University of Oregon - School of Law

As the state’s only public law, the University of Oregon’s School of Law provides numerous opportunities for interdisciplinary learning that go beyond the traditional curriculum (such as intersections with journalism, conflict resolution, and environmental studies), and a robust commitment to public service and public interest law. The school's clinics and externship opportunities and “amazing” legal writing and research program round out the affordable and respected degree on offer here.
Every faculty and staff member at Oregon is “extremely focused on the student experience.” “You can always get ahold of your professor, and the Dean even holds office hours, allowing you to go and discuss whatever you'd like with him,” says a student. For common occurrences like clinics, externships and registration, the “amazingly helpful” administration “has made everything flow very easily.” Conversely, if you have a special situation, “administrators are always available to meet and discuss solutions with you.” “The school is small enough that you really get to know the faculty and administration, and they will help you in any way they can to network and get jobs,” says a 2L (though some admit that the school “could use more career services related to jobs out of state”). The school’s major focus is on public interest law, but it has “a high number of specialized programs and great faculty that allow for students to get a great education in their area of interest,” and “is very supportive of students who want to pursue non-Big Law careers.”
The classroom experience is “very collaborative,” and members of the “empowered student body” are supportive of one another all hours of the day. Students do worry that the University of Oregon (and law schools in general) are “not concerned enough about practical lawyering skills,” and wish that the administration could hurry along the process for creating even more clinics. “In order for the legal job market to weather this ongoing crisis, law schools must take swift measures to make law schools more affordable, practical, and efficient,” says one. Top programs and centers such as the Appropriate Dispute Resolution Center, the Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics, and the Center for Law and Entrepreneurship’s Small Business Clinic (which assists small and micro-businesses) help to offset this need and add to the school’s reputation.
The law school has addressed these issues through offering nine different clinical opportunities each year wither between 110 and 180 seats. There is also a robust externship program. Top programs and centers such as the Appropriate Dispute Resolution Center, the Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics, and the Center for Law and Entrepreneurship’s Small Business Clinic (which assists small and microbusinesses) help to offset most other experiential complaints and add to the school’s reputation.

Oregon is “a pretty white state,” so “while the administration does a lot of outreach to attract minority students, the overall population is really white.” The school and students may tend towards younger and liberal, but “there is a healthy dose of differing opinions and political backgrounds.” The “tech-savvy” school “makes most students feel welcome in what is a very stressful environment:” “Everyone is very friendly,” the law school “has a great vibe,” the building is “amazing,” and the library is “great.” The city of Eugene itself is “generally a pretty great place to live,” and students also get “free tickets to Ducks football,” which helps relax the soul and bolster school spirit.
“Student groups are very active on campus,” and this social bunch take advantage whenever they can find the time. The “geographically breathtaking location” provides “biking trails, hills to climb, [and]outdoor activities galore,” which is par for the course of any Oregonian (less than half of the student body is an Oregon resident when they enroll).