Diversity

Diversity, inclusion, and cultural competency are critical to fulfilling our mission as a law school and as part of the legal community.

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• The Oregon State Bar Diversity & Inclusion Program has done incredible work to support the diversification of the legal profession. Check out their timeline of programs.

• Large Portland firms have a thriving interest in supporting a more diverse legal profession. Career services helps interested students connect with diversity internship and employment programs.

• The American Bar Association provides resources for law students with disabilities in every state.

• 44% of the 2012 incoming class is comprised of women and 24% are ethnic minorities.

• The average first-year student at the Law School is 27 and 69% are from out of state.

• Beginning in Summer 2014, the Hacienda Community Development Corporation will open Portland Mercado: a rich cultural space open to community entrepreneurs.

• Portland has 94 distinct neighborhoods, each with its own flavor and its own neighborhood association.

• The Law School prides itself on its origins in 1884 as a night school serving nontraditional, urban, working students from the very beginning.

• Feeling homesick? Lewis & Clark has put together a Multicultural Resource Guide to help you find the best restaurant, grocery store, community center, etc. to make you feel at home!

• There are 12+ students groups at Lewis & Clark Law School dedicated to creating communities for diverse students of all backgrounds.

• The Academic Enhancement programs welcomes 100+ Portland youth and 40+ attorney and student volunteers each year to introduce diverse students to the possibility of a career in law.

• The Law School hosts an annual endowed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Speaker Series made possible the generous support of Lee Matthews ’73 and Jacqueline Alexander ’07.

In May 2007, the Lewis & Clark College Board of Trustees approved a resolution affirming the inherent educational benefits of diversity for the college environment. The Law School shares this value and believes that diversity in the classroom furthers its educational mission.

As a professional school preparing the next generation of our nation’s lawyers, we believe that our promise to support diversity is both an academic and professional duty.

Increasing the diversity of the legal profession and developing the cultural competency of our students is part of the Law School’s commitment to promoting equal access to justice and training the best professionals in all fields of legal practice.

This website is a resource for students, staff, faculty, and prospective students to learn about the diversity of experience and background on our campus and to access relevant resources, events and policies.