Lewis & Clark Law School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Lewis & Clark Law School |
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| Established | 1915 |
| Type | Private |
| Postgraduates | 700 |
| Location | Portland, Oregon, USA |
| Interim Dean | Lydia Loren |
| Website | law.lclark.edu |
Lewis and Clark Law School (L&C), or Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College by its full name, is a private American law school located in Portland, Oregon. Its enrollment is small and fairly selective. For the last two years, L&C's Environmental Law program has been the highest-rated in the United States.
L&C offers the Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree, with optional certificate programs in the following areas: Business and Commercial Law, Criminal Law, Intellectual Property Law, Environmental and Natural Resources Law, and Tax Law. The master of laws (L.L.M.) degree is offered in Environmental Law. Located on the Southern end of Portland in the hills west of the Willamette River, Lewis & Clark Law School is associated with Lewis & Clark College, and reflects the progressive values of both Portland and the College.
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[edit] Academic Programs
Lewis & Clark Law thrives on several unique and well-affiliated departmental programs. The law school as a whole is ranked 77th in the United States in US News and World Report's controversial ratings, and its Environmental Law Program is ranked first nationwide. In addition to the usual coursework, each law program has affiliated interest groups and societies, as well as possible mentoring programs.
[edit] Environmental Law Program
The Environmental Law (e-law) program is a high-profile academic program. Unofficially, the courses offered derive into two general areas: pollution control and natural resources management. Pollution-control courses tend to focus on regulation of industrial waste products. Natural-resource-management courses tend to involve restrictions on use of land and water to prevent ecological damage. Practical experience in the field of environmental law is developed through a variety of clinics, skills courses, and organizations present on campus. Many of these groups focus on the Pacific Northwest, although any related environmental work of student interest is encouraged.
[edit] PEAC / NEDC
The Pacific Environmental Advocacy Center (PEAC) and the Northwest Environmental Defense Center (NEDC) are among two organizations hosted at L&C, where students apply practical environmental-law skills. Both these groups regularly file motions and negotiate with government, industry, community groups, and other NGO's.
[edit] Indian (Native American) Law
With the recent inclusion of Indian Law on the Oregon State Bar, the Indian Law program at L&C has received a boost in attention. In addition to the coursework taught during the fall and spring semesters, L&C has an Indian Law Summer Program, in which legal scholars come to teach at Lewis & Clark. During the fall and spring hiring process, representatives of Indian interest groups and Indian courts have appeared at L&C.
[edit] Intellectual Property
The Intellectual Property program at L&C benefits greatly from the proximity of Portland. As the 6th largest city on the West Coast of the U.S., Portland is host to Intel, Nike, and other technology firms both local and international. In addition, several local law firms are involved with intellectual property.
[edit] Law Reviews
Three law reviews exist at L&C, as well as at least one legal newsletter. Each of the law reviews is edited and reviewed by law student staff. The newsletter follows a similar method of review. Publications include:
- Lewis & Clark Law Review (est. 1996) - A general law review, formerly the Journal of Small and Emerging Business Law, founded in 1996
- Lewis & Clark Environmental Law Review (est. 1969) - The US's oldest law review dedicated solely to environmental issues
- Lewis & Clark Animal Law Review (est. 1992) - The first US law review devoted to legal issues involving animals
- Newsletters
- Oregon Intellectual Property Newsletter (est. 1999)
[edit] History
L&C has its roots in the state school of law that was created in 1884. In 1915 the Oregon legislature formally moved the state's law school from Portland to Eugene, but the law faculty resisted the move and reformed the school as the Northwestern College of Law. In 1965, the college associated with the largest private institution in Portland, Lewis and Clark College. In 1967 a new campus was built beside Lewis & Clark College and Tryon Creek State Park. The school expanded in 2001 with the renovation of the Boley Library and construction of the Gantenbein Building. In the 2002 the school expanded into a 5th building, Wood Hall. Lewis & Clark Law School currently possesses one of the largest law libraries on the West Coast.
[edit] Community Involvement
L&C's devotion to community involvement is exhibited through several campus organizations, two public interest/pro bono/community service coordinators, and frequent invitations to bring speakers from local community groups. The law school encourages student work by providing additional honors on the transcripts of students who document 30 or more hours of pro bono legal work, or 30 or more hours of community-service work during the course of the school year.
In addition, the law school is host to the Public Interest Law Project (PILP). PILP is a funding organization for pro bono legal work done by students and graduating students. Each year PILP holds a charity auction and a funding application process in order to provide pay for summer work and loan repayment. In summer 2006, 18 students were provided with a summer stipend for legal work.
