In 141 years since Oregon Law was established in Portland, it has undergone transformational change in its academic programs, breadth and scope of pedagogy, location and infrastructure, and opportunities for practical, career-building experiences. 

Oregon Law proudly congratulates three members of our faculty honored with prominent University of Oregon and law school awards in recognition of their teaching excellence.  

This year's Minoru Yasui Fellow, Alicia Shindo, is committed to the values reflected in Minoru's life. Yasui, JD '39, fought laws that directly targeted Japanese Americans during World War II. 

Judge Nan Waller, JD ’79, a University of Oregon School of Law graduate and Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge, will be the distinguished speaker at the Oregon Law Commencement Ceremony honoring the 2025 Juris Doctor and Master of Laws graduates.  

Distressed by the Vietnam War and wanting to advocate on behalf of those being drafted into combat, Marcia Mellinger, JD ’74 applied to law school. 

To help law students gain context and understanding of emerging legal issues at this moment in history, Oregon Law began hosting “Current Conversations,” said Jennifer Geller, managing director of Oregon Law’s Public Service and Policy program.   

Jennifer W. Reynolds, JD, professor of law and interim dean at the University of Oregon School of Law has been selected as the new permanent dean and Dave Frohnmayer Chair in Leadership and Law. University of Oregon Provost and Senior Vice President Christopher P. Long announced Reynolds assumed the role effective March 17, 2025. 

For over four decades Land Air Water (LAW), an Oregon Law student organization, has organized, led, and hosted the oldest and largest Public Interest Environmental Law Conference (PIELC) in the world. 

Oregon Law announces Jane Gordon, JD ’79, an alumna, former Oregon Law associate dean, and current vice president for UO Portland as the 2025 Frohnmayer Award for Public Service honoree. 

Not all lawsuits are as they seem. In the 2025 Derrick Bell Lecture, featured speaker Professor Kimberly West-Faulcon, James P. Bradley Chair in Constitutional Law, Loyola Marymount University, will address how some race-conscious affirmative action lawsuits hide a different goal.