University of Oregon School of Law
Encyclopedia
The University of Oregon School of Law is a public law school
in the U.S. state of Oregon
. Housed in the Knight Law Center, it is Oregon's only state funded law school. The school, founded in 1884, is located on the University of Oregon campus
in Eugene
, on the corner of 15th and Agate streets, overlooking Hayward Field
.
. Richard R. Thornton organized the department that began as a two-year program with three classes per week. In 1906, the course of study was expanded to three years, and in April 1915, the school's board of regent's ordered that the program be moved to Eugene as part of a consolidation program within the university. Though the school moved, some of the faculty remained in Portland and started the Northwest College of Law, now the Lewis & Clark Law School
. In 1923, the school was approved by the American Bar Association
(ABA), one of the first 39 schools to earn that distinction in the initial year of the ABA approval of law schools.
In 1931, Wayne Morse
became dean. Three years later, the law school organized a chapter of the national law school honor society, the Order of the Coif
. In 1938, the law school moved to Fenton Hall. In 1939, the law school graduated Minoru Yasui
, who later took his challenge to the military curfew on Japanese Americans during World War II all the way to the United States Supreme Court.
In 1941, Orlando John Hollis became acting dean. His appointment became permanent in 1945 when Morse resigned to run for the U.S. Senate. During the war years, many law students were called to service. In 1944, there were no graduating students; in 1945, only one student graduated. After the war's conclusion, the school admitted every returning veteran who sought a legal education: out of 26 students who graduated in 1948, 25 had served in World War II.
The post-war era was marked by the Oregon legislature's adoption of law professor Kenneth O'Connell's Oregon Revised Statutes. Professor O'Connell was appointed to the Oregon Supreme Court
in 1958, and later became its chief justice.
During the 1960s, Professor (and later dean) Chapin Clark offered the school's first courses in environmental and natural resources law. Later that decade, Professor Jon Jacobson founded the school's Ocean and Coastal Law Center. In 1968, Eugene Scoles became dean.
In 1970, the law school moved into a new building, the Law Center. In 1974, the Wayne Morse Chair of Law and Politics was established as a "living memorial" to former dean and U.S. Senator Wayne Morse. In 1977, Professor Hans A. Linde
was appointed to the Oregon Supreme Court. In 1978, the school established the first-in-the-world Environmental Law Clinic.
During the 1980s, the Environmental Law Clinic doubled in size and was renamed the Pacific Northwest Natural Resources Clinic. In 1981, Professor Dave Frohnmayer became Oregon Attorney General
. In 1982, students organized the first Public Interest Environmental Law Conference
. In 1987, the Journal of Environmental Law and Litigation began publication.
In the new century, the school opened the Appropriate Dispute Resolution Program. In 2003, the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Program opened a fully staffed office. In 2004, the Center for Law and Entrepreneurship opened a Small Business Clinic to assist small and micro-businesses. The school also has started a program in Portland, which moved into Portland's White Stag Building in 2008. The Portland Program focuses on business law and related externships.
's 2011 edition of "America's Best Graduate Schools."
The University of Oregon
is known for possessing the nation's first public law school to establish an environmental law
program (ENR). The ENR Program is ranked 8th in the country by U.S. News & World Report for the 2010-11 academic year. The program includes a master's of law degree (LL.M.) option.
The law school also houses a prominent Appropriate Dispute Resolution Center, which provides courses both to law students and to graduate students interested in earning a master's degree in Conflict and Dispute Resolution. The ADR program is ranked 7th in the country by U.S. News & World Report for the 2010-11 academic year.
The law school's Legal Research and Writing (LRW) Program also is well regarded. For the 2010-11 academic year, U.S. News & World Report ranked the LRW Program 7th in the nation.
