Jenny Chen

Give us your brief background!

I immigrated to the United States when I was 8 years-old and I know 5 languages. I studied politics in college, worked on campaigns and interned in legislatures throughout undergrad, and took two gap years before law school to teach English in Spain.

What made you want to go to law school?

The political climate of my high school years made me passionate about civil rights and the academic pursuits of my college years made me interested in environmentalism.

Why did you choose Lewis & Clark?

Lewis & Clark is the nation’s premier environmental law school, home to the nation’s best environmental moot court team, and would allow me the opportunity to go on exchange to Scotland again.

Did you visit campus before deciding to come to L&C? How did your visit influence your decision to attend?

I picked Lewis & Clark as my dream law school at 3AM the night before my physics final on the last day of my junior year of college based on the reputation of the environmental law program and that alone. Because I was living in Spain at the time, I wasn’t able to visit campus during the admissions cycle. Prior to moving here for 1L year, I had actually never been west of Iowa before, but I just *knew* that my strong gut feeling about my dream law school could not be wrong.

Do you have any advice for students making their final law school choices?

My advice to students making their final law school choices is to ask yourself if you could vividly imagine living your life there.

How did your financial aid package influence your decision to attend Lewis & Clark?

I turned down a full-ride from the nation’s other top environmental law school in order to attend Lewis & Clark, which was a bold financial decision, but one made possible by the generous amount of merit scholarship I received here.

What is your favorite thing about living in Portland?

My favorite thing about living in Portland is the climate of the PNW.

What’s your favorite class? Why?

My favorite class was Civil Procedure with Professor Klonoff. I love civil procedure and Professor Klonoff is a legendary, nationally-renowned scholar of the subject.

List up to three activities that you are involved in. Pick the ones that are most important to you and tell us why.

I am volunteering at the Clear Clinic this semester doing criminal records expungement work which helps people get out of the criminal legal system and gives them a fresh start. I deeply believe in the work of criminal justice reform and it is a privilege to be able to help.

How has your experience at Lewis & Clark Law School impacted your perspectives?

I came into law school with deep convictions about fairness and justice that have not budged a single inch since I started, and I intend to graduate with the same unwavering principles and values that I arrived here with. However, in my time here, Lewis & Clark has given me the education, the skillset, and the opportunities to do something about those convictions of mine.

What was the hardest thing about adjusting to law school?

Law school was academically a very easy adjustment for me (which is not a super common experience for law students across the board) but I found it really challenging to navigate the newfound responsibility of having to manage my emerging career in law, and to have to do it well.

What did you do/plan to do during the summers?

I will be spending my post-1L summer as a fellow at Gibbs Mura in Oakland, CA doing plaintiff-side civil litigation work. There, I will get to work on consumer protection mass arbitrations and class actions. I will also be spending my post-1L summer as Professor Klonoff’s research assistant and working on the Wright & Miller treatises on class actions.

What experiential learning have you participated in and what was your favorite part?

I participated in LIT (Litigation Intensive Training), a mock trial club catered towards 1Ls, throughout the year and we took our criminal case to competition in February. I did mock trial in high school and I was the founding-president of my team in college, so I loved being back in the courtroom again. After all, mock trial was how I first discovered my passion for litigation.

Who is your mentor on campus? Why did you consider this person your mentor?

Professor Klonoff is one of my many mentors here at Lewis & Clark and I am so grateful to have all of them in my corner. Professor Klonoff has believed in me and my dreams from the start, and I am so grateful to have his footsteps to follow in as I explore a career in civil litigation.

What is your favorite spot on campus?

My favorite spot on campus is the amphitheater on a warm day when everyone is out basking in the sun and having lunch with their friends under blue skies.

Were you considering any other schools or programs besides Lewis & Clark? What sets L&C apart?

I was strongly considering Pace because they gave me a full-ride scholarship and because they are the nation’s other top environmental law school. However, Lewis & Clark allowed me the opportunity to study environmental law in the beautiful PNW and offered a more rigorous legal education with better outcomes post-grad.

Do you have any other stories, comments, or experiences you would like to share?

NEDC (Northwest Environmental Defense Center) hosts Westwind, an environmental law retreat to a lush campsite on the Pacific, every late summer and it is truly one of the highlights of being an environmental law student at Lewis & Clark. The Pacific Northwest is so beautiful and I feel very lucky to be studying law alongside like-minded people who are deeply committed to the preservation of our one precious planet.