Willamette University College of Law

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Willamette University College of Law
WUCL Seal
Established: 1883
Type: Private
Dean: Symeon C. Symeonides
Faculty: 30
Students: 450
Location: Salem, Oregon, USA
Campus: Urban
Website: www.willamette.edu/wucl

Willamette University College of Law is a private law school located in Salem, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1842, Willamette University is the oldest university in the Western United States. The College of Law, which was founded in 1883 and is the oldest law school in the Pacific Northwest, has approximately 30 law professors and a yearly entering class of 165 students. The campus is located across the street from the Oregon State Capitol and the Oregon Supreme Court Building.

Housed in the Truman Wesley Collins Legal Center, Willamette's College of Law offers full-time enrollment for the juris doctorate (JD) degree, a joint-degree program, and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) program. Students may attend part time for the LL.M. program, which focuses on international legal issues. The joint-degree program allows students to earn both a JD and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) concurrently in a four-year program.

Contents

[edit] History

Main entrance to Collins Legal Center
Main entrance to Collins Legal Center

In July 1866, Willamette University's trustees formed a committee to explore the possibility of a legal department.[1] At that time, legal education was traditionally taught as an apprenticeship in which those wishing to be lawyers would study under an existing attorney for several years before being allowed to pass the bar.[1] Although the school did not begin a legal department in 1866, Willamette did confer a Doctor of Laws degree on Matthew P. Deady, who would later help establish Oregon’s second law school for the University of Oregon.[1]

The College of Law was founded in 1883, and is the oldest law school in the Pacific Northwest.[2] In April 1884, the Board of Trustees officially approved the new legal department; tuition for the two-year course was $50 per year.[1] William Marion Ramsey served as the school's first dean.[3] He was dean from 1883 until 1888, and led a faculty of three.[3] The three professors were George H. Burnett, who taught contracts, commercial law, and torts; J. T. Gregg, who taught evidence and common law; and William H. Holmes, who was the instructor for admiralty and criminal law.[1] The school’s first entering class had three students; with Charles A. Packenham as the first graduate in 1886.[1]

In addition to being the oldest law school in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest, Willamette College of Law was the 75th law school founded in the United States and is the second oldest in the Western U.S., behind Hastings College of Law in California.[1] From its founding until 1923, the law school was located in Waller Hall.[1] During the early years of the law school, enrollment fluctuated from as many as 17 graduates in 1898 to as few as zero graduates in 1903 and 1905.[1] Dean Ramsey resigned in 1888 and was replaced by George G. Bingham, who served until 1891 when replaced by his pupil Samuel T. Richardson.[1] Women were allowed to enroll beginning in 1892; in 1898, the first women, Olive S. England and Gabrielle Clark, graduated. The third female graduate, in 1899, was Anna Carson, who was part of the Carson legal family of Salem that includes Wallace P. Carson (1923 graduate) a state legislator and Wallace P. Carson, Jr. (1962 graduate) a state legislator and longtime chief justice of the Oregon Supreme Court.[1] In 1902, Dean Richardson left the school and was replaced by John W. Reynolds who served until 1907.[1] In 1908, Charles L. McNary was appointed dean, serving until 1913, when Willamette selected future Oregon Attorney General Isaac Homer Van Winkle.[1] Van Winkle was an alumnus of both Willamette and the law school, serving as dean until 1927.[1]

From 1923 until 1938, the school was located in Eaton Hall.[4] Roy R. Hewitt was dean from 1927 to 1932, followed by Roy Lockenour, who served until 1939.[1] Willamette University College of Law became American Bar Association accredited in 1938, and in 1946 it became a member of the Association of American Law Schools.[2] In 1938 the school moved to Gatke Hall, a former United States Post Office.[5] The law school was housed there until 1967.[6] During this time deans of the law school included George M. McLeod (1940-1942), Ray L. Smith (1942-1946), and Seward P. Reese (1946-1968).[1] During World War II, enrollment declined to only five graduates between 1943 to 1945, and classes were moved to the undergraduate library as the United States Navy used the Gatke Hall.[1] In 1946, enrollment rebounded with a total of 92 students, the largest student body of the law school up to that date.[1]

Charles L. McNary, dean from 1908 to 1913.
Charles L. McNary, dean from 1908 to 1913.

