Experience. Willamette Law 2015-2016 Viewbook
Success Opportunity Excellence
At Willamette, you can begin your career or give it a boost through a range of full-time, part-time and joint degree programs.
Degree Programs J.D. – A three-year professional degree necessary for taking the bar exam and
practicing law in the United States. Accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA).
J.D./M.B.A. – A four-year program combining the resources of the College of Law and the Atkinson Graduate School of Management that results in two professional degrees: the Juris Doctor and the Master of Business Administration.
Accredited for law by the ABA and business by AACSB International. The program is also a member of NASPAA, for public management.
LL.M. – A one-year, advanced law degree for law school graduates or lawyers
trained internationally to gain expertise in a specialized field of law. Willamette offers the LL.M. in Dispute Resolution and Transnational Law.
M.L.S. – A one-year master’s program for non-lawyers whose job involves working within a legal or regulatory framework. A bachelor’s degree is required.
Partnership Programs 3+3 Program – Allows students to complete a bachelor’s degree and law degree
in six years rather than the usual seven. Available through Willamette University College of Liberal Arts, Oregon State University and University of Alaska, Anchorage.
Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program – A partial
law school scholarship offered through a partnership between the College of Law and the Peace Corps. Available to returned Peace Corps volunteers who complete a degree-related internship in an underserved American community while they pursue their studies.
At Willamette University College of Law a legal education is more than lectures and textbooks.
At Willamette, your education will include the close relationships and collegial support of faculty, staff and students who are mentors and friends.
Here top scholarship, excellent teaching and mentoring go hand-in-hand. Students at Willamette find:
A Colleges-that-Change-Lives environment Experience what it means to attend the only law school in the country associated with one of 40 “Colleges that Change Lives.� We are noted for professors dedicated to mentorship, hands-on academic experiences and lively, diverse opportunities for growth.
Top legal minds: Award-winning faculty Learn from the best. Our faculty include nationally-recognized scholars, seasoned practitioners and former or current members of the judiciary who serve as great teachers and mentors. In addition, legal scholars from around the world participate in the law school’s lecture series, symposia and guest lectures.
Develop friendships as well as critical thinking skills and powers of persuasion in our small classes. With an average size of approximately 45 students, our classes have the feel of seminars and workshops. Legal research and writing classes are smaller.
Excellence
A sense of community: Colleagues instead of competitors
At Willamette, you’ll experience the issues, challenges and work of lawyers as an integral part of your legal education.
Here opportunity abounds. Our students have access to:
Law-making central: State Capitol, Supreme Court, Department of Justice Learn the law by participating in its creation. Our location— just across the street from the Oregon Capitol, Supreme Court and multiple state agencies—is an advantage that cannot be matched anywhere in the region. Learn by watching the Supreme Court in action, interning for a state legislator, clerking for the Department of Justice, or serving as an extern at any number of nearby government agencies.
Specialization: Certificate Program Gain unique and comprehensive training in one of five specialty programs offered through Willamette’s Certificate Program: Law and Business, Dispute Resolution, Law and Government, Sustainability Law, and International and Comparative Law.
Hands-on experience: Clinical Law Program Handle real-life legal work under the supervision of Willamette faculty through our legal clinics, including: Business Law, Child and Family Advocacy, Human Rights and Immigration, Law and Government, and Trusts and Estates.
Willamette’s proximity to state government—an advantage that cannot be matched anywhere else in the region— also provides students with a unique ability to work with state officials while pursuing their studies.
Public interest law projects: WUPILP Help the under-represented through the Willamette University Public Interest Law Project (WUPILP), a student organization that supports public interest internship, fellowship and employment opportunities.
Law reform efforts: Oregon Law Commission
A global perspective: Study Abroad Program Open doors to legal understanding through participation in Willamette’s unusual law study abroad program—one of the few in the Northwest. Law students have a choice of programs in a range of countries.
Experience.
Opportunity
Contribute to improving state law with the Oregon Law Commission, a unique public/private partnership between Willamette’s College of Law and the Oregon Legislature dedicated to law reform, revision and improvement.
At Willamette, you’ll grow in confidence in yourself and what you can do with your law degree.
Here the tools for success surround you. From your first day of orientation you’ll benefit from our:
Placement Office: Helping set your course Map your career with one-on-one help from our Placement Office advisors. We work with you to identify where you want to go and what experience you need to get there.