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
in the U.S. state of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. Housed in the Knight Law Center, it is Oregon's only state funded law school. The school, founded in 1884, is located on the University of Oregon campus
University of Oregon campus
The campus of the University of Oregon is located in Eugene, Oregon and includes some 80 buildings and facilities, including athletics facilities such as Hayward Field, which was the site of the 2008 Olympic Track and Field Trials, and McArthur Court, and off-campus sites such as nearby Autzen...
in Eugene
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
, on the corner of 15th and Agate streets, overlooking Hayward Field
Hayward Field
Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, is one of the best-known historic track and field stadiums in the United States. Nearly a century in age, it was the home of the University of Oregon's football team from 1919 through 1966, and has been the home to the Ducks' track and field teams since 1921...
.
History
Oregon Law was founded in 1884 in Portland, OregonPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. Richard R. Thornton organized the department that began as a two-year program with three classes per week. In 1906, the course of study was expanded to three years, and in April 1915, the school's board of regent's ordered that the program be moved to Eugene as part of a consolidation program within the university. Though the school moved, some of the faculty remained in Portland and started the Northwest College of Law, now the Lewis & Clark Law School
Lewis & Clark Law School
Lewis and Clark Law School is a private American law school located in Portland, Oregon. In the last ten years, L&C's Environmental Law program has been the highest-rated in the United States eight times....
. In 1923, the school was approved by the American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
(ABA), one of the first 39 schools to earn that distinction in the initial year of the ABA approval of law schools.
In 1931, Wayne Morse
Wayne Morse
Wayne Lyman Morse was a politician and attorney from Oregon, United States, known for his proclivity for opposing his parties' leadership, and specifically for his opposition to the Vietnam War on constitutional grounds....
became dean. Three years later, the law school organized a chapter of the national law school honor society, the Order of the Coif
Order of the Coif
The Order of the Coif is an honor society for United States law school graduates. A student at an American law school who earns a Juris Doctor degree and graduates in the top 10 percent of his or her class is eligible for membership if the student's law school has a chapter of the...
. In 1938, the law school moved to Fenton Hall. In 1939, the law school graduated Minoru Yasui
Minoru Yasui
Minoru "Min" Yasui was a Japanese American lawyer from Oregon. Born in Hood River, Oregon, he earned both an undergraduate degree and his law degree at the University of Oregon. He was one of the few Japanese Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor who fought laws that directly targeted...
, who later took his challenge to the military curfew on Japanese Americans during World War II all the way to the United States Supreme Court.
In 1941, Orlando John Hollis became acting dean. His appointment became permanent in 1945 when Morse resigned to run for the U.S. Senate. During the war years, many law students were called to service. In 1944, there were no graduating students; in 1945, only one student graduated. After the war's conclusion, the school admitted every returning veteran who sought a legal education: out of 26 students who graduated in 1948, 25 had served in World War II.
The post-war era was marked by the Oregon legislature's adoption of law professor Kenneth O'Connell's Oregon Revised Statutes. Professor O'Connell was appointed to the Oregon Supreme Court
Oregon Supreme Court
The Oregon Supreme Court is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States. The OSC holds court at the Oregon Supreme Court Building in Salem, Oregon, near the capitol...
in 1958, and later became its chief justice.
During the 1960s, Professor (and later dean) Chapin Clark offered the school's first courses in environmental and natural resources law. Later that decade, Professor Jon Jacobson founded the school's Ocean and Coastal Law Center. In 1968, Eugene Scoles became dean.
In 1970, the law school moved into a new building, the Law Center. In 1974, the Wayne Morse Chair of Law and Politics was established as a "living memorial" to former dean and U.S. Senator Wayne Morse. In 1977, Professor Hans A. Linde
Hans A. Linde
Hans Arthur Linde, is a German American attorney and former jurist in Oregon. Born in Germany, he also lived with his family in Denmark before immigrating to Portland, Oregon. After serving in the United States Army during World War II he graduated from college and law school. Linde then worked...
was appointed to the Oregon Supreme Court. In 1978, the school established the first-in-the-world Environmental Law Clinic.
During the 1980s, the Environmental Law Clinic doubled in size and was renamed the Pacific Northwest Natural Resources Clinic. In 1981, Professor Dave Frohnmayer became Oregon Attorney General
Oregon Attorney General
The Oregon Attorney General is a statutory office within the executive branch of the state of Oregon, and serves as the chief legal officer of the state, heading its Department of Justice with its six operating divisions. The Attorney General is chosen by statewide partisan election to serve a term...