After 1952, Willamette’s law school received a large Lady Justice statue when the Marion County Courthouse was demolished to make way for a new courthouse.[5] In 1960, the school started a law review, while enrollment increased to 185 by the mid 1960s.[1] Because of increased enrollment, the College of Law Foundation was created by the university’s trustees in 1959 to explore the construction of a new facility.[1] In 1967, a new $1.1 million facility, the Truman Wesley Collins Legal Center, opened in September and the College of Law moved across campus to its current home along with Lady Justice, a twelve-foot-tall, 300-pound statue, was formerly on the roof of the Marion County Courthouse.[1][5]

In 1968, Arthur B. Custy became dean and served until 1971 during which time admissions changed to require a bachelor's degree and the Law School Admission Test.[1] Later deans of the school include Larry K. Harvey (1971-1977) and Leroy Tornquist (1979-1987).[1]

In 1984 the law school established the Center for Dispute Resolution, an alternative dispute resolution program.[1] In 1992, the Collins Legal Center went through an award-winning renovation[7] and expansion that ended with a dedication ceremony with a speech by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.[8][9] In her dedication speech she advocated for civility among those in the legal profession and for avoiding personal attacks among lawyers.[10] In December 2005, the school’s moot courtroom was used for a real civil trial after the Marion County Courthouse was damaged the previous month.[11] Deans of the school in recent years include David R. Kenagy (1994-1996 interim), Robert M. Ackerman (1996-1999), and Symeon Symeonides (1999 to present).[12]

[edit] Academics

WUCL Library.
WUCL Library.

[edit] Acceptance

The College of Law offers full-time enrollment exclusively, with an admissions deadline of April 1 for the JD program. In 2005, the school accepted 35.1% of all applicants who applied to the school. Because the College of Law does not charge a fee for submitting an application, it receives many applications which it is able to reject, thereby achieving a relatively low acceptance rate. Enrolled students from that entering class had Law School Admission Test (LSAT) scores in the range of 153 to 157 (25th-75th percentile) placing the school in U.S. News & World Report’s rankings Third Tier.[13] In 2006, the acceptance rate for the college was 37.7%; those enrolled earned LSAT scores ranging from 155 to 160, and the school was ranked in U.S. News' rankings in the Fourth Tier.[14] As of 2008, Willamette was ranked in the Third Tier by the magazine.[15]

[edit] Programs

The JD program is a three-year, full-time curriculum with new students' initial enrollment beginning only with the fall term each year. Through a partnership between the College of Law and Willamette's Atkinson Graduate School of Management, a joint degree program is offered to students interested in earning both a JD and an MBA concurrently. The program allows students to earn both degrees in four years. The MBA is conferred in Business, Government, or Not-for-Profit Management.[16] Both JD students and joint-degree students have the option of enrolling in the certificate programs, studying abroad, working at the Clinical Law Program, and taking classes from the Center for Dispute Resolution.

The Center for Dispute Resolution, founded in 1983, was one of the first in the western United States to offer coursework in the areas of arbitration, negotiation and mediation. Focusing on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), its program is a national model, and the center is annually recognized as one of the top ten programs in the nation.[17] In 2006, the Dispute Resolution program was ranked 7th by U.S. News & World Report.[17]

Willamette's College of Law also offers a Clinical Law Program that gives law students hands-on professional experience in law offices and courtrooms across the country. The program consists of two main components, the Externship Program and the Civil Practice Clinic. Both parts allow students to participate in real-life legal work.[18]

Students have the opportunity to participate in study abroad programs in Germany, Ecuador and China.[19]

[edit] Grading Policy

Willamette's College of Law also has a stringent grading policy. The Student Handbook requires that all first-year classes have a mean grade within the range of 2.70 to 2.90. In all first-year classes and in all second- and third-year classes with an enrollment of 20 students or more 10-15% of the grades must be a C (2.00) or below; and at least 5% of grades must be below C (2.00). To maintain scholarships from the College of Law, students must maintain a 2.90 or above. A student is on academic probation if he or she has a cumulative grade point average below C+ (2.30). A student is permanently excluded from the College of Law if he or she has a cumulative grade point average below 1.95 after completing one semester; or below 2.10 after completing two semesters; or below 2.25 after completing three or more semesters.[1]

[edit] LL.M.

The LL.M. in Transnational Law educates law students on a variety of international law topics such as international business transactions, comparative law, as well as private international law. The program also covers dispute resolution and allows students to enroll in classes at the Atkinson Graduate School of Management.[2] LL.M. students can attend either full-time or part-time, but must complete the ten-credit-hour program within two academic years.[2]

[edit] Certificate programs

The law school offers four special certificate programs for students in both the JD program and the joint degree program: Dispute Resolution, Law & Business, International & Comparative Law, Sustainability Law, and Law & Government.[20] The business law, law and government, and international and comparative law certificate programs were introduced to the curriculum in 2002.[21] These programs allow students to specialize in those areas of study and earn a certificate demonstrating that specialization.[21]

[edit] Law journals

Collins Legal Center.
Collins Legal Center.

