A recent round of commencement exercises at the School of Law celebrated students, faculty and staff who have been making great strides in their professional lives. These ceremonies featured a special guest speaker, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Samuel Alito. The ceremony was also attended by top legal and political officials. The event recognized several noteworthy achievements during the 2020-2021 academic year.
During the ceremony, the Class of 2021 was honored with the Breakthrough Star award, a prize that recognizes a student’s achievement in their academic career. In addition to the Breakthrough Star award, the School of Law hosted three acclaimed speakers. Each speaker was recognized for his or her outstanding work. The Class of 2021, comprised of 217 first-year students, graduated with the highest scores in the school’s history.
The school is continuing to build on its strong reputation for preparing lawyers for a changing world. It recently announced the addition of new academic initiatives, including the Signature Strengths initiative. In addition to this program, which is designed to highlight the many facets of the legal profession, the College of Law also launched the LexScholars Post-Baccalaureate Program. This program provides new students with an unparalleled opportunity to take advantage of Willamette Law’s nationally renowned approach to legal education.
In addition to the announcement of these new programs, the School of Law also announced two faculty members who have been promoted to tenure. These faculty members are David Friedman, who joins the Willamette University Legal Department, and Clyde “Bennett” Gore Jr., who is the director of the Veteran’s Legal Clinic at the School of Law.
Additionally, the School of Law’s Legal Research Center is hosting a Gaming Law Fall Forum and Sports Law Fall Forum. As the school’s newest professor, Rohan Grey is focusing on legal design of money, particularly with regard to regulations of currency and currency-related transactions. He has joined the law school from Portland State University.
In addition, the School of Law received a generous gift from the estate of Marty Wolf. The gift will help expand experiential learning opportunities and curricular modernization. The gift also will support the Children’s Law Center, which is getting a new and first-class training space. The new Center will help improve the protection of children in South Carolina.
The law school recently announced a new agreement with Western Oregon University, which will enable students to complete their studies at the university before attending the law school. In return, the university will receive access to students from the university’s 4+3 Direct Admission Program. This program allows qualified high school graduates to enroll in the law school and earn a four-year degree without having to sit for the bar exam.
The School of Law also recently announced a new clinical program for veterans. This program, called the Veterans Legal Clinic, will open July 2. In the meantime, the School of Law’s Immigration Clinic will continue to serve those who are seeking refuge from terrorism, war or natural disaster.