Willamette University College of Law
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Willamette University College of Law is the
law school A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...
of
Willamette University Willamette University is a private liberal arts college with locations in Salem and Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest college in the Western United States. Originally named the Oregon Institute, the school was an unaffiliated ...
. Located in
Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada Ontario * Bruce County ** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie ** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce * Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...
,
Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
, and founded in 1883, Willamette is the oldest law school in the
Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...
. It has approximately 24 full-time law professors and enrolls about 300 students, with about 100 of those enrolled in their first year of law school. The campus is located across the street from the
Oregon State Capitol The Oregon State Capitol is the building housing the state legislature and the offices of the governor, secretary of state, and treasurer of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located in the state capitol, Salem. Constructed from 1936 to 1938 ...
and the
Oregon Supreme Court Building The Oregon Supreme Court Building is the home to the Oregon Supreme Court, Oregon Court of Appeals, and the Oregon Judicial Department. Located in the state capitol complex in Salem, it is Oregon's oldest state government building. The three story ...
; the College is located in the
Truman Wesley Collins Legal Center The Truman Wesley Collins Legal Center houses the Willamette University College of Law at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. Located on Winter Street, just south of the Oregon State Capitol, the facility features classrooms, th ...
. It offers both full-time and part-time enrollment for the
Doctor of Jurisprudence The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
(J.D.) degree, joint-degree programs, and a
Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...
(LL.M.) program. The joint-degree programs allow students to earn both a J.D. and a
Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...
(M.B.A.) concurrently in a four-year program, or complete a bachelor's degree and J.D. in six years. Willamette Law's oldest
legal journal A law review or law journal is a scholarly journal or publication that focuses on legal issues. A law review is a type of legal periodical. Law reviews are a source of research, imbedded with analyzed and referenced legal topics; they also pro ...
is the ''
Willamette Law Review The ''Willamette Law Review'' is a law review academic journal published by Willamette University College of Law in Salem, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1959 as a successor to an earlier publication, the triannual publication is housed in the ...
'', which started in 1960 and is housed in the
Oregon Civic Justice Center The Oregon Civic Justice Center is a three-story former library building on the campus of Willamette University in downtown Salem, Oregon, United States. Built in 1912 as a Carnegie library for the city of Salem, the building now houses several pr ...
. According to Willamette's 2016 ABA-required disclosures, 52.63% of the Class of 2016 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation. Of all 2016 grads who passed the bar, 84.31% had full-time, long-term, JD-required employment.


