Willamette University College of Law
Willamette University
Willamette University College of Law
245 Winter Street, SE
Truman Wesley Collins Legal Center
Salem, OR 97301
www.willamette.edu/wucl/
Law School Pro Bono Programs
Contact Information
Norma S. FreitasAssistant Director of Career Services
503-375-5484
nfreitas@willamette.edu
Category Type
Formal Voluntary Pro Bono Program Characterized by a Referral System with a Coordinator.
Description of Program
The Pro Bono Honors Program is designed to encourage students to participate in community-based volunteer legal service projects. The Program allows students to enhance their learning experience through hands-on involvement in the community, while providing valuable services to people in need.
Location of Program
The Assistant Director of Career Services administers the Pro Bono Honors Program.
Staffing/Management/Oversight
The Assistant Director of Career Services administers the Pro Bono Honors Program.
Funding
The Program is funded through the Career Services department.
Student Run Pro Bono Groups/Specialized Law Education Projects
Street Law provides law student volunteers the chance to increase legal knowledge, as well as develop new perspectives on that knowledge. Student volunteers use a national curriculum to teach practical lessons about law to local high school students. The lessons encourage participation and positive youth development. In preparing and delivering the lessons, student volunteers improve their communication, substantive knowledge, and analytical ability. Street Law fosters community involvement by offering student volunteers opportunities ranging from one afternoon to regular participation throughout the semester.
Faculty and Administrative Pro Bono
There is no formal faculty pro bono policy. However, the Pro Bono Program of the Clinical Law Program promotes and facilitates pro bono service for faculty members.
Awards/Recognition
Willamette gives an annual Pro Bono Student of the Year award to the graduating student who has contributed the most pro bono work during law school. All students who participate in the Pro Bono Honors Program are honored at our Spring Reception. Those completing the minimum number of hours required earn certificates.
Community Service
Community Service is included in the Pro Bono Honors Program.
Law School Public Interest Programs
Back to top
Contact Information
Norma S. FreitasAssistant Director of Career Services
503-375-5484
nfreitas@willamette.edu
Certificate/Curriculum Programs
The Certificate Program in Sustainable Environmental, Energy and Resources Law (SEER) places special emphasis on the role of the lawyer in formulating environmental and natural resources law and policy to sustain and protect our local and global resources. Students enrolled in the Certificate Program in Sustainability will receive a solid foundation in all areas of the law but also have the academic flexibility to specialize in specific areas related to sustainability and the environment. The Sustainability Law Program at Willamette was designed to prepare the next generation of lawyer-advocates to lead their communities, the nation and the world toward a more sustainable future. The program trains students to think about environmental issues in concrete ways and to translate broad legal theory into targeted public policy and litigation. The program provides new insights into environmental, energy and natural resources law, with a keen eye focused on the long-term sustainability of our world. http://www.willamette.edu/wucl/innovative/certificates/sustainability/index.php
The Certificate Program in Law and Government provides students with a significant educational experience in the field of public law. Through personalized and rigorous training, students develop an understanding of the legal structure, function and operations of national, state and local government institutions. The program provides knowledge of the ways in which public policy is made and modified and the methods used to effectively influence formulation of law and policy. The college's proximity to key government agencies and state courts provides numerous opportunities for students to gain practical, first-hand experience in lawmaking and policy administration. Students enrolled in the certificate program work for federal district court and state appellate courts, the state attorney general, the governor, state representatives and senators, lobbying firms, legislative counsels, and public policy and advocacy groups. The Certificate Program in Law and Government is enriched by its relationship with several government agencies. The Oregon Law Commission, the state's official law-reform agency, is housed at the College of Law. Willamette also is home to the Public Policy Research Center, which works with state agencies and the legislature on critical research projects. These organizations provide students with unique opportunities to engage in policy development and law-reform activities. http://www.willamette.edu/wucl/innovative/certificates/government.php
Public Interest Centers
The Willamette Center for Law and Government was established in 2002 to promote the impartial study and understanding of federal-state and government-citizen relations in the United States. The Center administers a curricular program (see Certificate in Law and Government), conducts symposia and conferences, sponsors programs of training and orientation for public and elected officials, and holds a yearly writing competition. The Center is housed at Willamette University College of Law, located in Salem adjacent to the state Capitol, the Oregon Supreme Court and various state agencies. http://www.willamette.edu/wucl/clg/index.php
