Student Information

Building on a Legacy of Leadership, Innovation, Excellence.

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Why Hire a Lewis & Clark Student | Law Journals | Academic Programs | Grade/Class Rank Information

WHY HIRE A LEWIS & CLARK STUDENT

Top Credentials: Our students' credentials rank us in the top quartile of all ABA accredited law schools in the country; the 2007 entering class median GPA was 3.49; the median LSAT score was 161. Many of our students have advanced degrees, including those in engineering, science and the social sciences. The school has achieved national recognition for our first-in-the-country, consistently top-ranked Environmental and Natural Resources Program (winner of the 2001 ABA Distinguished Achievement in Environmental Law & Policy Award), our highly ranked legal research and writing program, and our Small and Emerging Business Law Program, the only one of its kind in the country.

Racial, Ethnic, Geographical Diversity:The 700-plus students attending Lewis & Clark Law School represent a wide spectrum of experiences, ages, walks of life, cultures and race; 22% are minorities. Over 69% of our students come from outside the state; 39 states and 129 undergraduate colleges are represented. Nearly 25 percent of our students are enrolled in the evening program. The school is increasingly enrolling international students, and in the past few years has welcomed students from England, France, Russia, Canada, Korea, Japan, China, India, Pakistan, Peru, and others.

Leading Firms & Government Agencies Hire our Students and Alumni: Our students and alumni annually compete with those from top law schools for jobs in major law firms, corporations, government agencies and public interest groups. Recent Hires include:

Government: Honors Attorney Programs: US EPA, US DOJ, SEC

Law Firms & Private Corporations: Brobeck Phleger, Orrick, LeBoeuf Lamb, Jones Day, Hunton & Williams, Hale & Dorr, Vinson & Elkins, Troutman Sanders, Stoel Rives, Caterpillar, Intel, SEH America, Geron Corp., Tektronix.

Public Interest: Legal Services Corporation Offices nationwide, Center for International Environmental Law, Southern Environmental Law Center, Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund, Humane Society of the United States, Natural Resources Defense Council, National Wildlife.

Judicial Clerks: Lewis & Clark consistently produces a high percentage judicial clerks from its graduating classes; 7% of the class of 2007 entered judicial clerkships, including clerkships with the federal district and circuit courts.

Student Groups: Since the Law School's earliest days, student participation and initiative has been actively encouraged in shaping the curriculum, activities and services of the school. Elected student representatives serve on faculty committees as well. The active student groups on campus for the 2007-2008 academic year included: Law School Student Division of the American Bar Association; American Constitution Society; Asian/Pacific American Law Student Association; law student division of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA)/Oregon Trial Lawyers Association (OTLA); Black Law Student Association; Business Law Society; Christian Legal Society; Coaltion Advocating Transportation Sensibiity; Criminal Law Association; Environmental Justice Advocates; Environmental Law Caucus; Federalist Society; Intellectual Property Student Organization; International Law Society; Jewish Legal Society; Latino Legal Society; Minority Law Students Association; National Lawyers' Guild; Native American Law Student Association; Northwest Environmental Defense Center; Outlaw; Public Interest Law Project; Softball League; Student Advocates for Business and Environmental Responsibility (SABER); Student Animal Legal Defense Fund; Student Bar Association; Womens Law Caucus.

LAW JOURNALS

The Law School has two competitive law reviews. Each was the first in the country in its particular field:

Environmental Law was the first law review in the country specializing in study and research on the growing body of natural resources and environmental issues in the law, and continues to be a recognized national leader in these areas.

The Lewis & Clark Law Review is a general issue academic law review covering a wide range of topics.

Students at the Law School also publish Animal Law, the only law journal in the country devoted exclusively to issues relating to animal law, which is published once a year, and contains articles on a variety of topics ranging from endangered species to cruelty to animals. The Journal has received national press, and the students hold the annual Animal Law Conference each year at the school, drawing participants from all over the United States.

The Law Reviews and student Journal welcome articles from attorneys. Anyone interested in submitting an article should contact the Editor-in Chief of the respective Law Review.

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

Demonstrated, distinguished, innovative national leadership in key legal areas:

Environmental Law Lewis & Clark’s environmental law program is currently ranked first in the nation according to the most recent U.S. News and World Report’s annual survey of graduate programs. The school’s environmental law program continues to be a national leader in the area of Environmental and Natural Resources Law and marks its 35th anniversary this year. It was awarded the prestigious ABA Award for Distinguished Achievement in Environmental Law and Policy for 2001.

Business Law The Small and Emerging Business Law Program was the first of its kind in the country, was featured on the front page of The Wall Street Journal, and continues to be a innovative leader in this area. The program features a Small Business Legal Clinic, which provides clinical training to second and third year students in the areas of business start-up, including choice of entity; contract drafting in a wide variety of areas; commercial leases; real estate; intellectual property; regulatory compliance; financing (including loans) and employment law.

Indian Law The Law School offers a unique ten-week Indian Summer course schedule including Federal Indian Law courses, a law and policy field study through Indian Country, internships, continuing legal education component for lawyers, Indian Law Conference and Career Fair.