History


Founding and early years

In July 1866, Willamette University's trustees formed a committee to explore the possibility of a legal department. At that time, legal education was traditionally taught as an apprenticeship in which those wishing to be lawyers would study under an existing attorney for several years before being allowed to pass the
bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...
. Although the school did not begin a legal department in 1866, Willamette did confer a Doctor of Laws degree on
Matthew P. Deady Matthew Paul Deady (May 12, 1824 – March 24, 1893) was a politician and jurist in the Oregon Territory and the state of Oregon of the United States. He served on the Oregon Supreme Court from 1853 to 1859, at which time he was appointed to the n ...
, who later helped establish the
University of Oregon School of Law The University of Oregon School of Law is a public law school in the U.S. state of Oregon. Housed in the Knight Law Center, it is Oregon's only state funded law school. The school, founded in 1884, is located on the University of Oregon campus in ...
, Oregon's second law school. The College of Law was founded in 1883, and it is the oldest law school in the
Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...
. In April 1884, the Board of Trustees officially approved the new legal department; tuition for the two-year course was $50 per year.
William Marion Ramsey William Marion Ramsay (December 25, 1846 – September 15, 1937) was an American politician and judge in Oregon. He was the 43rd justice of the Oregon Supreme Court serving from 1913 to 1915. He was also the first dean of Willamette University ...
served as the school's first dean. He was dean from 1883 until 1888 and led a faculty of three. The three professors were George H. Burnett, who taught contracts,
commercial law Commercial law, also known as mercantile law or trade law, is the body of law that applies to the rights, relations, and conduct of persons and business engaged in commerce, merchandising, trade, and sales. It is often considered to be a branc ...
, and
tort A tort is a civil wrong that causes a claimant to suffer loss or harm, resulting in legal liability for the person who commits the tortious act. Tort law can be contrasted with criminal law, which deals with criminal wrongs that are punishable ...
s; J. T. Gregg, who taught
evidence Evidence for a proposition is what supports this proposition. It is usually understood as an indication that the supported proposition is true. What role evidence plays and how it is conceived varies from field to field. In epistemology, evidenc ...
and
common law In law, common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law created by judges and similar quasi-judicial tribunals by virtue of being stated in written opinions."The common law is not a brooding omnipresen ...
; and William H. Holmes, who was the instructor for
admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral * Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings *Admiralty, Tr ...
and
criminal law Criminal law is the body of law that relates to crime. It prescribes conduct perceived as threatening, harmful, or otherwise endangering to the property, health, safety, and moral welfare of people inclusive of one's self. Most criminal law i ...
. The school's first entering class had three students, with Charles A. Packenham as the first graduate in 1886. In addition to being the oldest law school in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest, Willamette College of Law was the 75th law school founded in the United States, and is the second oldest in the Western U.S., behind
Hastings College of Law The University of California, Hastings College of the Law (UC Hastings) is a public law school in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1878 by Serranus Clinton Hastings, UC Hastings was the first law school of the University of California as ...
in California. From its founding until 1923, the law school was located in
Waller Hall Waller Hall is a building on the campus of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, in the United States. Opened in 1867 as University Hall, it is the oldest higher-education building west of the Mississippi River still in use, currently housing t ...
. During the early years of the law school, enrollment fluctuated from as many as 17 graduates in 1898 to as few as zero graduates in 1903 and 1905. Dean Ramsey resigned in 1888 and was replaced by
George G. Bingham George Greenwood Bingham (November 25, 1855 – October 4, 1924) was an American judge and legal educator in the state of Oregon. A native of Wisconsin, he migrated to Oregon with his family in his teens, though he returned to the Midwest for ...
, who served until 1891 when replaced by his pupil Samuel T. Richardson. Women were allowed to enroll beginning in 1892; in 1898, the first women, Olive S. England and Gabrielle Clark, graduated. The third female graduate, in 1899, was Anna Carson, who was part of the Carson legal family of Salem that includes Wallace P. Carson (1923 graduate) a state legislator and
Wallace P. Carson, Jr. Wallace P. Carson Jr. (born June 10, 1934) is an American attorney and politician from Oregon. He has spent time in both of Oregon's legislative branches and served on the Oregon Supreme Court for 24 years. Carson's fourteen-year tenure as chief ...
(1962 graduate) a state legislator and longtime chief justice of the Oregon Supreme Court.


20th century stability and ABA accreditation

In 1902, Dean Richardson left the school and was replaced by John W. Reynolds who served until 1907. In 1908,
Charles L. McNary Charles Linza McNary (June 12, 1874February 25, 1944) was an American Republican politician from Oregon. He served in the U.S. Senate from 1917 to 1944 and was Senate Minority Leader from 1933 to 1944. In the Senate, McNary helped to pass legi ...
was appointed dean, serving until 1913, when Willamette selected future
Oregon Attorney General The Oregon Attorney General is a statutory office within the executive branch of the state of Oregon, and serves as the chief legal officer of the state, heading its Department of Justice with its six operating divisions. The attorney general is ch ...
Isaac Homer Van Winkle. Van Winkle was an alumnus of both Willamette and the law school, serving as dean until 1927. From 1923 until 1938, the school was located in Eaton Hall. Roy R. Hewitt was dean from 1927 to 1932, followed by Roy Lockenour, who served until 1939. Willamette Law was first accredited by the
American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...
in 1938, and in 1946, it became a member of the Association of American Law Schools. In 1938, the school moved to
Gatke Hall Gatke Hall is the second-oldest building at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. A two-story structure, it was originally built in downtown Salem in 1903 across the street from the Marion County Courthouse and served as a post o ...
, a former United States Post Office. The law school was housed there until 1967.


