The Oregon Law Perspectives webinar series features distinguished Oregon Law faculty speaking on important and timely issues impacting the law and society today. Join us from wherever you are to engage, expand your knowledge, and stay connected to the intellectual life of the law school.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Pitch(ed) Battles: The Legal and Practical Hurdles of Hosting a World Cup
Friday, April 10, 2026 | 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Hosting the FIFA World Cup brings contracts, intellectual property, compliance pitfalls, billion-dollar risks, and potential cross-border disputes along with the most watched sporting event in the world. What does it take to put on one of the biggest sporting events on the planet, and what really goes on behind the scenes when hosting the World Cup?
This one-hour webinar, featuring legal counsel from FIFA alongside a lawyer who worked to secure host city status, dives into the high-stakes legal work that protects brands and sponsorships, guards against counterfeits and ambush marketing, and enforces clean-zone rules and other IP safeguards. It also breaks down the regulatory, labor, safety, and risk-allocation challenges host cities must navigate in conjunction with the pressure to build infrastructure, manage procurement, and minimize community impact—all while meeting FIFA’s strict operational standards.
Designed for practicing attorneys and aspiring legal professionals, earn 1.0 Oregon CLE (pending) while learning about the essential legal frameworks, common risk areas, and practical strategies needed to pull off a compliant, successful global event.
Panelists
Emily Jackson, Deputy General Counsel & Director of Legal (US), FIFA World Cup 2026
Emily Jackson is the Deputy General Counsel and Director of Legal (US) for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and is currently located in Miami. Emily began her career in private practice, where she developed an extensive corporate/commercial skill set, including specializations in intellectual property and entertainment law.
Emily has spent the last decade working in the sports and events industry, where she fell in love with the dynamic and fast-paced environment of the sporting world. Emily has worked with FIFA over the past five years, firstly helping to deliver the game-changing FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, and now working towards the delivery of the FIFA World Cup 2026 here in the US.
Tiffany M. Shepard, Director & Senior Counsel, Brand Rights & Protection, FIFA World Cup 2026
Tiffany Shepard is the Director & Senior Counsel of Brand Rights and Brand Protection for the FIFA World Cup 2026. In this role, she leads the North American enforcement strategy to safeguard FIFA’s World Cup 2026 IP, retail licensing, and sponsorship rights from ambush marketing, counterfeiting, and unauthorized affiliations.
Prior to joining FIFA, Tiffany served as the Assistant General Counsel of Legal and Business Affairs at BuzzFeed Media Enterprises, Inc., a digital media company. She advised on talent negotiations, commercial transactions, sponsorships, events, international licensing, and branded content for marquee brands such as Complex, Tasty, and BuzzFeed.
Before her tenure at BuzzFeed, Tiffany was the Associate General Counsel at The Kraft Heinz Company. There, she focused on NIL partnerships, FTC compliance, IP, and marketing strategies for multi-billion-dollar brands.
Tiffany's earlier experience includes her role at The Procter & Gamble Company, where she served first as Global Brand and Trademark Counsel and then as the North America Brand Protection Leader and Senior Legal Counsel. Her responsibilities at P&G encompassed developing enforcement strategies to dismantle counterfeit networks, serving as the Sports Marketing SPOC, and collaborating with marketing, R&D, and regulatory teams to ensure effective risk assessments and advertising claim substantiation.
Tiffany holds a JD from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and a BA from Hampton University. In her spare time, she loves to travel, mentor students, and read cheesy romance novels.
John Wilson, Partner, K&L Gates
John Wilson is a partner in the Seattle office of K&L Gates. His practice focuses on technology transactions and sports law. John has deep experience drafting and negotiating commercial agreements for clients that range from startups to Fortune 500 corporations. These agreements include cloud computing services (including IaaS and SaaS), technology development, licensing arrangements, worldwide distribution, cooperative marketing, and endorsement deals. In addition to negotiating and drafting agreements, he regularly counsels clients on matters involving intellectual property, social media, and privacy issues.