To find out more about individual academic programs, contact our office at (503) 768-6608 to arrange for a tour, or request written materials, or visit our various departments, such as Environmental Law Program, Business Law Program, Faculty, Law Library, and Course Offerings.

Practical Skills Opportunities As the only law school situated in the Portland metropolitan area, which has over one million population, we are able to offer students a rich variety of practical skills opportunities in addition to classroom instruction. Under the Oregon Student Appearance Rule, students interested in criminal prosecution, defense, torts and business litigation, consumer and landlord tenant actions, and other trial experience appear in court under the supervision of a practicing attorney. Additionally, the Law School offers moot court experiences in Appellate Advocacy, Client Counseling, Environmental Law, Federal Tax, Intellectual Property Law, Jessup International Law, Mock Trial, Native American Law Students Association, Negotiation, and more. Students can also participate in Clinical Internship Seminars involving Business Law, Criminal Law, Environmental and Natural Resources Law, In-House Corporate Counsel, Intellectual Property, and Judicial Clerkships, which offer students a unique opportunity to work ten hours a week in their field of interest while also receiving classroom instruction. Students can also participate in a full semester Externship Program.

Clinical and Research Opportunities The Lewis & Clark Legal Clinic is staffed by five full-time clinical faculty, and offers students the opportunity to serve low income clients in civil and administrative cases while receiving academic credit. Clinic students represent clients in matters of consumer law, employment law, tax, business law, family law, and tenant and housing issues. Students in the clinical program regularly appear in the state's trial courts, and have argued cases before the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and twice have handled cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Pacific Environmental Advocacy Center (PEAC) staffed by five clinical law instructors, gives students the opportunity to earn credit working with environmental groups in legal matters undertaken by faculty, on issues related to the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and international environmental issues.

The International Environmental Law Project enables students to participate directly in international environmental legal processes by preparing documents and materials for meetings of the parties to international conventions and organizations, such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the International Whaling Commission, and NAFTA’s environmental commission. Students may also prepare submissions to international tribunals to enforce international environmental law or draft new international environmental treaties.

The Natural Resources Law Institute (NRLI) supports faculty research, visiting scholars from around the world, an annual visiting fellow, and a senior advocacy fellow. More than 20 education programs, including some conducted nationwide, have been coordinated through the Institute, and it also sponsors a series of environmental and natural resources colloquia at the law school attracting national speakers. The Institute publishes a newsletter, provides nearly all the law clerks under contract to the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) Office of General Counsel, and houses the Northwest Water Law and Policy Project, which focuses on research and scholarship on water rights issues in the Columbia Basin.

The Northwest Environmental Defense Center (NEDC) is a private nonprofit advocacy organization housed at the Law School. Students work under the supervision of practicing attorneys researching, writing pleadings, and appearing in court, as well as drafting and presenting legislative testimony.

The National Crime Victim Law Institute offers students the opportunity to assist in nationwide litigation support in cases involving victim's legal rights.

The Small Business Legal Clinic allows law students, working under the direction of an experienced, licensed attorney, to represent small and emerging businesses in transactional matters.

GRADING POLICIES

It is often difficult for employers to evaluate the academic records of law students. This guide should help you better evaluate our students and graduates.

First, there is no grade inflation at Lewis & Clark Law School, despite the fact that the credentials of our entering students (LSAT scores and GPA) place them in the top quartile of all entering law school classes in the country. The maximum grade average is 3.0 for all first year classes and for all upper division classes with enrollment exceeding 20 students. Students are graded on a scale as follows:

Honors: The granting of honors will be done on the basis of final cumulative grade point average at the time of graduation. The grade point averages necessary to receive honors are as follows:

Class Rank: Effective spring 2004, student ranking at Lewis & Clark Law School was redefined. Both day and evening students are in the same class based on the level of completion of the JD program. The levels are 1L, students who started the JD program effective fall of the academic year; 2L, students who are not 1L or 3L, and 3L students who will be graduating during the current academic year and are completing their degrees. For the purpose of class level identifaction, the academic year begins fall semester each year.

All students are ranked each semester in the class level that applies to them, except for first year students who are not ranked in fall semester their first year. The class ranking is done approximately 20 days after the semester grades have been finalized.

Students in the top 25% of each class level will be individually ranked based on the cumulative g.p.a.

Each semester a data sheet is published showing what g.p.a. qualifies a student to be in the top 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 33-1/3 %, and 50% of class level. The data sheet shows these levels for both the cumulative g.p.a. and the yearly g.p.a.

Class rank does not appear on student transcripts, but is maintained by the Registrar and is provided to the student or to third parties only at the written request of the student.

For the current data sheet, please see Class Rank Information on the Law School Registrar's webpage.

Scholar List: Upper division students whose cumulative GPA is 3.20 or greater on at least 9 graded credit hours qualify for the Scholar List.

Ungraded Courses: The Law School also uses grades that have no grade points assigned. These grades are not used when figuring the semester, yearly or cumulative average of each student: