To help maintain and nurture relationships between graduates of the last six years and the Law School, Lewis & Clark has instituted the Recent Graduate Council.
To help maintain and nurture relationships between graduates of the last six years and the Law School, Lewis & Clark has instituted the Recent Graduate Council. The volunteer council will assist with career development, provide opportunities for effective networking through social events, and open lines of communication with recent graduates to facilitate donor and sponsorship opportunities.
The council was developed by the Alumni Office, in coordination with the Alumni Board of Directors, in early 2011. All recent graduates were invited to apply for membership. Those selected for inaugural positions—you can read more about them below—demonstrated strong leadership and made a commitment to actively participate in events sponsored by the Law School, attend all council meetings, effectively participate in committee work, and serve as a conduit to alumni, students, faculty, and the community. The inaugural members of the council also have diverse personal and professional backgrounds, representing the recent graduate population.
During the coming year, the council will be reaching out to alumni to identify activities, resources, and networking opportunities that could be of assistance to recent graduates. For more information on the council, please contact Robin Jerke, assistant dean for alumni relations, at lawalum@lclark.edu.
Greg Adams ’06
Current position: Associate with Richardson & O’Leary in Boise, Idaho. Adams’ practice focuses on energy law. He represents large and small independent power producers in negotiating power purchase agreements and in rulemaking proceedings to establish viable independent power markets. He also represents large power users in retail rate-making proceedings and related matters.
Credentials: Adams received his BA from Bowdoin College in 2001. He is admitted to the bars of Idaho, Oregon, the Federal District for the District of Idaho, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Past experience: Adams clerked for the Honorable Stephen S. Trott at the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals from August 2008 to August 2009, and for the Honorable Darrel R. Perry at the Idaho Court of Appeals from August 2006 to July 2008.
Volunteering: Adams is involved with local bicycling groups, and is currently serving on the board of directors of the nonprofit Boise Bicycle Project.
Other pursuits: Biking, skiing, and fishing.
Dannielle Booth ’09
Current position: Associate with Smith Freed & Eberhard in Portland. She specializes in Special Investigative Unit defense against insurance fraud.
Credentials: Earned a business law certificate. Booth participated in the Regional Appellate Moot Court team and clerked for the Lewis & Clark Legal Clinic.
Past experience: Booth participated in the American College of Trial Lawyers Jury Trial Experience Project at the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office in January and recently completed the 2011 Black Belt Trial Advocacy Program sponsored by Smith Freed & Eberhard.
Other pursuits: Spending time with her family, wakeboarding, running, and generally pursuing happiness.
Justin Cabrera ’05
Current position: Deputy general counsel at Portland Energy Conservation Inc. (PECI) in Portland. His practice includes drafting and negotiating a wide range of energy-related commercial transactions.
Past experience: Cabrera was associate general counsel at Nike in Portland, where his practice included real estate transactions for North America and emerging markets, as well as support for the NIKE Foundation.
Volunteering: Cabrera has been participating in the Law School’s mentor program for the past several years.
Other pursuits: Spending time with his family, working out, and cooking. Cabrera married his law school sweetheart, Irina Batrakova, in 2007. They welcomed first child Benjamin to the world on February 25, 2011.
Eric Deitrick ’05
Current position: Staff attorney for Multnomah Defenders in Portland.
Credentials: Graduated from the Schreyer Honors College at Pennsylvania State University in 2000, earning a BA in political science and honors in comparative literature. Was an associate editor for Environmental Law.
Past experience: Deitrick worked as a clerk at the law firm of Kilmer, Voorhees, and Laurick before attending Lewis & Clark. During law school, he worked for U.S. District Court Judge Garr King.
Other pursuits: Playing pick-up basketball and spending time with wife Kristine and son Emmett.
Cody Elliott ’09
Current position: Associate with Miller Nash in Portland. He is in the litigation practice group, which specializes in commercial disputes, complex construction defect litigation, and debtor/creditor litigation.
Credentials: Earned a B.F.A. in theater studies from Boston University in 2000, through which he also studied acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Received the Harpole Memorial Legacy Scholarship.
Past experience: Elliott spent more than seven years as a restaurant manager in Portland before earning his JD
Volunteering: Serves on the membership committee of the Multnomah Bar Association and as a mentor for the Law School. He has also volunteered for the Multnomah Bar Association’s Imprint Program.
Other pursuits: Hiking through Tryon Creek State Park with his wife and kids. A self-described foodie, he enjoys cooking, expanding his wine knowledge, and trying new restaurants. Elliott golfs and is an avid supporter of the Denver Broncos, Boston University Terriers ice hockey team, and Tottenham Hotspur F.C. He is also an active member of Sunrise Toastmasters.
Patrick Foran ’09
Current position: Associate with Landye Bennett Blumstein in Portland. Foran practices in the firm’s business litigation, condominium law, and personal injury sections. He also practices family law.
Credentials: Received the Justice Robert E. Jones Award for Excellence in Trial Advocacy and was inducted into the Cornelius Honor Society. Received the 2008 Joyce Ann Harpole Scholarship.
Past experience: Foran spent 15 years prior to law school as both a teacher and theatre director.
Volunteering: Serves as a Harpole committee member.
Other pursuits: Spending time with wife Nicole and their four children, Matthew, Andrew, Chloe, and Elliot.
Courtney Johnson ’07
Current position: Staff attorney with Crag Law Center in Portland, which she joined in 2008. Much of her work focuses on protecting the health of coastal rivers, from gravel mining in the rivers of the south coast, including the Chetco, the Rogue, and the Elk, to addressing proposals for liquefied natural gas along the Columbia at Astoria. Johnson enjoys working with coastal residents to help develop their communities for lasting and sustainable economic and environmental health.
Credentials: Certificate in environmental and natural resources law.
Past experience: Participated in internships with Crag Law Center, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, and San Francisco Baykeeper. After graduation, Johnson clerked for a district court judge in Ketchikan, where she explored the wilds of Alaska and its incredible wildlife while sea kayaking, hiking, and snowshoeing.
Other pursuits: Spending time with her husband and puppy on the beaches and rivers and in the mountains of Oregon, hiking, skiing, kayaking, biking, camping, and surfing. She also keeps busy with her home garden, cooking, reading, and traveling.
Bernadette Nunley ’07
Current position: Assistant county attorney for the Multnomah County Attorney’s Office in Portland. She advises Multnomah County’s Health Department, Purchasing Department, Office of Sustainability, Public Library, and Animal Services, and defends employment lawsuits against the county. Nunley also trains employees about public official ethics law, public records and meetings law, and using social networking for government purposes.
Volunteering: Nunley is a member of the Multnomah County Equity Council and serves as a mentor for the county’s Leadership Academy. Her volunteer work includes service on the Multnomah Bar Association Young Lawyers Section’s Board (YLS). She chaired the YLS Futures Committee in its inaugural year and is board liaison to the Professional Development and Education Committee, which creates and organizes YLS CLEs. She is also an OWLS member and a mentor with Lewis & Clark’s First-Year Mentor Program.
Other pursuits: Renovating her home, playing classical guitar, writing, daydreaming, and riding her bike.
Natasha Richmond ’10
Current position: Judicial clerk to Nan Waller, chief family court judge of the Multnomah County Court in Portland.
Credentials: Recipient of the Outstanding Advocacy Award for the Lewis & Clark Legal Clinic and the Joyce Ann Harpole Scholarship. She also served as an associate editor and member of the Environmental Law Review.
Past experience: Richmond was the head teaching assistant for the Legal Writing Program.
Other pursuits: Spending time with her husband and their two children.