. In 1982, students organized the first Public Interest Environmental Law Conference
Public Interest Environmental Law Conference
The Public Interest Environmental Law Conference is held annually in early March at the University of Oregon Law School in Eugene, Oregon, United States...
. In 1987, the Journal of Environmental Law and Litigation began publication.
In the new century, the school opened the Appropriate Dispute Resolution Program. In 2003, the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Program opened a fully staffed office. In 2004, the Center for Law and Entrepreneurship opened a Small Business Clinic to assist small and micro-businesses. The school also has started a program in Portland, which moved into Portland's White Stag Building in 2008. The Portland Program focuses on business law and related externships.
Programs
For the 2010-11 year, the law school is ranked 79th in the country by U.S. News & World ReportU.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
's 2011 edition of "America's Best Graduate Schools."
The University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
is known for possessing the nation's first public law school to establish an environmental law
Environmental law
Environmental law is a complex and interlocking body of treaties, conventions, statutes, regulations, and common law that operates to regulate the interaction of humanity and the natural environment, toward the purpose of reducing the impacts of human activity...
program (ENR). The ENR Program is ranked 8th in the country by U.S. News & World Report for the 2010-11 academic year. The program includes a master's of law degree (LL.M.) option.
The law school also houses a prominent Appropriate Dispute Resolution Center, which provides courses both to law students and to graduate students interested in earning a master's degree in Conflict and Dispute Resolution. The ADR program is ranked 7th in the country by U.S. News & World Report for the 2010-11 academic year.
The law school's Legal Research and Writing (LRW) Program also is well regarded. For the 2010-11 academic year, U.S. News & World Report ranked the LRW Program 7th in the nation.
Notable alumni
- Ann AikenAnn AikenAnn Louise Aiken is an American attorney and jurist in the state of Oregon. A native Oregonian, she has served as a state court judge of the Oregon circuit courts and worked in private legal practice...
(1979) - Judge, United States District Court for the District of OregonUnited States District Court for the District of OregonThe United States District Court for the District of Oregon is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the state of Oregon. It was created in 1859 when the state was admitted to the Union... - Robert C. BelloniRobert C. BelloniRobert Clinton Belloni was a judge with the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon. He served as Chief Judge from 1971 to 1976. He was instrumental in upholding Native American fishing rights in the Pacific Northwest.-Career:Belloni was from Myrtle Point, Oregon. Some sources state that...
(1951) - former Judge, United States District Court for the District of Oregon - Suzanne BonamiciSuzanne BonamiciSuzanne Bonamici is a Democratic politician from the U.S. state of Oregon. She represented District 17 in the Oregon State Senate from 2008 to 2011. Bonamici was first elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 2006...
(1983) - member, Oregon State SenateOregon State SenateThe Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the state-wide legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the State Senate, representing 30 districts across the state,... - David V. Brewer (1977) - current Oregon Court of AppealsOregon Court of AppealsThe Oregon Court of Appeals is the state intermediate appellate court in the U.S. state of Oregon. Part of the Oregon Judicial Department, it has ten judges and is located in Salem...
Chief Judge - William G. EastWilliam G. EastWilliam G. East was an American jurist in the state of Oregon. He served as a judge on the United States District Court for the District of Oregon in Portland, Oregon, and as a state circuit judge...
(1932) - former Judge, United States District Court for the District of Oregon - William A. EkwallWilliam A. EkwallWilliam Alexander Ekwall was a U.S. Representative from Oregon and a judge who served on the United States Custom Court.-Early life:...
(1912) - former member, United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
; former Judge, United States Customs Court - Edward N. FadeleyEdward N. FadeleyEdward Norman Fadeley is an attorney and former politician in the state of Oregon, United States. He was the 88th Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. Previously he served in both the Oregon House of Representatives and the Oregon State Senate, serving one session as President of the...
