Dear Friends,
With the law school’s 139th Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 18, we were thrilled to have concluded another successful academic year here at Willamette Law. Commencement is always a joyful celebration, and I’m sure many of you fondly remember your own.
This year, we were honored to have Oregon Court of Appeals Judge Steven Powers JD’01 as, our Commencement speaker. His remarks, which focused on the power of both asking questions and listening to the answers, are ones that our graduates will carry with them long into their legal careers.
We were also lucky enough to recognize a few key faculty members at this year’s ceremony:
- Professor and Dean Emeritus Symeon C. Symeonides was named Alex L. Parks Distinguished Professor of Law Emeritus, honoring his remarkable legacy and impact on generations of students. Professor Symeonides retired from teaching at the end of this academic year.
- Professor Norman Williams was awarded the Robert L. Misner Award for Faculty Scholarship, which is presented each year to a Willamette Law professor whose scholarship has contributed significantly to the national or international legal canon.
- As voted on by the graduating class, Professor Susan Cook JD’96 was honored as the 2025 Law Faculty Member of the Year for the significant impact her teaching has had on the class.
- The Jerry E. Hudson Award for Excellence in Teaching was presented to Professors Sarah Purce and Beth Zilberman for their excellence in teaching and distinguished leadership.
We now turn to the summer! Many of our students are working in their first legal jobs; others are taking summer classes, and, of course, our recent graduates are focused on preparing for the bar exam and their permanent jobs. I hope you all will join me in wishing our graduates the best of luck as they spend the coming weeks studying. It does not go unnoticed how many of you hire our graduates or help to mentor our students as they prepare for practice. The support of this community, in particular our alumni, is truly unique and appreciated.
And as long as I am on the topic of this community, I wanted to share a personal thank you to all of you for supporting me as I served in the role of interim Dean over the last year. I am grateful to have been asked to serve as the law school’s 23rd Dean. After nearly two decades on the faculty, I look forward to leading the law school into its next chapter.
In the coming years, we will maintain the school’s positive momentum while encouraging continuous improvement through creativity and collaboration. Relying on a strong faculty and efficient staff, as well as my own long experience with the school and the state of Oregon, we will enhance the programs that are going well while restructuring or creating completely new places where Willamette Law can stand out in the coming years. We have a strong foundation here at the law school, and I plan to continue building on that.
I plan to particularly focus on student outcomes by emphasizing bar passage and attorney licensure while continuing the school’s strong career placement results. We need to continue to work hard to ensure that every student who comes to our school receives the education and support they need to be transformed into excellent practicing attorneys. Hopefully, they will find many moments to enjoy learning about the law along the way!
As I begin my time as Dean, I look forward to hearing from all of you about how we can work together to improve the law school. Thank you all for your continued support and dedication to the Willamette Law community. Please reach out if you’d like to connect with us.
Sincerely,
Jeff Dobbins