Holly C. Rudolph ’10
Current position: Coordinates development of interactive forms for self-represented litigants for the Oregon Judicial Department in Salem. Her work in developing the interactive forms is in preparation for the shift toward expanded online access to court function. She has produced several writings on equine law, including a presentation for the National Equine Law Conference in Lexington, Kentucky.
Credentials: Graduated summa cum laude from Rutgers University. Earned a criminal law and procedure certificate, was a Dean’s Fellow, and was inducted into the Cornelius Honor Society. Rudolph was also an associate editor of Animal Law Review.
Past experience: Worked in the health care field for over 12 years before coming to Lewis & Clark, where she was a research assistant and a Student Bar Association representative on both the Alumni Board and the Curriculum Committee. She also served as assistant conference coordinator for the National Animal Law Conference, president of the International Law Society, and vice president of the Jewish Law Society. Rudolph also clerked for the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
Other pursuits: Spending time with Jacob and their cat Gozer, riding horses, camping, kayaking, taking in movies with her son (preferably horror films!), and cooking with friends.
Tami Santelli ’06
Current position: Director of state legislation in the government affairs section of the U.S. Humane Society in Washington, D.C. Santelli oversees the legislative agenda for the USHS in state legislatures, working closely with legislators, field staff, contract lobbyists, and other advocates to pass animal protection legislation.
Credentials: Graduated from Carleton College with a BA in music. Earned a certificate in environmental and natural resources law. She was a member of the Environmental Moot Court team and the International Environmental Law Project. Santelli also worked on the Animal Law Journal and participated in the Public Interest Law Project and the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund.
Volunteering: She has remained active with the Law School, attend-ing events in Washington, D.C., and serving as a mentor for students interested in externing with the USHS.
Other pursuits: Dancing, kickboxing, yoga, walking around D.C., and playing with her cats.
Vathana Sivanesan ’05
Current position: Staff attorney for the Pamplin Communication Corporation in Portland. She provides advice for a variety of industries, including broadcast radio, newspaper publishing, wineries, hospitality, farming, and ranching. The scope of her practice covers contract law, intellectual property, employment law, corporate maintenance and governance, commercial leasing, hospitality law, asset purchases, and licensing and regulatory matters.
Volunteering: Prior to joining Pamplin Communications Corporation in 2007, Sivanesan volunteered with the District Counsel’s Office of the Small Business Administration and the federal nonprofit SCORE. She still volunteers with SCORE, which provides free counseling to small businesses.
Other pursuits: Working out with friends, music, cooking, and watching movies and TV. She is also an avid hockey fan.
Tyler Volm ’08
Current position: Associate with Elliott Ostrander & Preston in Portland. His practice focuses on business formation, financing, and governance, commercial transactions, real
estate, intellectual property, and general civil litigation.
Credentials: Attended the University of Oregon, where he majored in English and political science. Focused on business law at Lewis & Clark.
Other pursuits: Basketball (playing and watching), running, golf, hiking, and camping.
Lisa Widawsky ’08
Current position: Staff attorney with the Environmental Integrity Project in Washington, D.C. Widawsky specializes in water, air, and land pollution challenges.
Credentials: Earned a BA, magna cum laude, from Colgate University in environmental geography with a focus on environmental policy analysis. Graduated cum laude with a certificate in environmental and natural resources law. She was on the editorial board of the Environmental Law Journal and was inducted into the Cornelius Honor Society. Widawsky’s article “In My Backyard: How Enabling Hazardous Waste Trade to Developing Nations Can Improve the Basel Convention’s Ability to Achieve Environmental Justice” was published in the Environmental Law Journal and received the Davis Wright Tremaine International Law Writing Award.
Past experience: Was a student clinician with the Pacific Environmental Advocacy Center, where she worked on a successful administrative appeal with Clinical Professor Tom Buchele.
Volunteering: Widawsky has stayed active with the Law School, attending events hosted in Washington, D.C., and serving as a contact for students and graduates interested in working there.