John also represents clients in structuring, drafting, and negotiating sports and entertainment transactions including naming rights deals, sponsorship agreements, celebrity and athlete endorsements, media rights agreements, and stadium construction contracts. He has experience advising clients positioned on both the team and league, and the sponsor and brand side of deals. He also advises a group holding a minority interest in Seattle Sounders 2, a professional soccer club competing in the United Soccer League.
Prior to joining the Technology Transactions practice group, John gained experience as a member of the firm’s Intellectual Property Litigation practice group. In that role he represented clients in numerous court appearances, negotiation of favorable settlements, and assisting with Section 337 investigations before the International Trade Commission in Washington D.C.
John was also the lead law clerk for the United States Attorney’s Office in Eugene, Oregon. He was closely involved with the prosecution of white collar, terrorism, and fraud cases. Prior to attending law school, John worked for several years as a quality assurance consultant and engineer for a variety of large manufacturing companies in the high tech and defense industries.
John holds a JD from the University of Oregon School of Law and a BA from George Fox University, where he played on the varsity soccer team.
PAST EVENTS
2020-2025
Racialized Burdens and the Power of Rulemaking: Unraveling Discriminatory Liquor License Enforcement
August 14, 2025
The ability to own and operate a business is central to civil and economic rights in a democratic society. For Black entrepreneurs seeking to obtain liquor licenses, access to the marketplace is filtered through layers of state and local regulation that are anything but neutral. Liquor licensing boards have broad discretionary power, and administrative practices often reinforce long-standing patterns of racial exclusion. This webinar, and the article it is based on, examine “racialized administrative burdens,” or administrative actions that show up as delays, denials, and appeals to public safety or due process. Racialized administrative burdens are often framed as routine, but they function in ways that regularly shut Black entrepreneurs out and their businesses down.
To analyze how these burdens are realized, Professor Angela E. Addae developed focused case narratives to reconstruct the experiences of three entrepreneurs who challenged licensing decisions through civil rights litigation. Their experiences reveal how race moves through administrative discretion and how existing legal doctrines fail to address the cumulative harms of bureaucracy. Because these burdens are embedded in the routine operations of administrative governance, Professor Addae argues that meaningful reform must begin at the level of policy and procedure. In doing so, she considers rulemaking as a critical, yet underutilized, site for reform.
Treaties, Trust, and Tomorrow: Navigating the Legal Landscape of Native Lands
August 8, 2025
What will the future hold for Indigenous rights and religious freedom with the Supreme Court’s decision to not hear an appeal of Apache Stronghold v. United States? What obligations does the federal government have to fulfill responsibilities of trusts with Native American tribes? A pair of renowned experts in Indian Law will examine these questions and others regarding Native lands in this two-part webinar. The program features Howard Arnett, Professor of Practice and Charles F. "Chuck" Sams III, who is the Oregon Tribes Scholar-in-Residence, Senior Fellow with the Native Environmental Sovereignty Project, and Former National Parks Service Director.
NAME, IMAGE, LEGAL: The New NIL Playbook
June 17, 2025
How will House v. NCAA affect student-athlete compensation? What have state legislatures done to move the NIL legal landscape forward or backward? And, what’s the role of law schools and legal clinics in protecting the interests of these student-athletes as they navigate the complexities of the law? A three-part presentation by a trio of Oregon Law experts in Name, Image, Likeness will speak to these interconnected aspects of NIL law with an eye toward its impact on students in this Sports Law-focused webinar. The program features Associate Professor David P. Weber, Associate Clinical Professor Bryan Dearinger, and Director of Experiential Education Laurie Hauber, who is also an associate clinical professor.
Defending Sacred Sites: Apache Stronghold v. United States and the Battle for Oak Flat
Aug. 16, 2024
Apache Stronghold v. United States, a case currently in the Ninth Circuit and poised to head to the Supreme Court, involves the protection of Oak Flat, a sacred site for the Western Apache and other Native Nations. The case addresses whether the destruction of a culturally and spiritually significant site for mining purposes constitutes a substantial burden under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. This session will delve into the legal complexities surrounding the protection of sacred sites, examining the historical context, relevant federal laws, and the Ninth Circuit case's arguments. Join us for a timely discussion with Professor of Practice and renowned Indian Law expert Howard Arnett, as he explores the broader implications of the case and its potential impact on Indian law and indigenous rights and religious freedoms.