Externship Program: Developing practice-ready skills Work in the fast-paced world of the practicing lawyer. Externships are available in private practice, business, district attorney offices, and non-profit and government agencies across the country.
Professional development training: Job hunting and networking Polish your resume and interview skills; participate in job-hunting seminars and mock interviews; and network with members of a range of professional legal organizations.
Attorney mentors and alumni network: Opening doors From leading law firms to state capitols and corporate boardrooms of international businesses, Willamette law friends and alumni are prominent and willing to lend a hand.
Prepare yourself for job-hunting success with practical skills training through Willamette’s: n
Externship Program
n
Clinical Law Program
n
Practical skills courses: Civil Trial Practice, Oregon Criminal Procedure, Legal Research and Writing and more
n
Moot Court Board
n
Law Review
Success
Types of Employment Five-year averages, 2010–2014 Judiciary 5% Public Interest/ Academia/Other 9% Government 14% Business/Industry14% For complete American Bar Association and NALP 2014 employment reports, visit our website: willamette.edu/law/careers.
willamette.edu/law
First in the Pacific Northwest; first in employment outcomes. As the first law school in the Pacific Northwest, Willamette University College of Law has been at the forefront of legal education since our doors opened in 1883. Today we continue to excel in preparing tomorrow’s lawyers. We ranked first in the Pacific Northwest for job placement for the class of 2014 and first in Oregon for the classes of 2012, 2013 and 2014.* Located in Salem, Oregon, across the street from the State Capitol, we are a small community committed to the advancement of knowledge through excellent teaching, scholarship, mentoring and experience.
* Full-time, long-term, JD-preferred/JD-required jobs, according to statistics compiled by the American Bar Association
Office of Admission 245 Winter Street SE Salem, Oregon 97301
503-370-6282 law-admission@willamette.edu willamette.edu/law
At Willamette, you can pursue practice-ready experience and professional contacts in the region where you hope to practice.
Employment Outcomes 2012-2014 90% 80%
Total employment JD required, JD preferred and professional
70% 60%
Employed full-time, long-term JD required, JD preferred and professional
50%
Employed full-time, long-term JD required and JD preferred
40%
2012
2013
2014
For the class of 2014 Willamette ranked first in the Pacific Northwest for graduate employment in full-time, long-term, JD-required and JD-preferred jobs. Our employment outcomes continue a strong trend.
Here careers begin. Willamette externship and clerkship opportunities have included: n
Columbia Sportswear (international sportswear company), general counsel’s office, Portland, Oregon
n
Senator Lisa Murkowski’s Office (U.S. Senator from Alaska), Washington, D.C.
n
Rio Grande Legal Aid (Texas legal aid office), Rio Grande, Texas
n
Port of Portland, Portland, Oregon
n
Oregon Supreme Court, Salem, Oregon
n
Oregon Department of Justice (all divisions), Salem, Oregon
n
Mentor Graphics (multinational corporation), general counsel’s office, Wilsonville, Oregon
n
Schwabe Williamson and Wyatt (165-lawyer business law firm), Portland, Oregon
n
Washington County District Attorney’s Office, Hillsboro, Oregon
n
King County Prosecutor’s Office, Seattle, Washington
At Willamette, your law school experience is about more than studying.
Here you can live life while you learn. Students at Willamette find that life in Salem, Oregon offers:
Breathing room—in your budget and the community Enjoy large-city amenities like shopping, theaters, and lively restaurants and pubs, but relax with our affordable and plentiful housing, low cost of living, ample parks, bike paths, and safe and friendly neighborhoods.
Access—to the beach, the mountains or the big city Get away from school for the evening or the weekend. Willamette is an hour’s drive from the Oregon Coast, the Cascade Mountains, and Metropolitan Portland. Interested in biking or wine tasting? It’s just a short jaunt beyond the outskirts of town.
Welcoming environment Strong friendships, safe neighborhoods and good schools form the backdrop for life in Salem. Our Parents At Law School (PALS) student organization enables students with families to share support and ideas. Whether you’re joining us on your own, with a friend or with family, you’ll all find a big welcome in Salem, Oregon.
Experience. Willamette Law for Yourself.
Come for a visit! Call: 503-370-6282 or email: law@willamette.edu
Check us out: willamette.edu/law