Earthrise.
Symposia and Lectures
Data Privacy Group Holds Successful Fifth Symposium
“AI’s New Role in Informational & Decisional Data Privacy,” panelists from national firms and corporations discussed legal and business risks for artificial intelligence (AI), kids’ data, and other trending issues.
Environmental Law Symposium on Agriculture and Climate Change
“Law is going to be one of the most important tools to bring about change,” emphasized The New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof in his keynote for the ninth annual Environmental Law Spring Symposium.
35th Annual Environmental Distinguished Visitor Lecture: Professor Emerita Helen Kang
Emerita Professor Helen Kang presented her lecture, “Bearing Witness to Environmental Injustice: The Path Forward.”
Civil Rights Titan Ben Crump Gives Stirring MLK Lecture
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump captivated attendees with his passionate discourse on justice, equality, and the enduring influence of Dr. King’s legacy.
Huffman Lecture
New York Law School Professor Emerita and former president of the ACLU, Nadine Strossen, presented the 2023–24 Huffman Lecture in Honor of the Western Resources Legal Center.
Alumni News
26th Harpole Awards Recipients Diana Bettles ’13 and Jessica Bridges ’25
Joyce Ann Harpole ’79 exemplified professionalism, a delight for life, and the balance between her legal career, family, friends, and community. Each year, her life is celebrated with the Harpole Reception and Awards.
Dear Fellow Alums
Last year has been a time of growth for the Alumni Board - both in terms of board members as well as our fundraising efforts for the Alumni Board of Directors Scholarship.
In Memoriam
In Memoriam
Between September 1, 2023 and August 31, 2024, we learned of the passing of these alumni. (Dates of death, where known, are listed with the names.)
