From the Dean
We have begun another academic year with an exciting and talented group of new first-year students.
Dear friends,
We have begun another academic year with an exciting and talented group of new first-year students.
Our returning students have come back to campus from summer jobs and externships with new skills and insights into the practice of law. Faculty have completed scholarly projects and updated their syllabuses.
As always, these developments enrich our community in countless ways.
I’m honored to guide our school this fall as interim dean after Jennifer Johnson’s extraordinary 10-year service. Jennifer’s leadership has shaped and prepared our students and our law school to respond to the challenges of the ever-changing legal landscape.
We also look forward to welcoming our new dean—Alicia Ouellette—in January 2025. She brings a wealth of experience as a teacher, scholar, and leader. And, she shares the values, sense of community, and focus on our students that have always characterized this law school.
You can learn more about Jennifer and Alicia in these pages, along with the many recent accomplishments of our faculty and alumni including:
- Professor Juliet Stumpf, who coined the term “crimmigration” to reflect how immigration and criminal law have become deeply intertwined and also hosted an international conference of leading legal scholars at Lewis & Clark this past winter.
- Professor Keith Cunningham-Parmeter, who is exploring the power of customer ratings systems on gig workers and how these systems impact antidiscrimination protections in employment law.
- Alum Matt Bergman ’89, who is leading the efforts of parents and children to hold social media giants accountable for mental health issues caused by these platforms.
Our students also have achieved numerous successes, including arguing before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, receiving the “Most Professional Team” award at the National Trial Competition, continuing invaluable advocacy work in our clinics, and achieving the highest post-graduate employment rate of any law school in Oregon and the highest bar pass rate in the state.
On behalf of the students, faculty, and staff of Lewis & Clark Law School, I thank you for your continued engagement with our school. These achievements, and many others like them, are only possible with your support. We are so grateful for your commitment to our students, who embody the future of legal education and the practice of law.
Best wishes,
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John T. Parry
Interim Dean and Edward Brunet Professor of Law
Jennifer Johnson
Dean and Erskine Wood Sr. Professor of Law
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