Dean's Message

Dear alumni and friends:

It is hard to believe it, but three years have come and gone in a flash. Throughout my tenure, I am reminded of what a remarkable and dedicated community we have. This year has certainly been filled with growth, change and a great deal of success. I am both humbled and pleased by the remarkable achievements we have accomplished together.

First, let me extend to each of you my heartfelt gratitude for the unwavering support and commitment you have given to me and to the College of Law more broadly. From participating in Career Conversations to serving as attorney-mentors and providing externship placements, the work of educating and preparing our students to be practice-ready lawyers would not be possible without each of you. Your continued dedication has been instrumental in executing our mission to educate the next generation of problem-solving lawyers and leaders.

As I reflect on the past year, one of the hallmarks has been our continued emergence as a leader in experiential education. Through our legal clinics, externship program and cutting-edge simulation-based courses, our students are more equipped than ever with the skills and confidence needed after graduation. Our faculty have innovatively added experiential learning components into existing curriculum, while some have also designed wholly new and forward-thinking courses. I am proud that we are growing into our role as a leader in the learn-by-doing space.

We have successfully hired our largest new faculty cohort in recent history, welcoming five faculty members who bring a wide range of backgrounds and knowledge to both existing and new courses, as well as our clinics. It has also been a successful year for scholarly research, as our faculty continues to be at the forefront of national and international legal conversations. Coupled with their excellence in teaching, their research has inspired our students and helped shape the future of legal education.

I am appreciative of your continued engagement with Willamette Law and hope to see you at an upcoming event. In the interim, please enjoy reading more in the pages that follow about the accomplishments of some of our alumni, the experiences of our students, and, in particular, our innovative approach to experiential learning. In that regard, our cover story features four current and former Oregon judges on our faculty discussing the importance of teaching and working with students. I hope you will find their reflections of interest.

Until next time, please keep well.

Warmly,

Brian Gallini Dean & Professor of Law