(1957) - former Justice, Oregon Supreme CourtOregon Supreme CourtThe Oregon Supreme Court is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States. The OSC holds court at the Oregon Supreme Court Building in Salem, Oregon, near the capitol...
; former President, Oregon State Senate - Jack FaustJack Faust (broadcaster)John R. "Jack" Faust is a retired Portland, Oregon, attorney, television personality and political activist.-Education:...
- former broadcaster - John Frohnmayer (1972) - former Chairman of the National Endowment for the ArtsNational Endowment for the ArtsThe National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
- Helen J. FryeHelen J. FryeHelen Jackson Frye was an American judge and attorney in the state of Oregon. Born in Southern Oregon, she served as an active federal district court judge in Portland, Oregon, for 15 years and as a judge for the Oregon Circuit Court for nine years...
(1966) - former Judge, United States District Court for the District of Oregon - Alfred GoodwinAlfred GoodwinAlfred Theodore Goodwin is a senior judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He was chief judge of that court in 1988-91.-Education and professional career:...
(1951) - Senior Judge, Ninth Circuit Court of AppealsUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitThe United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is a U.S. federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* District of Alaska* District of Arizona... - Bert E. HaneyBert E. HaneyBert Emery Haney, alternately Bert Emory Haney , was an American attorney and jurist from Oregon. A native of Oregon, he served as United States Attorney for the Oregon District before becoming a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit...
(1903) - former Judge, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals - Arthur D. HayArthur D. HayArthur Douglas Hay was an American attorney and judge in Oregon. He was the 62nd Associate Justice on the Oregon Supreme Court, serving from 1942 to 1952. Prior to his appointment to the state’s highest court, Hay served as a state circuit court judge.-Early life:Arthur Hay was born in Scotland on...
(1911) - former Justice, Oregon Supreme Court - Donald Hodel (1960) - former Secretary of EnergyUnited States Secretary of EnergyThe United States Secretary of Energy is the head of the United States Department of Energy, a member of the President's Cabinet, and fifteenth in the presidential line of succession. The position was formed on October 1, 1977 with the creation of the Department of Energy when President Jimmy...
and Secretary of the InteriorUnited States Secretary of the InteriorThe United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior.The US Department of the Interior should not be confused with the concept of Ministries of the Interior as used in other countries...
; former President, Christian Coalition; former President and CEO, Focus on the FamilyFocus on the FamilyFocus on the Family is an American evangelical Christian tax-exempt non-profit organization founded in 1977 by psychologist James Dobson, and is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Focus on the Family is one of a number of evangelical parachurch organizations that rose to prominence in the 1980s... - Earl C. LatouretteEarl C. LatouretteEarl Cornelius Latourette was the 32nd Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court and a Clackamas County Circuit Court judge...
(1912) - former Chief Justice, Oregon Supreme Court - Malcolm F. MarshMalcolm F. MarshMalcolm Francis Marsh is an American attorney and jurist from the state of Oregon. He is currently a senior federal district court judge in Portland, Oregon, for the United States District Court for the District of Oregon...
(1954) - Senior Judge, United States District Court for the District of Oregon - Yōsuke MatsuokaYosuke Matsuokawas a diplomat and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Empire of Japan during the early stages of World War II. He is best known for his defiant speech at the League of Nations in 1933, ending Japan’s participation in that organization...
(1900) - Foreign MinisterMinister for Foreign Affairs (Japan)The of Japan is the Cabinet member responsible for Japanese foreign policy and the chief executive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Since the end of the American occupation of Japan, the position has been one of the most powerful in the Cabinet, as Japan's economic interests have long relied on...
of JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... - Julius L. Meier (1895) - former Governor of OregonGovernor of OregonThe Governor of Oregon is the top executive of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. territorial governments....
- Hardy MyersHardy MyersHardy Myers is a lawyer and Democratic politician who served three terms as attorney general of the state of Oregon, United States...