2023-24 SCOTUS Retrospective
June 28, 2024
From abortion to gerrymandering, social media, homelessness, and presidential immunity, the docket and decisions of the SCOTUS 2023-24 term will profoundly influence American law, policy, and societal norms. As the Term comes to an end, join us as we examine the pivotal cases, their outcomes, and the far-reaching effects of the rulings on both the legal landscape and everyday life. Distinguished law professor and Supreme Court expert, Professor Garrett Epps, offers his expert analysis, context, and insights.
Retrospective: Indian Law and the 2022-23 SCOTUS
August 10, 2023
The Supreme Court’s recent focus on Indian Law cases has been remarkable, and the Court’s 2022-23 Term has continued that trend. The major case of Brackeen v. Haaland, for example, raised important questions of sovereignty, separation of powers, and federalism—not to mention core concerns around adoption and Native American children. Join us for a discussion with Oregon Law’s Howie Arnett on the outcomes of Indian Law cases from the past Term and what these decisions portend for Indian law and policy.
Star Wars and Conflict Resolution
July 13, 2023
Can we learn anything from the Star Wars saga about how to negotiate deals and manage disputes more effectively? We’ve got a good feeling about that. Join Oregon Law professor Jen Reynolds and her co-editor, Creighton business professor Noam Ebner, to hear more about their new book Star Wars and Conflict Resolution: There Are Alternatives to Fighting (DRI Press 2022). This fun and informative session will explore the complexities of aggressive negotiations and diplomatic solutions, in the Star Wars universe and closer to home.
The Potential of Post-Hoc Interventions to Address Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Criminal Sentencing
June 8, 2023
The results of decades of research have shown that discriminatory decisions can impact criminal sentencing. Dr. Erik Girvan, an Oregon Law professor with a background in social psychology, recently completed an empirical study of how biased perceptions of ethnicity may lead to sentencing disparities in Oregon courts. How can we use this data to prevent the perpetuation of sentencing disparities? One possibility is through the use of “post hoc interventions.” Professor Erik Girvan and his collaborator, Dr. Martin Jönsson discuss their work as part of an international, multidisciplinary research team to develop post hoc interventions and investigate their potential to mitigate the effects of biased decisions in criminal sentencing and other contexts.
What Is the Purpose of Purpose Trusts?
May 18, 2023
Purpose trusts got a lot of attention when Patagonia’s owners gave control of Patagonia—a three-billion-dollar company—to a trust. Patagonia made this unusual move to achieve its owners’ long-term objectives around worker well-being and climate action. Here in Oregon, we have a version of a purpose trust called a stewardship trust. Stewardship trusts in Oregon make it possible to put ownership of a business in trust, with the business continuing to operate without owners (other than the trust itself).
Oregon Law professor Susan Gary and Bend lawyer Jeff Patterson describe how stewardship trusts work and discuss the challenges and opportunities they present.
Brackeen v. Haaland: The Supreme Court Takes On the Indian Child Welfare Act
September 29, 2022
This Term, the Court will review the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978, which creates a preference for Native children removed from their homes to be placed with their extended relatives or in Native foster homes. The Court’s resolution of the case could have seismic implications for tribal sovereignty.
Professors Howie Arnett and Garrett Epps provide expert commentary.
The Leaked Draft: Some Reactions
May 6, 2022
The website Politico published a leaked draft of the Supreme Court’s majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The Chief Justice verified the authenticity of the draft the following day, insisting that the draft is not final and promising an internal investigation into the identity of the leaker.
Join Garrett Epps and Stuart Chinn, constitutional law professors at Oregon Law, as they discuss their initial reactions to the draft opinion—and what it may mean for abortion rights in the United States—as well as their thoughts on the leak itself and the increasing politicization of the Court.
