$1 million donation from Bowerman family
The University of Oregon School of Law started off the 2013-2014 school year with a $1 million donation from a familiar name: Tom Bowerman.
The money went to the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Center and allowed the center to nearly double the amount of research fellows and help will students who will soon pursue careers.
“For the ENR center, it’s a very special and important gift. It’s thanks to the ongoing support from the Bowerman family and it’s a really significant and important gift that we appreciate,” said Heather Brinton, the managing director for the ENR center.
As most sports fans know, The Bowerman is a national track and field award named after former UO coach Bill Bowerman.
Oregon Supreme Court hears arguments on murder trial
Every year the Oregon Supreme Court visits the law school to hear oral arguments and take student questions.
This year, the visit was to hear arguments on two cases, State of Oregon v. Jerrin Lavazie Hickman and Ronald Doyle v. City of Medford.
The Hickman case had drawn some media attention, as he was convicted of murder in 2009, only to have the conviction thrown out in the Oregon Court of Appeals in 2013.
The Oregon Supreme Court heard arguments on the case during their visit in March, and on July 10 they reinstated Hickman’s murder conviction.
Plugged-in Portland connects students with local industries
The UO law school hosted “Plugged-in Portland” on June 20, 2014 in the White Stag building.
The event drew around 100 professionals from around Oregon and featured a number of labs, forums and continuing legal education programs.
Ellen Rosenblum, Oregon’s attorney general, kicked off the event with a few opening remarks about the challenges of the legal field with emerging technologies.
“The event’s scale was ambitious and its scope was broad, touching on several key economic sectors and practical skills,” Rebekah Hanley, assistant dean for the law school’s career center, said on the law school’s website.
2013 – 2014 law school accolades
The 2013-2014 school year saw the UO law school and its programs earning national recognition.
Among them were three programs being featured in U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Graduate Schools” list. The legal research and writing program, the environmental and natural resources law program and the appropriate dispute resolution program were all featured in the top 10 specialty programs in the country.
The School of Law as a whole was ranked 13 in The National Jurist magazine’s list of top schools for public interest law. It also received an exceptional grade from the publication for its practical training compared to other institutions. The School of Law received the highest grade from the publication for law schools in Oregon.