Mid-century growth and Lady Justice

During this time, deans of the law school included George M. McLeod (1940–1942), Ray L. Smith (1942–1946), and Seward P. Reese (1946–1968). During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, enrollment declined to only five graduates between 1943 and 1945, and classes were moved to the undergraduate library as the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
used Gatke Hall. In 1946, enrollment rebounded with a total of 92 students, the largest student body of the law school up to that date. After 1952, Willamette Law received a large
Lady Justice Lady Justice ( la, Iustitia) is an allegorical personification of the moral force in judicial systems. Her attributes are scales, a sword and sometimes a blindfold. She often appears as a pair with Prudentia. Lady Justice originates from the ...
statue when the Marion County Courthouse was demolished to make way for a new one. In 1959, the school founded its first
law review A law review or law journal is a scholarly journal or publication that focuses on legal issues. A law review is a type of legal periodical. Law reviews are a source of research, imbedded with analyzed and referenced legal topics; they also pro ...
, the
Willamette Law Review The ''Willamette Law Review'' is a law review academic journal published by Willamette University College of Law in Salem, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1959 as a successor to an earlier publication, the triannual publication is housed in the ...
. Enrollment continued to increase reaching a class size of 185 by the mid-1960s; because of this increase, the College of Law Foundation was created by the university's trustees in 1959 to explore the construction of a new facility. Willamette transitioned from awarding the
bachelor of laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...
degree to the now-standard U.S. law school
Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
beginning in 1965.


Collins Legal Center and Civic Justice Center

In 1967, a new $1.1 million facility, the
Truman Wesley Collins Legal Center The Truman Wesley Collins Legal Center houses the Willamette University College of Law at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. Located on Winter Street, just south of the Oregon State Capitol, the facility features classrooms, th ...
, opened in September. The College of Law moved across campus to the Collins Legal Center along with ''
Lady Justice Lady Justice ( la, Iustitia) is an allegorical personification of the moral force in judicial systems. Her attributes are scales, a sword and sometimes a blindfold. She often appears as a pair with Prudentia. Lady Justice originates from the ...
'', the -tall, statue formerly located on the roof of the Marion County Courthouse. James L. Malone served as dean from 19671968, succeeded by Arthur B. Custy who became dean and served until 1971. During Custy's deanship the admissions standards changed at Willamette to require a bachelor's degree and taking the
Law School Admission Test The Law School Admission Test (LSAT; ) is a standardized test administered by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) for prospective law school candidates. It is designed to assess reading comprehension as well as logical and verbal reas ...
. Later deans of the school included Larry K. Harvey (1971–1977) and Leroy Tornquist (1979–1987). In 1984, the law school established the Center for Dispute Resolution, an
alternative dispute resolution Alternative dispute resolution (ADR), or external dispute resolution (EDR), typically denotes a wide range of dispute resolution processes and techniques that parties can use to settle disputes with the help of a third party. They are used for ...
program. Deans of the school in recent years include David R. Kenagy (1994–1996 interim), Robert M. Ackerman (1996–1999), and Symeon Symeonides (1999 to 2011). In 2008, the school opened the
Oregon Civic Justice Center The Oregon Civic Justice Center is a three-story former library building on the campus of Willamette University in downtown Salem, Oregon, United States. Built in 1912 as a Carnegie library for the city of Salem, the building now houses several pr ...
to house programs including the Center for Dispute Resolution, the Clinical Law Program, Center for Law and Government, and the ''
Willamette Law Review The ''Willamette Law Review'' is a law review academic journal published by Willamette University College of Law in Salem, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1959 as a successor to an earlier publication, the triannual publication is housed in the ...
''. Willamette admitted part-time students for the first time for fall 2012, and since then, has added joint degree 3+3 Programs with
Willamette University Willamette University is a private liberal arts college with locations in Salem and Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest college in the Western United States. Originally named the Oregon Institute, the school was an unaffiliated ...
,
Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering co ...
, OSU-Cascades,
Portland State University Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the following two decades ...
, and the
University of Alaska Anchorage The University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) is a public university in Anchorage, Alaska. UAA also administers four community campuses spread across Southcentral Alaska: Kenai Peninsula College, Kodiak College, Matanuska–Susitna College, and Prin ...
. With the 3+3 Program, students spend three years working on their bachelor's degree at those institutions, finishing their fourth year electives as a first year student at Willamette Law.


