Distinguished Honors
Alumni Relations hosted its annual award dinner on January 25, 2014, celebrating honorees for their accomplishments and service to the law school community.
Distinguished Graduate Award
Honoring a graduate who has made a positive mark on the profession and whose contributions to the community have brought honor to themselves and the law school
Judge Michael J. McShane ’88
McShane worked for the Metropolitan Public Defender in Portland for nearly a decade before being appointed to the state bench in 1997, where he presided over a variety of jury and bench trials in Oregon’s largest circuit court. In 2005, he was named to the death penalty panel. He presided over 25 capital homicide cases during his state court tenure.
In 2004, Governor Ted Kulongoski named McShane to his Council on Offender Re-Entry, tasked with improving the success rates of parolees returning to society after their incarceration by increasing the availability of counseling, mentoring, job training, and drug treatment services in prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities.
On and off the bench, McShane has been especially committed to helping at-risk youth. He spent six years on the board of St. Andrew Nativity School, a tuition-free middle school designed to ready children living in poverty for a college preparatory education. As a state judge, McShane brought students from alternative schools into his courtroom on a weekly basis to expose them to the justice system. He has partnered with several other schools and with Job Corps to provide internship opportunities, and through the Portland Classroom Law Project, McShane presided over the Summer Law Camp for inner-city kids. In his own life, he is an adoptive and foster parent.
McShane taught evidence at Oregon’s New Judge’s College and is a frequent lecturer at bar association conferences, CLE seminars, and in law school classes. He has been an adjunct law professor at Lewis & Clark, where he taught trial advocacy and the criminal practice seminar. He was also involved in the law school’s mentoring program and was named Mentor of the Year in 2009. McShane was awarded the Oregon State Bar President’s Public Service Award for his service to the community in 2012.
McShane was nominated to the federal court by President Obama in September of 2012, and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 20, 2013. He serves as a U.S. District Judge in Eugene, Oregon, where he lives with his partner, Gregory Ford, and their two dogs.
Distinguished Honorary Graduate Award
Honoring a nongraduate who exemplifies commitment to the law school
Judge Michael H. Simon
Simon has earned a reputation as one of the Northwest’s legal stars. In the courts, he is known as a staunch defender of consumer protection, antitrust laws, and the First Amendment. A Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, he has engaged in extensive pro bono work and has volunteered for many nonprofit organizations. He serves on the board of directors and is president of the Classroom Law Project. As an adjunct professor, mentor, and supporter of the law school and its students, Simon has consistently and selflessly contributed to the life of Lewis & Clark. He has found the time to be deeply involved in his community, displaying a commitment to voluntarism, civic participation, and public service.
Simon is married to U.S. Representative Suzanne Bonamici. They have two adult children.
Recent Graduate Council Rising Star Award
Honoring a graduate for outstanding achievement, entrepreneurship, or leadership in a legal field
Jennifer L. Woodhouse BA ’03, JD ’08
Experienced in dealing with a range of tax matters, including audits and collection, innocent spouse, and state and federal tax court cases, Woodhouse also helps clients respond to lien and levy notices and evaluate and pursue collection options. She represents clients through the trust fund recovery penalty interview process and assists estate planning clients with probate, trust administration, and the preparation of wills, trusts, advance directives, and powers of attorney.
Woodhouse is active in the Oregon State Bar Taxation Section and currently serves on the Executive, Newsletter, and New Tax Lawyers Committees. In the American Bar Association, she has been appointed to the Membership Board of the Young Lawyers Division and serves on the 2014 Fall Conference Host Committee. She is also a member of the Estate Planning and Administration Section of the Oregon State Bar, the Multnomah Bar Association, and Oregon Women Lawyers.
Woodhouse is a mentor at the law school and volunteers with the Multnomah County Library as a citizenship instructor. She was named an Up and Coming Lawyer for 2012 by the Daily Journal of Commerce of Oregon, a distinction that recognizes outstanding commitment to both the legal profession and the community.
Recent Graduate Council Community Spirit Award
Honoring a graduate for notable community, public, or humanitarian service work
Rakeem Washington ’08
Washington subsequently served as a resource coordinator and student advocate at Roosevelt High School, where he worked to eliminate disparities for youth of color.
After the death of his father, who owned and operated the Portland Observer, Washington, in addition to working full-time, took the reins of the community newspaper with his brother Mark. The Portland Observer is the oldest minority publication in Oregon. The paper has historically served as a voice for the underserved in Portland and continues to fulfill that role today under Washington’s leadership. He is committed to preserving not only his family’s legacy, but the legacy of the publication as an important part of Portland’s landscape.
Washington is married to Molly Allison Washington ’08 and has two young children.