The Willamette University Center for Religion, Law and Democracy is an interdisciplinary center devoted to the exploration of the role of religion in law and in public life. The Center draws on Willamette’s historic and ongoing strengths as a church-related college committed to academic excellence and public service, as well as its location adjacent to the Oregon State Capitol. The Center involves students and faculty from the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Law who teach, write, and engage in these issues on a continuing basis. As part of its mission, the Center conducts symposia, lectures, scholarly research and curriculum development, funds internships, and serves as a forum for the discussion of these intersecting issues. http://www.willamette.edu/centers/crld/
Public Interest Clinics
The Clinical Law Program gives Willamette students the opportunity to represent clients in actual cases and transactions under the close supervision of Willamette faculty. The goal of the program is to instill in our students a strong sense of professionalism, standards of excellence, and an appreciation for the importance of reflection and balance in the practice of law. Through the program, students have opportunities to represent real clients in transactional and litigation contexts. Students working in the clinic may represent abused and neglected children in need of a safe and loving adoptive family, or a victim of domestic violence seeking a restraining order, a custody order and child support so he or she can begin a new life in safety. Another client may be a local nonprofit corporation seeking advice on issues related to incorporation, tax-exempt status and liability issues. Other clients are refugees seeking asylum from political dangers to themselves and their families. Students also may represent a terminally ill client wanting to prepare a will, name a guardian to care for his or her children, or seeking advice on assisted suicide. The Clinical Law Program comprises six advanced legal education courses, including specialized clinics in Business Law, Trusts and Estates, Sustainability Law, Child and Family Advocacy, Law and Government, and International Human Rights. Clients are primarily nonprofit corporations and people of modest economic means. http://www.willamette.edu/wucl/clp/index.php
Externships/Internships
The Externship Program immerses Willamette University College of Law students in the fast-paced work of the practicing lawyer. Students are partnered with attorneys working in various legal settings in the wider community. These students are able to participate in legal work in many different contexts, under the constraints of a real-life practice. Attorneys who supervise students in the Externship Program receive training and mentoring from the externship coordinator.
Willamette students work with state legislators, the governor’s office, the Judiciary Committee and the Oregon Law Commission on a wide variety of legislative issues. The opportunity to participate in the Oregon legislative session as an extern comes only once during each law student’s period of study at the College of Law.
Externs also work with the Marion County Circuit Court, the Marion County Mediation Program, the Grand Ronde Tribal Court, and Oregon’s Department of Consumer and Business Services. Students participate in transactional work, legislative drafting and lobbying, litigation, administrative advocacy and alternative dispute resolution. Externs can seek a placement that fits their particular skills, background and interests. http://www.willamette.edu/wucl/training/externship/index.php
Classes with a Public Service Component
The Certificate in Dispute Resolution requires 100 hours of practicum volunteering in some area of dispute resolution. http://www.willamette.edu/wucl/cdr/certificate/index.php
Public Interest Journals
Public Interest Career Assistance
Career Services staff provides counseling to all students interested in public interest careers. Workshops on various government/non-profit/legal aid services options are conducted frequently.
Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAP)
In 2006, Willamette initiated a Loan Repayment Assistance Program. Under the program, WUCL lends eligible candidates money to help them repay their student loans. If a loan recipient works in a qualifying public interest position for at least one year after receipt of the LRAP, the loan may be forgiven. Eligible graduates may apply annually for a total of three years of LRAP funding and loan forgiveness.
Post-Graduate Fellowships/Awards
Law School Funded:
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Sources:
Term Time Fellowships/Scholarships
Law School Funded:
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Sources:
Summer Fellowships
Law School Funded:
Work study money is available to qualifying students year round.
Graduate Student Funded:
The Student public interest group, The Project (Public Interest Project), raises money for 6-12 public interest fellowships each summer, for approximately $3,000 per fellowship.
Other Funding Sources:
Extracurricular and Co-Curricular Programs
Workshops on various government/non-profit/legal aid services options are conducted frequently by the Career Services office.
Student Public Interest Groups
- American Constitution Society
- Christian Legal Society
- Environmental Law Society
- J. Reuben Clark Society
- Multicultural Law Students Association
- Phi Alpha Delta
- The Project (Public Interest Project)
- Student Animal Legal Defense Fund
- Willamette Students for Civil Liberties
- WiLLO (Willamette Lambda Legal Organization)
