Steve Johansen
Professor of Law

Specialty Areas & Course Descriptions

Legal Analysis and Writing, Regulation and Ethics of Lawyers, Advanced Legal Writing Seminar

Academic Credentials

B.S. 1981 Portland State University
J.D. cum laude 1987 Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College

Professional Background

After receiving his undergraduate degree, Johansen taught in the Oregon public school system while earning his J.D. He was an associate with the Portland firm of Tedesco & Wilson working on labor law issues. Professor Johansen has worked extensively with colleagues at the University of Latvia on developing the first Legal Writing program in Latvia. His book, Juridiska Analize Un Tekstu Rakstisana, the first Legal Writing textbook to be published in Latvia, is now in its second edition. In Spring 2002, he was a visiting professor at University College, Cork, in Ireland. He is the immediate past chair of the Oregon Bench/Bar Commission on Professionalism. He is on the Board of Directors of the Legal Writing Institute and served as the Institute's President from 2002 to 2004. He is also a former Chair of the AALS Section on Legal Writing, Research, and Reasoning. Johansen has published articles on the politics of legal writing, interpreting Oregon statutes, and most recently on the ethical limits of storytelling in the law. In addition to his work in Latvia, Johansen is a frequent participant in international legal skills training, including recent projects in the Czech Republic, Kenya, and the United Kingdom.