Photo Gallery
- Recent Graduate Council President Holly Rudolph ’10, Dean and Jordan D. Schnitzer Professor of Law Robert Klonoff, the Hon. Michael McShane ’88, the Hon. Michael H. Simon, Rakeem Washington ’08, and Alumni Board Vice President Dan Eller ’04.Kerry Davis
- Kerry Davis
- The Hon. Michael H. Simon and Henry J. Casey Professor of Law Ed Brunet.Kerry Davis
- Dean and Jordan D. Schnitzer Professor of Law Robert Klonoff, Recent Graduate Council President Holly Rudolph ’10, and Alumni Board Vice President Dan Eller ’04.Kerry Davis
- U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici and the Hon. Michael H. Simon.Kerry Davis
- The Hon. Michael H. Simon.Kerry Davis
- The Hon. Michael H. Simon and Alumni Board Vice President Dan Eller ’04.Kerry Davis
- The Hon. Michael H. Simon, U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, and Dean and Jordan D. Schnitzer Professor of Law Robert Klonoff.Kerry Davis
- The Hon. Cheryl Albrecht ’93, Roberta Phillip ’06, and the Hon. Marco Hernandez.Kerry Davis
- Jacob Howa-Morrow, U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, and Recent Graduate Council member Jackson Howa-Morrow ’10.Kerry Davis
- The Hon. Michael McShane ’88 and Henry J. Casey Professor of Law Ed Brunet.Kerry Davis
- The Hon. Eric Bergstrom ’90.Kerry Davis
- Trung Tu ’00 and the Hon. Michael McShane ’88.Kerry Davis
- The Hon. Michael McShane ’88 and Michael Hsu ’11.Kerry Davis
- The Hon. Michael H. Simon and the Hon. Michael McShane ’88.Kerry Davis
- Trung Tu ’00, Paul Shoen ’06, the Hon. Michael McShane ’88, Will McLaren ’14, and Michael Hsu ’11.Kerry Davis
- Alumni Board Vice President Dan Eller ’04 and the Hon. Michael McShane ’88.Kerry Davis
- Gregory Ford and the Hon. Michael McShane ’88.Kerry Davis
- James Cleavenger, Michael Hsu ’11, Will McLaren ’14, Elizabeth Warner, the Hon. Eric Bergstrom ’90, the Hon. Michael McShane ’88, and Gregory Ford.Kerry Davis
- Recent Graduate Council member Jackson Howa-Morrow ’10, Jacob Howa-Morrow, Michael Hsu ’11, the Hon. Anna Brown ’80, and Gregory Ford.Kerry Davis
- Will McLaren ’13 and the Hon. Michael McShane ’88.Kerry Davis
- Gregory Ford, Dean and Jordan D. Schnitzer Professor of Law Robert Klonoff, Michael Hsu ’11, Paul Shoen ’06, Trung Tu ’00, Will McLaren ’14, the Hon. Michael McShane ’88, the Hon. Michael H. Simon, and U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici.Kerry Davis
- The Hon. Marco Hernandez, the Hon. Michael H. Simon, the Hon. Michael McShane ’88, and the Hon. Anna Brown ’80.Kerry Davis
- Roberta Phillip ’06 and Recent Graduate Council President Holly Rudolph ’10.Kerry Davis
- Roberta Phillip ’06.Kerry Davis
- Roberta Phillip ’06 and Rakeem Washington ’08.Kerry Davis
- Recent Graduate Council President Holly Rudolph ’10 and Rakeem Washington ’08.Kerry Davis
- Recent Graduate Council President Holly Rudolph ’10, Rakeem Washington ’08, and Roberta Phillip ’06.Kerry Davis
- Recent Graduate Council President Holly Rudolph ’10, Rakeem Washington ’08, and Molly Allison Washington ’08.Kerry Davis
- Recent Graduate Council President Holly Rudolph ’10, Rakeem Washington ’08, Dean and Jordan D. Schnitzer Professor of Law Robert Klonoff.Kerry Davis
- Carlos Santayana and Executive Legal Assistant to the Dean Anh Le.Kerry Davis
- Jerry Eshoo, Elizabeth Washington, Rakeem Washington ’08, and Molly Allison Washington ’08.Kerry Davis
- Friends and family, including Mark Washington (second from left) and Elizabeth Washington (fourth from left), celebrate with Rakeem Washington ’08 and Molly Allison Washington ’08.Kerry Davis
- The Hon. Michael H. Simon, Rakeem Washington ’08, and the Hon. Michael McShane ’88.Kerry Davis
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email jasbury@lclark.edu
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Judy Asbury, Assistant Dean, Communications and External Relations
Advocate Magazine
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