College of Law

Willamette University, College of Law History

Willamette University College of Law was established in 1883 and is a private institution. The 65-acre campus is in an urban area in Salem, the capital of Oregon, which is 45 miles south of Portland. The primary mission of the law school is to pursue academic and professional excellence in a supportive environment that maximizes a student’s potential. Students have access to federal, state, county, city, and local agencies, courts, correctional facilities, law firms, and legal aid organizations in the Salem area. The college is within walking distance of several courts and their libraries and virtually all state agencies and departments. Housing for students is available in off-campus apartments and houses that are very affordable. All law school facilities are accessible to the physically disabled.

Willamette University, College of Law Academics

In addition to the J.D., the law school offers the LL.M. Students may take relevant courses in other programs and apply credit toward the J.D.; a maximum of 6 credits may be applied. The following joint degrees may be earned: J.D./M.B.A (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration).

The College of Law offers concentrations in corporate law, criminal law, environmental law, family law, international law, labor law, litigation, tax law, torts and insurance, dispute resolution, law and government, commercial law, and estate planning. In the Civil Practice Clinic (worth 3 hours of credit) students represent clients in actual cases and transactions under the close supervision of faculty. Seminars (worth 2 hours of credit) are offered to second- and third-year students on such topics as First Amendment law, American Indian law, Global Sustainability, and Human Rights and Advanced Topics in Conflict Theory. Students receive academic credit while working in a close mentoring relationship with attorneys in the courts, the state legislature, state agencies, nonprofits, and legal departments of private companies. All first-year students are required to take a year-long legal research and writing course. There is an Annual Lecture Series, Dispute Resolution Series, and Paulus Lecture Series. A Summer in China study program (worth 5 hours of credit) is offered to second- and third-year students. In addition, individual students, with ABA approval, may spend a semester at a leading new law school in Quito, Ecuador or Hamburg, Germany. Special student assistants are available for students in legal research and writing. The College of Law has an active multi-cultural law student organization that, among other activities, sponsors a Martin Luther King event involving the community at large. The college offers simulation courses on negotiations, mediation, arbitration, interviewing and counseling, and trial practice. The most widely taken electives are various simulation courses and seminars.

To earn the J.D., candiates must complete 90 total credits, of which 40 are for required courses. They must maintan a minimum GPA of 2.3 in the required courses. The following first-year courses are required of all students: an elective course, Civil Procedure, Constitutional law l, Contracts l and ll, Criminal Law, Legal Research and Writing, Property, and Torts. Required upper-level courses consist of Constitutional Law ll, Evidence, and Professional Responsibility. The required orientation program for first-year students lasts 3 days and consists of an introduction to the law program and to legal research and writing.

In order to graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 2.3 and have completed the upper-division writing requirement.

Willamette University, College of Law Unique Programs

Library

The law library contains 294,612 hard-copy volumes and 907,155 microform volume equivalents, and subscribes to 1254 serial publications. Such on-line databases and networks as CALI, CIS Universe, LEXIS, LOIS, Mathew Bender, NEXIS, WESTLAW, Wilsonline Indexes, and Summit are available to law students for research. Special library collections include a federal depository, Public International Law, and tax and labor collections. Recently, the library added a wireless network and developed a research web site. The ratio of library volumes to faculty is 11,331 to 1 and to students is 538 to 1. The ratio of seats in the library to students is 1 to 1.

Special Consideration

The College of Law has a Coordinator for Multicultural Affairs whose principal responsibility is the recruitment and retention of students of color. Requirements are not different for out-of-state students. Transfer students must have attended an ABA-approved law school and be in good standing academically, and be eligible to return to their current law school.

Willamette University, College of Law Admissions

In the fall 2007 first-year class, 1218 applied, 548 were accepted, and 158 enrolled. Six transfers enrolled. The median LSAT percentile of the most recent first-year class was 65; the median GPA was 3.22 on a scale of 4.0.

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and take the LSAT. The most important admission factors include LSAT results, GPA, and academic achievement. No specific undergraduate courses are required. Candidates are not interviewed.

The application deadline for fall entry is April 1. Applicants should submit an application form, LSAT results, transcripts, a personal statement, a nonrefundable application fee of $50, 2 letters of recommendation, and r

Willamette University, College of Law Financial Aid

About 90% of current law students receive some form of aid. The average annual amount of aid from all sources combined, including scholarships, loans, and work contracts, is $38,059. Awards are based on need and merit. Required financial statement is the FAFSA. The aid application deadline for fall entry is March 1. First-year students are notified about their financial aid application approximately 2 weeks after acceptance.

Willamette University, College of Law Students

About 44% of the student body are women; 21%, minorities; 3%, African American; 10%, Asian American; 4%, Hispanic; and 1%, Native American. The average age of entering students is 26; age range is 21 to 49. About 6% drop out after the first year for academic or personal reasons; 94% remain to receive a law degree.

Students edit the Willamette Law Review, Willamette Journal of International Law & Dispute Resolution and the Willamette Law Online (a student run/edited on-line service providing case summaries and law updates). Students participate in a number of moot court competitions, including the National Appellate Competition, the International Law Competition, and the ATLA Trial Competition. Other moot court competitions students participate in include the Environmental Appellate Competition, Negotiation Competition, and Criminal Law Competition. Law student organizations include the Multi-Cultural Law Students Association, International Law Society, and Women’s Law Caucus. There are local chapters of Phi Alpha Delta and Phi Delta Phi. Campus clubs and other organizations include the Public Interest Law Society, Environmental Law Society, and Willamette Lambda Legal Organization.

The law school operates on a traditional semester basis. Courses for full-time students are offered days only and must be completed within 3 years. There is no part-time program. New students are admitted in the fall. There is a 7-week summer session. Transferable summer courses are offered.