Academics


Admissions

The College of Law offers full-time and part-time enrollment for its JD program, with no application deadline for the JD program. In 2016, the school accepted 74% of all applicants who applied to the school. Enrolled students from that entering class had Law School Admission Test (LSAT) scores in the range of 148 to 155 (25th–75th percentile) and a median score of 151. In 2007 and 2010, '' U.S. News & World Report'' ranked the school in their Third Tier, while in 2008, the school was ranked sixth by ''
The Princeton Review The Princeton Review is an education services company providing tutoring, test preparation and admission resources for students. It was founded in 1981. and since that time has worked with over 400 million students. Services are delivered by 4,0 ...
'' in the "Most Welcoming of Older Students" category. As of 2017, Willamette was ranked as the 142nd best law school by
U.S. News & World Report
'.


Programs

The JD program has both a traditional three-year, full-time curriculum or a part-time day program that can take a maximum of six years. Students' initial enrollment can only begin with the fall term each year. Through a partnership between the College of Law and Willamette's
Atkinson Graduate School of Management The Willamette University MBA (Atkinson) is the Masters in Business Administration (MBA) program at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. It is one of only two MBA programs in the world accredited for both Business Administration ...
, a joint degree program is offered to students interested in earning both a JD and an
MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...
concurrently. The program allows students to earn both degrees in four years instead of five years if completed separately. The business portion of the program is accredited through the
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, also known as AACSB International, is an American professional organization. It was founded as the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business in 1916 to provide accreditation to ...
and the
National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...
, while the law portion, along with the entire law school, is accredited by the
American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...
. The school also offers five 3+3 Programs to allow students to earn both an undergraduate degree and law degree in a total of six years. Through partnerships with Willamette's College of Liberal Arts,
Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering co ...
, OSU-Cascades,
Portland State University Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the following two decades ...
, and
University of Alaska Anchorage The University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) is a public university in Anchorage, Alaska. UAA also administers four community campuses spread across Southcentral Alaska: Kenai Peninsula College, Kodiak College, Matanuska–Susitna College, and Prin ...
, students can earn a bachelor's degree and a law degree in six years, amounting to a decrease of one year from the standard seven years combined to earn both a bachelor and law degree. Both JD and joint degree students can enroll in the certificate programs, studying abroad, working at the Clinical Law Program, and taking classes from the Center for Dispute Resolution. The Center for Dispute Resolution, founded in 1983, offers coursework in the areas of
arbitration Arbitration is a form of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) that resolves disputes outside the judiciary courts. The dispute will be decided by one or more persons (the 'arbitrators', 'arbiters' or 'arbitral tribunal'), which renders the ' ...
,
negotiation Negotiation is a dialogue between two or more people or parties to reach the desired outcome regarding one or more issues of conflict. It is an interaction between entities who aspire to agree on matters of mutual interest. The agreement c ...
and
mediation Mediation is a structured, interactive process where an impartial third party neutral assists disputing parties in resolving conflict through the use of specialized communication and negotiation techniques. All participants in mediation are ...
. In 2006, the Dispute Resolution program was ranked 7th by ''U.S. News & World Report''. A Clinical Law Program gives law students hands-on, professional experience in law offices and courtrooms across the country. The program comprises four advanced legal education courses, including specialized clinics in Business Law, Trusts and Estates, Child and Family Advocacy, and Human Rights and Immigration. C. Students have the opportunity to participate in
study abroad International students, or foreign students, are students who undertake all or part of their tertiary education in a country other than their own and move to that country for the purpose of studying. In 2019, there were over 6 million internati ...
programs in Germany and Ecuador. The Ecuador program began in 1995, and in 2002, Germany was added.


LLM

The
LLM A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...
(Master of Laws) in Transnational Law educates law students on international law topics such as international business transactions,
comparative law Comparative law is the study of differences and similarities between the law (legal systems) of different countries. More specifically, it involves the study of the different legal "systems" (or "families") in existence in the world, including the ...
, and private
international law International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...
. Another LLM program covers Dispute Resolution. Both LLM tracks allow students to enroll in classes at the
Atkinson Graduate School of Management The Willamette University MBA (Atkinson) is the Masters in Business Administration (MBA) program at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. It is one of only two MBA programs in the world accredited for both Business Administration ...
. LLM students can attend either full-time or part-time, but they must complete the 26-credit-hour program within two academic years.


MLS

The College also offers a Master of Legal Studies (MLS) program. This one-year program is designed for professionals whose job involves working within a legal or regulatory framework. MLS students work with a law school advisor to develop a set of courses to meet their specific career needs or goals. The MLS is not intended to prepare students for the JD program or to sit for the bar examination.


