Overview
From the time the first student entered the classroom in 1883, Willamette University College of Law has been a pioneer of legal education in the western United States. Located across the street from the state Capitol complex, the College of Law is situated in the epicenter of Oregon law, government and business.
Willamette University is one of the nation’s oldest academic institutions. Like its parent, the law school is an intimate, highly selective and intellectually challenging school — and is a widely recognized leader in legal education.
The College of Law is committed to the pursuit of academic and professional excellence and to providing a supportive environment that maximizes each student’s unique potential. Our learning environment is distinctive among law schools. We emphasize small enrollment, excellence in teaching and a high level of faculty-student interaction. We also boast a student-faculty ratio of approximately 13-to-1. As a community, we are committed to the advancement of knowledge through research and scholarship, to diversity, and to public service.
The first-year class at the College of Law comprises 150 bright, competitive and diverse students engaged in full-time study. Our select enrollment of fewer than 420 students creates an intellectual intimacy unmatched by most law schools in the United States. Willamette law students should expect to be challenged, to defend their opinions, to think and rethink their ideas, and to leave with a heightened respect for themselves and confidence in what they can do.
Willamette has trained more than five generations of talented, skilled lawyers who stand toe-to-toe with the best lawyers in the country. Among the College of Law’s distinguished alumni are more than a dozen Supreme Court justices and members of Congress, numerous heads of Fortune 500 companies, and countless distinguished private and public attorneys.
Innovative Programs of Study
For 125 years, Willamette University College of Law has prepared students for a life spent mastering the law in a world of ever-changing opportunities. Our vision for innovative legal education gains depth from our rich history and flexibility from what lies ahead.
The law school offers three degree programs: the Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.); the Joint Degree Program (J.D./M.B.A.), which enables students interested in business law to earn both degrees in four years rather than the usual five; and an LL.M. in Transnational Law, an advanced law degree for students who have completed the J.D. at an ABA-accredited American law school or its equivalent from a foreign law school.
Despite the school’s small size, its curriculum is rich and diverse, typically comprising more than 130 courses. Specialized certificate programs in Law and Government, Dispute Resolution, International and Comparative Law, Law and Business, and Sustainability Law underscore the strong academic foundation provided at the College of Law and help distinguish Willamette students from other law school graduates.
Our students also gain important practical skills training through simulation-based courses, moot court competitions, intensive trial practice and targeted externship placements. They also gain valuable real-world experience working with actual clients in the Clinical Law Program. These programs provide students with an insider’s view into the lawmaking process and important hands-on experience.
Acclaimed Legal Educators
A law school faculty is the brain and heart of the institution. Willamette's law faculty includes some of the most respected legal minds in the country. These scholars and master teachers are nationally recognized for their research, publications and contributions to the law, particularly in the areas of constitutional law, commercial and business law, international and comparative law, environmental law, and dispute resolution. Yet it is their authentic, deep dedication — both as educators and as mentors — that distinguishes Willamette professors from others.
An Intimate Learning Environment
Willamette maintains small classes to ensure effective faculty-student interaction and an intimate learning environment. Throughout the last eight years, approximately 14 percent of law classes had fewer than 10 students, 39 percent of classes had fewer than 20 students, and 57 percent of classes had fewer than 25 students.
