Signature Strengths

Willamette University College of Law develops the next generation of problem-solving lawyers and leaders dedicated to serving their communities and the legal profession.

BUSINESS LAW

We are committed to providing students with the legal, ethical and practical skills necessary to mature into problem-solving lawyers able to advise and represent businesses and organizations in an increasingly complex environment. Students have opportunities to learn from and work alongside national leaders in the fields of Business Transactions, Estate Planning & Elder Law, Intellectual Property, Labor & Employment Law, and Real Estate Transactions.

PUBLIC SERVICE

We train servant-leaders in a state capital packed with legislators and judges, offering hundreds of externships. Our alumni have risen to serve as distinguished jurists in roles such as state bar leaders, judges, state supreme court justices, US Attorneys, governors, and members of Congress. Our focus areas include Civil Rights, Criminal Defense & Prosecution, Criminal Justice & Sentencing, Election Law, Environment Law & Justice, Government Service & Regulation, and State & Federal Constitutional Law.

INTERNATIONAL LAW

Our graduates will make critical decisions that transcend the boundaries of a national legal system. Building on our deep and historic strengths in teaching and scholarship of international law, we instill in our students the confidence needed to help clients find clarity amid global complexity. Our focus areas include Comparative Law, Foreign Relations Law, Immigration & Refugee Law, International Business Transactions, International Criminal Law, Private International Law, and Public International Law.

ADVOCACY

With numerous leading jurists on the faculty, Willamette’s trial advocacy program is known for producing confident, courtroom-ready graduates with the ability to face litigation challenges — wherever they may arise in their careers — when the stakes are highest. Our focus areas include Family Law, Mediation & Arbitration, Personal, Injury, and Trial & Litigation.

HEALTH LAW

Capitalizing on our proximity to Salem Health and Oregon Health and Science University, and with our undergraduate focus in public health, we are developing healthcare industry leaders with the expertise necessary to deliver legal certainty in the complex and rapidly changing field of health law. Our focus areas include Disability Law and Public Health Law.