Sandy Patrick, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Law, has received the 2026 Leo Levinson Award for Teaching Excellence, given annually since 1976 by the graduating class. The award honors Leo Levinson (1903–1981), a distinguished attorney and Oregon State Bar member for 56 years, who was also a highly respected instructor with the law school for many years.
“Dean Patrick has been such a mentor and source of light for me throughout law school,” said Sabrina Butcher ’26, who presented the award on behalf of the 2026 class. She credits Dean Patrick for setting students up for success with foundational skills such as legal writing, while also creating opportunities and serving as a “multi-faceted resource.”
“During 2L, when I was looking for a faculty supervisor for my individual research capstone, I knew exactly who to ask. Dean Patrick helped me develop a writing schedule, contour my topic, and edit it into a work I was proud of. I’ve gone back to her books and everything she taught me that first semester of 1L as I’ve written for both classes and externships. In addition to creating such reliable resources, she is also constantly available to students to give advice or simply catch up,” Butcher said.
In recorded remarks to this year’s graduates, Dean Patrick said, “You’ve been extraordinary in what you’ve accomplished and what you’ve given to this place. Especially in the last two turbulent years, you leaned into discomfort. Even when feeling helpless, you’ve doubled down, donating your time and talents to vulnerable people. And you’ve brought grace and a good sense of humor, helping us all weather the hard times.”
Patrick earned her JD at the University of Tennessee School of Law in 1994 and went on to clerk for the Hon. David H. Welles on the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals. She practiced law in Tennessee as an Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Appeals and Death Penalty Division, arguing cases before the state appellate and supreme courts, federal district courts, and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. She went into private practice with the international law firm of Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, and taught legal writing at Wake Forest University prior to joining the Lewis & Clark Law faculty in 2001.
Patrick has co-authored two textbooks on foundational concepts for legal writing and analysis, An Advocate Persuades and A Lawyer Writes, which teach students foundational concepts of critical reading, legal analysis, and communication of that analysis for both predictive and persuasive legal documents.
Dean Patrick previously won the Levinson Award in 2019 and 2023.
