Commencement is my favorite event of the year. Watching students cross that stage after years of hard work, sacrifice, and genuine transformation never gets old. While many now turn their attention to the bar exam, celebrating the successful completion of their legal education is truly inspiring.

 

This year’s commencement speaker, Oregon Supreme Court Justice Bronson James, captured the significance of the moment perfectly. He posed a question that resonates far beyond graduation day: “In a world where law seems to be not just devalued, but disparaged or outright ignored, what is our identity? Why do we matter?” His answer reflected the very values we strive to instill at Lewis & Clark Law School: “Being a lawyer is something you must choose, every day, to embody principles beyond prestige, beyond power, beyond profit.”

 

Our graduates have embraced those principles and demonstrated a commitment to the rule of law. Watching them walk across that stage, I kept thinking: the legal profession is going to be better for having them in it. I am also deeply grateful to the family, friends, alumni, faculty, and staff who helped them reach this milestone.

 

Justice James's challenge is also a reminder that legal education must continually evolve to prepare lawyers for a changing world while remaining grounded in enduring values. We are doing just that through our new strategic plan described below. It serves as a blueprint for strengthening our distinctive programs, expanding opportunities for students, and ensuring that Lewis & Clark Law School continues to lead and innovate in legal education for years to come. I hope you will take a few minutes to review the plan and share your thoughts with me.

 

Please join me in celebrating our graduates and thank you for your support,

Alicia Ouellette
Jordan D. Schnitzer Dean
Lewis & Clark Law School

“Excellence and resilience in a fast-changing world” is the focus of the Law School’s strategic plan, with efforts to “future-proof” the school and ensure students’ success.

Green Energy Institute staff and students are advancing solutions under Oregon’s POWER Act to address the environmental and economic impacts of data center expansion. The Oregon Public Utility Commission’s recent ruling, citing GEI throughout, ordered some of the most innovative and protective outcomes from a public utility commission in the nation.

Professors Brian Blum, Bill Chin, and Lydia Loren are retiring at the end of the semester after long and impactful careers that have shaped generations of Lewis & Clark Law students.

Law students learn how to file Habeas Corpus petitions in a law school practicum course, resulting in the release of one woman after being illegally detained after eight months in custody. 

Law students working in L&C’s Small Business Legal Clinic, with faculty guidance, support local businesses and entrepreneurs through the intensive U.S. patent process.

Two enterprising law students, soon to be graduates, created a Mock Trial Club for first year students, giving them a courtroom trial experience at the beginning of their legal education.

This year’s winning papers investigated how developing countries face inequities in expropriation for public purpose, and challenges to establishing standing in international environmental rights cases.

Megan Senatori, Executive Director of the Center for Animal Law Studies at Lewis & Clark Law School, was honored by the American Bar Association with the 2026 Excellence in the Advancement of Animal Law Award for her leadership and contributions to the field of animal law.

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