April 20, 2015

17th Annual Joyce Ann Harpole Event

“Love of Life & the Law” was the theme of the 17th annual Joyce Ann Harpole event, held on April 7, 2015 at the offices of Joyce’s former firm, Stoel Rives LLP. Joyce Harpole ’79 was admired for achieving balance between her legal career and family, friends and community service. She is remembered for her integrity, professionalism and delight for life, and her friends, family and classmates honor her spirit and achievements by awarding the annual Joyce Ann Harpole Scholarship and the Harpole Attorney Award.

“Love of Life & the Law” was the theme of the 17th annual Joyce Ann Harpole event, held on April 7, 2015 at the offices of Joyce’s former firm, Stoel Rives LLP. Joyce Harpole ’79 was admired for achieving balance between her legal career and family, friends and community service. She is remembered for her integrity, professionalism and delight for life, and her friends, family and classmates honor her spirit and achievements by awarding the annual Joyce Ann Harpole Scholarship and the Harpole Attorney Award.

This year’s event kicked off with a CLE panel discussion led by Barnes Ellis, Kevin O’Connell and past Harpole Award recipient Dana Sullivan. The panel offered examples of their own experiences with balancing a busy legal career with a fulfilling personal life, and the insights they have gained into what works and what doesn’t. Attendees came away with helpful suggestions, such as learn that it’s ok to say “no,” and taking time to add joy to life will make for a happier, more successful lawyer.

After the CLE, the Harpole Memorial Scholarship and Attorney Award were presented at a reception in honor of Megan Lang ’16 and Laura Schantz ’94, this year’s recipients. Friends and family were on hand to celebrate Megan and Laura and their accomplishments. At the reception, Dean Jennifer Johnson offered her own tip for a balanced life: become a grandparent, and you’ll realize that there is nothing more important than spending time focused solely on the children in your life.

Megan Lang is known by her classmates as a person of great integrity who goes out of her way to be helpful to classmates. One of her friends described her as patient, generous and “always smiling.” Megan has been a teaching fellow for several classes through the Academic Enhancement Program, which helps 1L students with extra classes and tutoring. Megan is also a competitive belly dancer, in addition to being a conscientious student and working at the L&C Tax Clinic.

Laura Schantz is well-respected as an outstanding family law attorney, as former President of the Washington County Bar Association, and as a community volunteer. To her former classmates, she is perhaps best known for being a working mother with four small children while she was an evening law student at Lewis & Clark. Family is still a cornerstone of Laura’s schedule: you will not find her in her busy law office on Fridays, because she takes that day off to care for her three grandchildren. To the Washington County legal community, Laura is known as an advocate for the local bar and as a judge pro-tem, playing a large part in improving the County’s mediation program. Laura has been an outstanding mentor for law students and new lawyers, and is an acknowledged expert in the Oregon Family Law community.