Associate Dean of the Environmental, Natural Resources and Energy Law, Janice Weis, began her leadership of the environmental program in 1994 as director, and was eventually named as associate dean in 2007. She announced her retirement this year, and will stay on until the new Assistant Dean Courtney Johnson ’07 is here in late August. We asked Janice to reflect on her 30+ years at the law school.
Looking back on your years at the law school, what moments stand out most vividly?
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
I am most proud of creating a hub for students interested in environmental law - serving as the “go to” place for students. Talking to students about their hopes and dreams for their careers and how I might help them accomplish their goals (and then seeing them out there in the world doing amazing things in the environmental field) has been my proudest accomplishment. I also enjoyed learning to spot when a student needed a little extra support or confidence boost or alternatively, some tough love. I am also proud of and deeply grateful for the relationship I have with each of the environmental faculty and staff and what we have built together as a team. I have always felt supported by this amazing team which made me even prouder to be one of the faces of the program in the external world. Together, we have built a powerhouse of a program.
What advice did you find yourself giving students again and again?
Trust me, you do not want to take 19 credits next semester….
What gives you hope about the next generation of lawyers?
This next generation is truly inspirational. Despite some big changes happening in our field over the past few years, they remain optimistic, ready to face the challenges of today’s world, and ready to think creatively about how to use a variety of innovative legal tools to solve environmental problems.
What has this institution meant to you personally?
It is hard to describe to people who haven’t interacted with Lewis & Clark how special a place this is to work. The culture of our law school sets it apart from any other law school, in my opinion. The kindness of my fellow administrators and deans and the way we support each other is pretty incredible. And, getting to work with some of the biggest environmental faculty brains in the country (who are also very fun and collaborative) has been exceptional. What an honor to have spent the vast majority of my legal career in this environment!
What is a memory that always makes you laugh?
I was always very picky about the set up for any of the events I was running - always checking for temperature, lighting, and any strange noises that could be distracting. One year, I was running an endangered species workshop in Colorado with Dan Rohlf and we were at a lodge at the top of a mountain and there was an ice maker up there that was making an incredible racket into our meeting room. The events people said we could turn it off. So, the person assisting me with the conference and I examined the machine to figure out how to turn it off. It turned out that the off switch was all the way back deep into the ice machine (it was a giant machine) and our arms were too short to reach it. So I held her legs and she dove in through the ice to get to that dang switch. But, of course, we couldn’t help but laugh hysterically while we were doing this very strange thing which I am sure was far more distracting than the rattle of the ice machine…
What are your plans for the next chapter in your life?
I am looking forward to lots of travel and biking and hiking all over the US and the world and spending more time with friends and family.