Read Professor Epps' article for Washington Monthly: Alito’s Arrogance and the End of Roe.
Targeting Plastics Pollution with Taxes
April 14, 2022
By 2050, the weight of plastic pollution in the ocean is projected to exceed the weight of the fish. What can we do about this? Join two experts from the Oregon Law faculty as they discuss marine plastic pollution—the extent of the problem, the inadequacy of current approaches, and possible tax solutions.
Professor Emerita Roberta Mann and environmental law professor Sarah Adams will examine the possibilities of properly designed environmental taxation to serve as an efficient, effective solution to the plastics pollution problem. Professor Greg Dotson moderates.
Tribal Jurisdiction and US v. Cooley – The Evolving Jurisprudence of the Supreme Court
September 16, 2021
Professor Howie Arnett breaks down the latest Indian Law decision from the Supreme Court, US v. Cooley. Is it possible that the Supreme Court’s treatment of tribal sovereignty is changing … in favor of tribes? Professor Arnett discusses the implications of Cooley and how the case fits into current trends in the highest court’s Indian Law jurisprudence.
Toward a Problem-Solving Approach for Anti-Discrimination Law: Addressing Racial Disparities in School Discipline
April 8, 2021
Federal anti-discrimination law generally focuses on prohibiting overt forms of racial discrimination. Because racial disparities often result from a wide variety of factors other than explicit forms of racial animus, this focus is too narrow for the law to play an effective part in working to address them. Using the example of longstanding and widespread racial disparities in school discipline, Associate Professor of Law Erik Girvan and his collaborators in the UO College of Education and Oregon Research Institute—Keith Smolkowski, Maria Santiago-Rosario, and Kent McIntosh—summarize their research examining the scope and causes of those disparities, as well their experiences designing effective approaches for reducing them. They will then discuss how their experiences working to understand and solve this problem might inform ways in which law may become a more effective ally in meaningfully reducing racial disparities more generally.
Judicial Philosophies and the “Silent Prologue”: A Discussion with Professor Ofer Raban
April 1, 2021
Originalism. Purposivism. Pragmatism. Natural law. Learn more about these and other judicial philosophies as Professor Ofer Raban speaks about his exciting new book, “The Silent Prologue: How Judicial Philosophies Shape our Constitutional Rights.” In this book, Professor Raban explores the different methodologies of judicial decision-making, their justifications, and their impact on constitutional doctrine. How judges think about questions of law and rights—what interpretive approaches they bring to bear on their work—has a large impact on our constitutional law and our individual lives.
Wicked Water Problems in the Willamette River Basin: The Role of Interdisciplinary Research Teams
March 18, 2021
In 2020, Oregon law professor Adell Amos was appointed to oversee an ambitious new interdisciplinary environmental initiative at the University of Oregon. Professor Amos and her research team—Majdi Abou Najm, Anne Nolin, Rosa Cuppari, and Chad Higgins—discuss the tradeoffs and challenges associated with protecting the Willamette River Basin while also preserving the role that the basin plays in providing food, water, and energy for the people of Oregon.
The McGirt Case: What It Means, and What Might Happen Next
August 6, 2020
In 1996, Jimcy McGirt was convicted in Oklahoma state court. On appeal, McGirt argued that Oklahoma had no jurisdiction over the case because, under the Major Crimes Act, any crime occurring within a reservation and involving a Native American victim or perpetrator is exclusively within federal jurisdiction, not state jurisdiction.
A sharply divided Supreme Court agreed with McGirt and stated that for purposes of the Act, much of eastern Oklahoma remains Native American territory. This land was reserved for the Creek Nation in the 19th century and, according to the Court, retains that status to this day. Commentators have called the case a “landmark” decision representing a “historic win” for Tribes and Native people.
What does the McGirt case mean, now and going forward? Hear expert commentary from Professor Howie Arnett, who provides an overview and analysis of the case, paying special attention to the possible impacts of the ruling and the role of Justice Gorsuch in the outcome.