Dear Friends,
I hope you have all enjoyed a relaxing summer. A new academic year is already underway at Willamette Law - a year that will bring new and exciting opportunities for our students. After a year as interim dean, I feel fortunate to enter this year as the 23rd Dean of the law school, and I look forward to all that we will accomplish together.
We recently hosted orientation for our newest class of students, which will be our largest in over a decade. The class of 2028 includes 139 students, plus 2 MLS, 2 LLM students and 1 transfer. These students come from 71 schools and 20 states. We also have 51.43% who are Oregon residents. At orientation, this class of students was curious, engaged, and enthusiastic about beginning their law school journeys.
It was a pleasure to have many of our alums involved in orientation for our professionalism program. Each year, our students share how impactful it is to hear from prominent lawyers and judges about their experiences growing in the legal profession. This opportunity shows our students firsthand what is possible with a Willamette Law education.
In addition to welcoming our new students, we also have three new faculty members joining us this fall.
- Professor Michelle Bryan joins us as a Visiting Professor of Law. She comes to Willamette from the University of Montana Law School where she teaches in the Natural Resources & Environmental Law Program. She will teach a section of Torts this fall, and will also teach courses in Environmental Law, Water Law, and Public Lands.
- Professor Rachael Dickson joins us as a tenure track Assistant Professor of Law. With a particular interest in trademark, she also brings extensive experience in intellectual property and entrepreneurship. Along with a seminar, she will teach Property to our 1L students, an IP Law survey course, and a simulation course on Intellectual Property and Business Development.
- Professor Nikki Hatza joins us as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Law following her time as an adjunct faculty member at Temple University Law School. She also completed two federal district court judicial clerkships in Philadelphia. At Willamette, she will teach a section of Contracts I, Civil Rights and Litigation, and Employment Law.
I want to extend my gratitude to each one of you who helps us to extend Willamette Law’s culture of support and mentorship to every one of our new and returning community members. Whether it is through participating in our Attorney Mentor program, hiring students, attending events, making contributions to our Annual Fund, or through the many other ways you show your support, I am impressed over and over again by the continued dedication of our alumni who go above and beyond. On behalf of our students, 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
