Academic Programs

As you would expect from a school with 125 years of history behind it, Willamette University College of Law has a rock-solid national reputation. In combination with your hard work, Willamette will instill in you a comprehensive understanding of the law, along with highly refined skills in problem solving, research and writing.

Perhaps most important of all, you will emerge with a greatly enhanced ability to think clearly, soundly and quickly. At Willamette, you will be tested and strengthened by a robust, integrated curriculum — enhanced by extensive opportunities for research and study. But at Willamette, we do not produce clones. You will learn to think critically, on your own two feet, and leave the school prepared to stand toe-to-toe with some of the best legal minds in the country.

A selective Doctor of Jurisprudence program is available, as well as an LL.M. Program in Transnational Law for those who have completed the J.D. at an ABA-accredited law school.
Willamette is home to several nationally recognized centers of legal study, including the Center for Dispute Resolution, Center for Law and Government and Center for Religion, Law and Democracy.
Specialized Certificate Programs in Law and Government, Sustainability Law, Dispute Resolution, Law and Business, and International and Comparative Law underscore the strong academic foundation provided by the College of Law and help distinguish Willamette students from other law school graduates.
A Joint Degree Program is available for those law students interested in a more intense immersion into the study of business, government and management. Graduates of the Joint Degree Program receive both a J.D. from the College of Law and an M.B.A. from Willamette's Atkinson Graduate School of Management.
The school also offers an accelerated B.A./J.D. Program for academically qualified students through the College of Liberal Arts. The B.A./J.D. Program offers students the opportunity to earn a J.D. degree and a liberal arts education with a B.A. degree in six years.
The College of Law offers three invaluable Study Abroad Programs in China, Germany and Ecuador that provide students with a rich blend of coursework and practical education to help prepare them for successful careers in national and international spheres.

Willamette University College of Law offers all the cutting-edge amenities a student would expect from a top law school. Bright, modern classrooms provide comfortable, professional environments for learning and include a state-of-the-art wireless network. Both the Collins Legal Center and the law library are accessible to law students on an honor system 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Willamette law students also have available to them, within several blocks, the collections of Willamette University's Mark O. Hatfield Library, which maintains a strong liberal arts and graduate business collection; the State of Oregon Law Library, which houses briefs of the Oregon Supreme Court and the Oregon Court of Appeals and contains rare historical Commonwealth materials; the Oregon State Library, the official state government documents depository; and the Oregon State Archives, which houses all historical Oregon legislative documents.