(1964) - former Oregon Attorney GeneralOregon Attorney GeneralThe Oregon Attorney General is a statutory office within the executive branch of the state of Oregon, and serves as the chief legal officer of the state, heading its Department of Justice with its six operating divisions. The Attorney General is chosen by statewide partisan election to serve a term... - Edwin J. PetersonEdwin J. PetersonEdwin J. Peterson is an American jurist in the state of Oregon. He was the 39th Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, serving from 1983 to 1991, and is currently a Distinguished Jurist in Residence at Willamette University College of Law in Salem, Oregon.-Education:Edwin Peterson received his...
(1957) - former Chief Justice, Oregon Supreme Court - R. William RiggsR. William RiggsRichard William Riggs is an American attorney and former judge in the state of Oregon. He is currently a senior judge for Oregon, and previously was the 94th justice of the Oregon Supreme Court serving from 1998 to 2006.-Early life:...
(1968) - former Justice, Oregon Supreme Court - David SchumanDavid SchumanDavid Schuman is a Judge of the Oregon Court of Appeals, having been appointed to the post in 2001.Born in the Chicago suburb of Glencoe, Illinois, Schuman came in second in the North American speed skating finals in the 220 yard competition at the age of 17...
(1984) - current Judge, Oregon Court of AppealsOregon Court of AppealsThe Oregon Court of Appeals is the state intermediate appellate court in the U.S. state of Oregon. Part of the Oregon Judicial Department, it has ten judges and is located in Salem...
; former associate dean and professor at the University of Oregon School of Law - Frederick SteiwerFrederick SteiwerFrederick Steiwer was an American politician and lawyer in the state of Oregon. A native of the state, he was county district attorney and member of the Oregon State Senate from Eastern Oregon and a veteran of World War I. A Republican, he was elected to the United States Senate and served there...
(1908) - former United States Senator from Oregon - Jacob TanzerJacob TanzerJacob B. Tanzer is an American attorney in the state of Oregon, United States. Prior to private practice Tanzer served as the 81st Associate Justice on the Oregon Supreme Court...
(1959) - former Justice, Oregon Supreme Court - Thomas TongueThomas TongueThomas H. Tongue III was an American jurist in the state of Oregon. A native of the state, he served as the 75th associate justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, serving 13 years on the state's highest court. Tongue is the grandson of U.S. Representative Thomas H...
(1937) - former Justice, Oregon Supreme Court - Richard UnisRichard UnisRichard L. Unis is an American attorney in the state of Oregon, United States. He was the 89th Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. Previously he was a judge for the city of Portland, a judge at the county level, and a state circuit court judge.-Early life:Richard Unis was born and...
(1953) - former Justice, Oregon Supreme Court - Martha Lee WaltersMartha Lee WaltersMartha Lee Walters is an American labor attorney and judge in the state of Oregon. As of 2008, she is the 98th Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. She became the first female justice on the state's highest court in three years when she was appointed in 2006...
(1977) - Justice, Oregon Supreme Court - Harold WarnerHarold WarnerHarold Warner is the head pastor and leader of in Tucson which is affiliated with the Potter's House Christian Fellowship. He is a pentecostal preacher who often speaks at international conferences...
(1916) - former Chief Justice, Oregon Supreme Court - Wendell WyattWendell WyattWendell Wyatt was a Republican United States Representative from Oregon's 1st congressional district who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1964 until 1975.- Life before Congress :...
(1941) - former member, United States House of Representatives - Ron WydenRon WydenRonald Lee "Ron" Wyden is the senior U.S. Senator for Oregon, serving since 1996, and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in the United States House of Representatives from 1981 to 1996....
(1974) - United States Senator from Oregon - Minoru YasuiMinoru YasuiMinoru "Min" Yasui was a Japanese American lawyer from Oregon. Born in Hood River, Oregon, he earned both an undergraduate degree and his law degree at the University of Oregon. He was one of the few Japanese Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor who fought laws that directly targeted...
(1939) - namesake for Yasui v. United StatesYasui v. United StatesYasui v. United States, 320 U.S. 115 was a United States Supreme Court case regarding the constitutionality of curfews used during World War II when they were applied to citizens of the United States. The case arose out of the implementation of Executive Order 9066 by the U.S...