The College of Law produces five publications, including three law reviews.[22] In 1992, the Willamette Journal of International Law and Dispute Resolution began publication with a focus on dispute resolution and the law on the international level.[23][22] Willamette Law Review began in 1959, with four editions each year.[24][22] This general interest legal review also sponsors an annual symposium at the school. The first journal on sports law in the Pacific Northwest was the Willamette Sports Law Journal.[25] The official Bluebook abbreviations used for citations are "Willamette J. Int'l L. & Disp. Resol." for the Journal of International Law and Dispute Resolution and "Willamette L. Rev." for the Willamette Law Review.[26]

Willamette’s College of Law also produces Willamette Lawyer and Willamette Law Online. Willamette Lawyer is the school’s alumni magazine, published twice annually with one edition in the spring and the second in the fall.[27] Produced primarily by students, Willamette Law Online is a subscription service that provides case summaries to legal professionals in the Pacific Northwest.[28]

[edit] Facilities

Willamette’s College of Law is housed in the Truman Wesley Collins Legal Center (aka Collins Legal Center). Students have 24-hour secure access to the 75,000+ square foot building, which was renovated in 1992. It is located on Winter Street in Salem, just south of the Oregon State Capitol.[2] In addition to classrooms, the building houses the law library, the Oregon Law Commission, and the school’s Center for Dispute Resolution.[29] The building also contains a fully functioning trial courtroom used for moot court.[29]

[edit] Library

Inside the Law Library.
Inside the Law Library.

The J. W. Long Law Library has 285,000 volumes and microform equivalents, which include both state and federal primary law sources, as well as treatises, periodicals and other secondary sources.[29] The three-story structure is attached to the Collins Legal Center and contains study rooms, video rooms, conference rooms, computer labs, and is staffed by reference librarians.[29] Additionally, it has special collections in tax law, public international law, labor law, and is a Selective Federal Government Documents Depository.[29] Members of the public may access the library when the library is staffed by librarians, while students and faculty have 24-hour access to the library.[30] Law students also have access to Willamette University's Mark O. Hatfield Library, the Oregon Supreme Court Library, the Oregon State Library, and the Oregon State Archives.

[edit] Distinguished faculty

[edit] Distinguished alumni

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Swenson, Eric. Willamette University College of Law: The First Hundred Years: An Illustrated History. Willamette University College of Law, 1987.
  2. ^ a b c d e Hobsons: LLM Courses: WUCL, Accessed August 20, 2007.
  3. ^ a b 1840-1990 Keepsake Edition: Willamette University. Statesman Journal, October 26, 1990.
  4. ^ Women of Willamette: Early Legal Pioneers to Today’s Trailblazers. Willamette Lawyer, Spring 2007, p. 12.
  5. ^ a b c Oregon Judicial Department: Marion County Courthouse, Accessed August 20, 2007.
  6. ^ Salem Historical Quarterly: Willamette University Historic Buildings, Accessed August 20, 2007.
  7. ^ Soderstrom Architects P.C.: Awards, Accessed August 20, 2007.
  8. ^ Willamette University: College of Liberal Arts Catalog, 2003-2005, Accessed August 20, 2007.
  9. ^ Salem Online History: Willamette University, Accessed August 20, 2007.
  10. ^ Leeson, Fred. O’Connor calls for legal civility. The Oregonian, September 11, 1992.
  11. ^ Murez, Cara Roberts. Mobile courtrooms. Statesman Journal, December 14, 2005.
  12. ^ Erika Woods. Law dean hired by Willamette. Statesman Journal, March 18, 1999.
  13. ^ America's Best Graduate Schools 2008: School of Law: Willamette University, US News & World Report. From the Internet Archives. Retrieved on August 20, 2007.
  14. ^ America's Best Graduate Schools 2007: School of Law: Willamette University, US News & World Report. From the Internet Archives. Retrieved on August 20, 2007.
  15. ^ Best Graduate Schools: Best Law Schools (Ranked in 2008). U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved March 29, 2008.
  16. ^ Academice Programs: Joint Degree, Willamette University College of Law. Accessed August 20, 2007.
  17. ^ a b Lomio, J. Paul. Erika V. Wayne. Ranking of Top Law Schools: 1987 – 2006 By U.S. News & World Report. Stanford Law Library, March 2005. Accessed August 20, 2007.
  18. ^ Willamette University College of Law: Clinical Law Program, Accessed August 20, 2007.
  19. ^ Willamette University College of Law: Study Abroad, Accessed August 20, 2007.
  20. ^ Willamette University College of Law: Certificate Programs, Accessed August 20, 2007.
  21. ^ a b Tom, Susan. WU law school making changes. Statesman Journal, March 6, 2002.
  22. ^ a b c Justia: Willamette University College of Law, Accessed August 20, 2007.
  23. ^ Willamette University College of Law: Willamette Journal of International Law and Dispute Resolution: About us, Accessed August 20, 2007.
  24. ^ Willamette University College of Law: Willamette Law Review, Accessed August 20, 2007.
  25. ^ Willamette University College of Law: Sports Law Journal, Accessed August 20, 2007.
  26. ^ University of Washington: Bluebook Abbreviations of Law Review Titles, Accessed August 20, 2007.
  27. ^ Willamette University: Alumni Publications: Willamette Lawyer, Accessed August 20, 2007.
  28. ^ Willamette University College of Law. Willamette Law Online: About us, Accessed August 20, 2007.
  29. ^ a b c d e Willamette University College of Law: Facilities, Accessed August 20, 2007.
  30. ^ Willamette University College of Law. J.W. Long Law Library: Information and Services. Accessed August 20, 2007.

[edit] External links

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