Certificate programs

The law school offers five certificate programs for students in both the JD program and the joint degree program: Dispute Resolution, Law and Business, International and Comparative Law, Sustainability Law, and Law and Government. The business law, law and government, and international and comparative law certificate programs were introduced to the curriculum in 2002. These programs allow students to specialize in those areas of study and earn a certificate demonstrating that specialization.


Law journals

Law Reviews A law review or law journal is a scholarly journal or publication that focuses on legal issues. A law review is a type of legal periodical. Law reviews are a source of research, imbedded with analyzed and referenced legal topics; they also pro ...
published by the College of Law include: * The ''Willamette Environmental Law Journal'' is an online-only journal which began publication in summer 2012 and is published twice per year. * The ''Willamette Journal of International Law and Dispute Resolution'' began publication in 1992 with a focus on dispute resolution and the law on the international level. * The ''Willamette Journal of Social Justice and Equity'' is the first social justice law-oriented journal in Oregon. The ''Journal of Social Justice'' was organized in 2016 with plans to begin publication in winter 2017. The first issue was released in January 2018. * ''
Willamette Law Review The ''Willamette Law Review'' is a law review academic journal published by Willamette University College of Law in Salem, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1959 as a successor to an earlier publication, the triannual publication is housed in the ...
'' is the flagship law review at the College of Law. Publication began in 1959 with four issues published each year. By 2020, the journal had switched to publishing three issues each year, discontinuing the summer issue. This student-run general interest law review also sponsors an annual symposium at the law school. * The ''Willamette Sports Law Journal'' was the first journal on sports law in the Pacific Northwest. This student-edited journal was published from 2004 through Spring of 2016 after which it disbanded as a student organization. Willamette University College of Law also produces the ''Willamette Lawyer'' and Willamette Law Online. The ''Willamette Lawyer'' is the school's alumni magazine, published once annually in the fall. Willamette Law Online is a
subscription service The subscription business model is a business model in which a customer must pay a recurring price at regular intervals for access to a product or service. The model was pioneered by publishers of books and periodicals in the 17th century, an ...
produced primarily by students that provides case summaries free to legal professionals in the Pacific Northwest.


Facilities

Willamette's College of Law is primarily housed in the
Truman Wesley Collins Legal Center The Truman Wesley Collins Legal Center houses the Willamette University College of Law at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. Located on Winter Street, just south of the Oregon State Capitol, the facility features classrooms, th ...
(Collins Legal Center).


Oregon Civic Justice Center

Opened in 2008, the
Oregon Civic Justice Center The Oregon Civic Justice Center is a three-story former library building on the campus of Willamette University in downtown Salem, Oregon, United States. Built in 1912 as a Carnegie library for the city of Salem, the building now houses several pr ...
is one block north of the Collins Legal Center. Built within Salem's 1912 Carnegie library building, the school remodeled the structure at a cost of $4 million. The building is home to the ''Willamette Law Review''; Willamette's Center for Democracy, Religion and Law; the Center for Dispute Resolution; the law school's Clinical Program; and the Center for Law and Government. These programs were chosen due to their community outreach programs, as the school plans to create a community atmosphere between students, faculty, and the general community.


Library

The J. W. Long Law Library has 296,000 volumes and
microform Microforms are scaled-down reproductions of documents, typically either films or paper, made for the purposes of transmission, storage, reading, and printing. Microform images are commonly reduced to about 4% or of the original document size. F ...
equivalents, which include both state and federal primary law sources, as well as
treatise A treatise is a formal and systematic written discourse on some subject, generally longer and treating it in greater depth than an essay, and more concerned with investigating or exposing the principles of the subject and its conclusions."Treat ...
s, periodicals and other secondary legal sources. The three-story structure is attached to the Collins Legal Center and contains study rooms, video rooms, conference rooms, and computer labs, and it is staffed by reference librarians. Additionally, it has special collections in
tax law Tax law or revenue law is an area of legal study in which public or sanctioned authorities, such as federal, state and municipal governments (as in the case of the US) use a body of rules and procedures (laws) to assess and collect taxes in a ...
,
public international law International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...
, and
labor law Labour laws (also known as labor laws or employment laws) are those that mediate the relationship between workers, employing entities, trade unions, and the government. Collective labour law relates to the tripartite relationship between employee, ...
, and it is a Selective Federal Government Documents Depository. Members of the public may access the library when the library is staffed by librarians. Law students also have access to Willamette University's Mark O. Hatfield Library, the Oregon Supreme Court Law Library, the
Oregon State Library The State Library of Oregon in Salem, is the library for the U.S. state of Oregon. The mission of the State Library of Oregon is to provide leadership and resources to continue growing vibrant library services for Oregonians with print disabil ...
, and the
Oregon State Archives The Archives Division of the Office of the Secretary of State of Oregon, or the Oregon State Archives, is an agency of the Oregon Secretary of State charged with preserving and providing access to government records. The Oregon State Archives is ...
.


