Dear Friends,
It is hard to believe that we are already partway through the spring semester! This academic year has been a busy one, filled with exciting opportunities for our students and intense work from faculty and staff. With growing applications and enrollment, and an energy in the building flowing from our first year class through to our upcoming May graduates, the school has a momentum that is meeting the moment. There is a lot happening - so please keep reading for more about our Clinics, our new Alaska Program, faculty scholarship, and a new Director of Licensure here at Willamette Law.
Clinical Success: As many of you already know (or experienced firsthand), our clinical law students work alongside expert faculty each semester to address some of the most significant legal challenges facing individuals in the state of Oregon. In doing so, they refine their professional skills and gain confidence working with real clients while also providing essential legal services that strengthen our community. Our clinics not only help transform the lives of the clients they serve, but the lives of our students in their journeys to becoming skilled, thoughtful, and committed professionals.
And those clinics have been busy! Between Fall 2024 and Fall 2025:
Summer in Alaska: I am thrilled to share that we are launching a new Alaska Law Summer Immersion Program. The program is a month-long, credit-bearing summer program being taught on the campus of University of Alaska - Anchorage. This residential program blends rigorous coursework addressing the unique aspects of law and legal practice in Alaska with once-in-a-lifetime experiences in one of the most legally distinctive regions of the United States. Students can earn four to five elective credits while studying pressing legal issues involving the environment and natural resources, Alaska Natives, rural criminal justice, and other Alaska-specific topics. We have already connected with many of you in Alaska about this project, but please reach out if you haven’t yet heard from us and would like to participate.
Faculty Scholarship: Our Willamette Law faculty continue to tackle some of the most pressing and complex questions facing our legal system today. Their scholarly conversations address topics ranging from the future of American democracy and the mechanics of presidential power to the political economy of crime and punishment. Our faculty’s engagement with intellectually rigorous and socially engaged scholarship reflects Willamette Law’s long-standing commitment to advance meaningful legal discourse in our community. Here are a few of the ways that our faculty have been contributing to our community:
Director of Licensure: Finally, I wanted to let you know that we are hiring a new staff member to serve as a Director of Licensure. As the world of licensure has become more complex and states are both transitioning to the “Next Gen” bar exam and adopting paths to licensure other than a bar exam, this Director will focus on all matters relating to the exam and licensure. They will serve as a career and professional advisor to students, instruct students on bar preparation and basic skills, and work with our excellent faculty, staff, and Dean’s team to ensure that our students successfully make the move from student to professional. Please spread the word about the position (or even apply if you’d like to join us!).
Thank you. As always, I am continually grateful for the role our alumni play in shaping the momentum of our law school. Your engagement with our students, advocacy for the law school, and ongoing support help to ensure that Willamette Law remains rigorous, relevant, and deeply connected to the profession and the legal community. On behalf of the students, faculty, and staff, thank you for all you do to help us educate the next generation of lawyers. I look forward to connecting with you soon.
Sincerely,
Jeff Dobbins
Dean & Professor of Law
It is hard to believe that we are already partway through the spring semester! This academic year has been a busy one, filled with exciting opportunities for our students and intense work from faculty and staff. With growing applications and enrollment, and an energy in the building flowing from our first year class through to our upcoming May graduates, the school has a momentum that is meeting the moment. There is a lot happening - so please keep reading for more about our Clinics, our new Alaska Program, faculty scholarship, and a new Director of Licensure here at Willamette Law.
Clinical Success: As many of you already know (or experienced firsthand), our clinical law students work alongside expert faculty each semester to address some of the most significant legal challenges facing individuals in the state of Oregon. In doing so, they refine their professional skills and gain confidence working with real clients while also providing essential legal services that strengthen our community. Our clinics not only help transform the lives of the clients they serve, but the lives of our students in their journeys to becoming skilled, thoughtful, and committed professionals.
And those clinics have been busy! Between Fall 2024 and Fall 2025:
- Our Criminal Defense Clinic trained twenty students to handle over 100 misdemeanor criminal cases.
- Over forty students participated in our Trusts & Estates clinic, completing 109 estate plans - and 89 of those were for tribal elders of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde.
- Our Immigration Clinic completed 77 cases, including 32 for rural-based clients. Our two clinical professors trained 32 students, including ten advanced students.
Summer in Alaska: I am thrilled to share that we are launching a new Alaska Law Summer Immersion Program. The program is a month-long, credit-bearing summer program being taught on the campus of University of Alaska - Anchorage. This residential program blends rigorous coursework addressing the unique aspects of law and legal practice in Alaska with once-in-a-lifetime experiences in one of the most legally distinctive regions of the United States. Students can earn four to five elective credits while studying pressing legal issues involving the environment and natural resources, Alaska Natives, rural criminal justice, and other Alaska-specific topics. We have already connected with many of you in Alaska about this project, but please reach out if you haven’t yet heard from us and would like to participate.
Faculty Scholarship: Our Willamette Law faculty continue to tackle some of the most pressing and complex questions facing our legal system today. Their scholarly conversations address topics ranging from the future of American democracy and the mechanics of presidential power to the political economy of crime and punishment. Our faculty’s engagement with intellectually rigorous and socially engaged scholarship reflects Willamette Law’s long-standing commitment to advance meaningful legal discourse in our community. Here are a few of the ways that our faculty have been contributing to our community:
- Professor Laura Appleman recently published The Secret History of the Carceral State in the Maryland Law Review and Big Capital and the Carceral State in the Hastings Law Journal.
- Professor Robin Maril’s book, A Queer Guide to Saving American Democracy, is forthcoming from Cambridge University Press.
- Professor Emily Poor’s article Carceral Shell Games: The Racial and Political Economy of Crime Victim Compensation is forthcoming in the Stanford Journal of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.
- Professor Norman Williams’ latest book, Who Nominates? A History of the U.S. Presidential Nomination Process was published this past June by the Cambridge University Press.
Director of Licensure: Finally, I wanted to let you know that we are hiring a new staff member to serve as a Director of Licensure. As the world of licensure has become more complex and states are both transitioning to the “Next Gen” bar exam and adopting paths to licensure other than a bar exam, this Director will focus on all matters relating to the exam and licensure. They will serve as a career and professional advisor to students, instruct students on bar preparation and basic skills, and work with our excellent faculty, staff, and Dean’s team to ensure that our students successfully make the move from student to professional. Please spread the word about the position (or even apply if you’d like to join us!).
Thank you. As always, I am continually grateful for the role our alumni play in shaping the momentum of our law school. Your engagement with our students, advocacy for the law school, and ongoing support help to ensure that Willamette Law remains rigorous, relevant, and deeply connected to the profession and the legal community. On behalf of the students, faculty, and staff, thank you for all you do to help us educate the next generation of lawyers. I look forward to connecting with you soon.
Sincerely,
Jeff Dobbins
Dean & Professor of Law
