Distinguished Honors Dinner to Recognize Graduates, Professor

The Lewis & Clark Law School Distinguished Honors, slated for February 3, will recognize three alumni and one professor for their accomplishments and service to the law school and the community. The honorees are Senator Betsy Johnson, ’77, Professor Doug Newell, Michael Hsu, ’11, and J. Ashlee Albies, ’05.

Senator Betsy Johnson will receive the Distinguished Graduate Award, which honors graduates who have made a positive mark on the legal profession, and whose contributions to the community have brought honor to themselves and the law school.

Betsy is serving her third term in the Oregon Senate and in leadership positions on the Ways and Means Committee. A champion of legislation that created the Oregon Department of Aviation, Johnson has served on a number of local, regional and national boards and commissions.

The Distinguished Honorary Graduate Award, which honors a non-graduate who exemplifies commitment to the law school, will go to beloved contracts and entertainment law professor Doug Newell. Doug is a six-time winner of the Leo Levinson Award for Excellence in Teaching, and has educated countless law students.

The Recent Graduate Rising Star Award will be given to Hsu, who was appointed to the Parole Board at the age of 31. This award recognizes a graduate for outstanding achievement, entrepreneurship or leadership in the legal field. Michael is also a leader within the Padilla Project for Multnomah Public Defenders, an organization that advises defense attorneys on possible immigration consequences in criminal cases.

Ashlee Albies will receive the Recent Graduate Community Spirit Award – an honor that recognizes a graduate for notable community, public or humanitarian work – for her efforts to eradicate racism, sexism, discrimination and other injustices. 

Ashlee is the former Chair of the Oregon State Bar Civil Rights Section Executive Committee and former Co-Chair of the Portland Chapter of National Lawyers, and regularly provides pro bono services to those in need.

The dinner will be held from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the Ecotrust Building at 721 NW 9^th Avenue, Portland, OR. Dean Jennifer Johnson and the Alumni Board of Directors invite you to RSVP no later than January 24, 2018, online or at (503)-768-6890. Tickets are $100 per seat and $950 for a table of ten.