Employment

According to Willamette's official 2016 ABA-required disclosures, 52.63% of the Class of 2016 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation. Of all 2016 grads who passed the bar, 84.31% had full-time, long-term, JD-required employment. Willamette's
Law School Transparency Law School Transparency (LST) is a nonprofit consumer advocacy and education organization concerning the legal profession in the United States. LST was founded by Vanderbilt Law School graduates Kyle McEntee and Patrick Lynch. LST describes its m ...
under-employment score is 38.6%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2016 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.


Costs

The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at Willamette for the 2017-2018 academic year is $61,860. The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $225,936.


Distinguished faculty

*
Paul De Muniz Paul J. De Muniz (born June 8, 1947) is a retired American judge in the state of Oregon. He is the first Hispanic Chief Justice in the history of the Oregon Supreme Court. He was elected to the court in 2000, and elected as chief justice in 2006. ...
- Former Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court * Susan M. Leeson – Former Justice of the
Oregon Supreme Court The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.Hans A. Linde Hans Arthur Linde (April 15, 1924 – August 31, 2020) was a German Jewish American legal scholar who served as a justice of the Oregon Supreme Court from 1977 to 1990. Born in Berlin, Germany, Justice Linde relocated with his family to Denmark i ...
– Former Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court *
Charles L. McNary Charles Linza McNary (June 12, 1874February 25, 1944) was an American Republican politician from Oregon. He served in the U.S. Senate from 1917 to 1944 and was Senate Minority Leader from 1933 to 1944. In the Senate, McNary helped to pass legi ...
– Former
United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...
*
Edwin J. Peterson Edwin J. Peterson (March 30, 1930 – December 2, 2023) was an American jurist in the state of Oregon. He was the 39th Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, serving from 1983 to 1991, and was a Distinguished Jurist in Residence at Willamett ...
– Former Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court


