Natural Resources Law & Policy Practicum (WRLC)

Natural Resources Law & Policy Practicum (WRLC) - Professors Samantha Bayer and Dave Hunnicutt

• Course Type: Highly Specialized & Experiential
• Credits: 4
• Enrollment Limit: 4-6
• Description:  The Natural Resource Law & Policy Practicum ran by the Western Resources Legal Center (WRLC) provides a select cohort of second-and-third year law students the opportunity to gain “hands-on” experience representing the industries that anchor the economy of the American West. Agricultural producers, ranches, timber and forestry companies, energy developers, mining operations, and fisheries rely on legal guidance to navigate complex regulatory systems and protect their ability to operate.

WRLC gives students the rare opportunity to work directly with these businesses and understand the legal, economic, and political forces that shape their future. Through this work, students gain firsthand exposure to emerging trends in state and local regulation, land use policy, environmental compliance, and resource management frameworks that increasingly define the operating landscape for natural resource enterprises.

Unlike traditional legal clinics, WRLC also trains students in legislative and administrative advocacy — skills essential to industries whose operations are deeply shaped by public policy. Students will learn to prepare testimony, participate in rulemaking, draft comment letters, and engage with policymakers, gaining a dual perspective that blends traditional legal practice with real world advocacy.

The goal of this practicum is to train students to meet the day to day demands of natural resource law with confidence, competence, and a deep understanding of the industries they will serve.

Seminars: Weekly seminars provide the business and industry context needed to advise clients effectively and cover the core legal frameworks that shape natural resource businesses — water rights, land use, timber and mining law, environmental compliance, property taxation, and more. Guest speakers include in house counsel, industry executives, and practicing attorneys who regularly represent resource sector clients. Seminar discussions also prepare students for legislative engagement and policy advocacy, reinforcing the practicum’s dual training model.

Placements: Through the externship placements, each student is matched with a practitioner supervisor and will complete 9–10 hours per week of client oriented work, including in office time. Students will learn to conduct client interviews, identify and analyze business and regulatory issues, research industry specific questions, draft documents, counsel clients, and develop deliverables that help resource sector businesses manage risk and comply with Oregon state and federal requirements. Students may also get the opportunity to contribute to matters handled by the Oregon Property Owners Association Legal Center or WRLC select cases.

Admission is by application, with enrollment limited to no more than 6 students. Evaluation is based on written work produced through the clinic, and students are expected to meet professional standards of preparation, attendance, and client service ethics consistent with ABA requirements.

Applications & Enrollment: Students may not directly register for the WRLC Practicum. Because enrollment is limited, participation is by application only. To apply, students must submit a resume and cover letter to ohunnicutt@wrlegal.org. Cover letters should include:
• Which semester you are applying for
• Your name, contact information, and year in law school
• Your reasons for wanting to work with WRLC and interest in representing natural resource businesses
• Any preferences regarding field placement options (i.e. a specific sector that interests you)

Field placements are a required component of the practicum. Any placement preferences should be noted in your cover letter. WRLC staff will make every effort to match students with their preferred placements; however, matches cannot be guaranteed and will depend on the availability of placement supervisors.

Additional Information: More information about the Western Resources Legal Center, faculty, and the course can be found at www.wrlegal.org. WRLC is located at Lewis & Clark Law School.

• Co- or Prerequisite: none
• Evaluation Method: Credit/no credit based on client representation, adherence to the Oregon Rules of Professional Conduct and WRLC policies, attendance, seminar participation, and written assignments.
• Capstone: no
• WIE: Optional; requires prior professor permission