Distinguished alumni

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Bruce Botelho Bruce M. Botelho (born October 6, 1948) is an American attorney and politician in the U.S. state of Alaska. He served as the mayor of Juneau from 1988 to 1991 and from 2003 to 2012. Born and raised in Juneau, where his father was a top official o ...
– former mayor of
Juneau, Alaska The City and Borough of Juneau, more commonly known simply as Juneau ( ; tli, Dzánti K'ihéeni ), is the capital city of the state of Alaska. Located in the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle, it is a unified municipality and the se ...
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Jay Bowerman Jay Bowerman (August 15, 1876 – October 25, 1957) was an American politician of the Republican Party who served as the 13th Governor of Oregon, for the final few months of the term of Frank Benson, who retired due to illness. Early life Bo ...
– former
Governor of Oregon The governor of Oregon is the head of government of Oregon and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. ter ...
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Wallace P. Carson, Jr. Wallace P. Carson Jr. (born June 10, 1934) is an American attorney and politician from Oregon. He has spent time in both of Oregon's legislative branches and served on the Oregon Supreme Court for 24 years. Carson's fourteen-year tenure as chief ...
– former Chief Justice of the
Oregon Supreme Court The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.Kevin Clarkson Kevin G. Clarkson (born April 27, 1959) is an American attorney from the state of Alaska who was the 32nd Alaska Attorney General from 2018 to 2020. Early life and career After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from Oregon State University, Cl ...
- former
Alaska Attorney General The Alaska Attorney General is the chief legal advisor to the Government of Alaska, government of the State of Alaska and to its List of Governors of Alaska, governor. The Attorney General is appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Alaska L ...
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Willis C. Hawley Willis Chatman Hawley (May 5, 1864 – July 24, 1941) was an American politician and educator in the state of Oregon. A native of the state, he would serve as president of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, where he earned his undergraduate ...
– former member of the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
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Fern Hobbs Fern Hobbs (May 8, 1883 – April 10, 1964) was an American attorney in the U.S. state of Oregon, and Private Secretary to Oregon Governor Oswald West. She was noted for her ambition and several accomplishments as a young woman, and became the hi ...
– former secretary to Governor
Oswald West Oswald West (May 20, 1873 – August 22, 1960) was an American politician, a Democrat, who served most notably as the 14th Governor of Oregon. He was called "Os West" by Oregon writer Stewart Holbrook, who described him as "by all odds the mo ...
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Jay Inslee Jay Robert Inslee (; born February 9, 1951) is an American politician, lawyer, and economist who has served as the 23rd governor of Washington since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a member of the U.S. House of Representat ...
– current Governor of the State of Washington *
Virginia Linder Virginia Lynn Linder (born 1953) is an American judge from Oregon who served as the 99th justice of the Oregon Supreme Court from January 2007 until January 2016. She served on the Oregon Court of Appeals from 1997 until her election to the state' ...
– former Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court *
Conde McCullough Conde Balcom McCullough (May 30, 1887 – May 6, 1946) was an American civil engineer who is primarily known for designing many of Oregon's coastal bridges on U.S. Route 101. The native of South Dakota worked for the Oregon Department of Tr ...
– bridge engineer *
Lesil McGuire Lesil Lynn McGuire (born January 22, 1971) is an American politician in the state of Alaska. She served as a Republican member of the Alaska Senate from 2007 until 2017, after her tenure as a member of the Alaska House of Representatives from ...
– former member of the
Alaska Senate The Alaska State Senate is the upper house in the Alaska Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. It convenes in the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau, Alaska and is responsible for making laws and confirming or rejecting gub ...
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Bob Mionske Robert ("Bob") Charles Mionske (born August 26, 1962) is a two-time U.S. Olympic racing cyclist (1988 and 1992) and U.S. National Champion (1990). In the 1988 Summer Olympics, held in Seoul, South Korea, he placed fourth in the Individual Road ...
– trial attorney, author, Olympian *
John Mizuno John Mizuno is a Democratic politician who has served in the Hawaii House of Representatives since 2006. Mizuno was Vice Speaker of the House from 2013 to 2017, and was re-elected Vice Speaker on 20 January 2021. John Mizuno is the first Hawai ...
- Vice Speaker of the
Hawaii House of Representatives The Hawaii House of Representatives is the lower house of the Hawaii State Legislature. Pursuant to Article III, Section 3 of the Constitution of Hawaii, amended during the 1978 constitutional convention, the House of Representatives consis ...
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Paul De Muniz Paul J. De Muniz (born June 8, 1947) is a retired American judge in the state of Oregon. He is the first Hispanic Chief Justice in the history of the Oregon Supreme Court. He was elected to the court in 2000, and elected as chief justice in 2006. ...
– former Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court *
Lisa Murkowski Lisa Ann Murkowski ( ; born May 22, 1957) is an American attorney and politician serving as the senior United States senator for Alaska, having held that seat since 2002. Murkowski is the second-most senior Republican woman in the Senate, after S ...
– current
United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...
*
Norma Paulus Norma Jean Paulus (née Petersen; March 13, 1933 – February 28, 2019) was an American lawyer and politician in the state of Oregon. A native of Nebraska, she was raised in Eastern Oregon before becoming a lawyer. A Republican, she first h ...
– former
Oregon Secretary of State The secretary of state of Oregon, an elected constitutional officer within the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Oregon, is first in line of succession to the governor. The duties of the office are auditor of public accounts, ch ...
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Leonardo Rapadas Leonardo Matias Rapadas, better known as Lenny Rapadas, is a Guamanian lawyer, who served as the U.S. Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands from 2003 to 2010 and as the attorney general of Guam from 2011 to 2015. ...
– former
attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
of
Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...
* Stephen Yamashiro
Mayor of Hawaii County The Mayor of Hawaii is the chief executive officer of the County of Hawaii in the state of Hawaii. The mayor has municipal jurisdiction over the Big Island of Hawaii. The current mayor is Mitch Roth.Collins Legal Center prior to expansion
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willamette University College Of Law Educational institutions established in 1883 1883 establishments in Oregon Law schools in Oregon