The Juris Doctor is a three-year professional degree required for taking the bar exam and practicing law in the United States.
Juris Doctor
Graduate
90
3 Years
Salem
Three Willamette Law students put their knowledge into action when they were selected as Immigrant Justice Fellows. These students provided legal service to immigrant communities as part of Willamette's Immigration Law Clinic.
Willamette Law collaborated with Innovation Law Lab, a nonprofit that advocates for immigrants and refugees, to give Alondra Duran JD '23, Rodrigo Fernandez-Ortega JD '23, and Doug Valladares JD '23 the chance to work with clients. Through the fellowship, they gained hands-on experience and had a real-world impact on people's lives.
Willamette Law alumni thrive across diverse legal fields, from prestigious judicial clerkships to dynamic positions in big law—and everything in between. Equipped with essential skills, our graduates are prepared to realize their professional aspirations, no matter where they choose to practice.
Preparation, particularly in legal research and writing, prepared Skalman to launch her own firm
Kristi Skalman JD’20 honed her legal skills as an attorney fellow at the Commons Law Center, focusing on trial preparation and community-based care. This experience was crucial in helping her establish her own family law practice, Vibrant Law, which prioritizes high-quality service and work-life balance.
Internships and Moot Court Board lead to offer to join JAG Corps
Henry Harder excelled at Willamette Law, leveraging the accelerated Law School Bound program to combine his political science studies with early law school entry and later expanding his skill set with a JD/MBA dual degree. Internships with the U.S. Army's Judge Advocate General’s Corps, combined with leadership roles in school activities like the Moot Court Board, have poised him for success.
The School of Law faculty has been chosen for its ability to excite, instruct and inspire. In addition to their impeccable credentials and years of law practice, the Willamette Law faculty has a deep commitment to teaching.
Professor Stephanie Davidson brings extensive experience in legal research and law librarianship. Her teaching and scholarship focus on access to justice, legal research instruction, and navigating legal information in different environments.
Professor Laura Appleman brings a diverse background in criminal law, criminal procedure, family law, and sentencing law and policy, with prior roles including a Ninth Circuit law clerk and New York criminal appellate public defender.
In the first-year contracts course, students will explore the essentials of contract formation, performance, and enforcement, including mutual assent, consideration, conditions, breach, and remedies. They will also examine key doctrines such as the Statute of Frauds, third-party rights, and contract discharge mechanisms.
The first-year torts course covers the spectrum of civil law remedies for personal injuries, emphasizing both intentional and unintentional wrongs. This course provides students a foundational understanding of how legal principles are applied to redress and compensate for injuries.
During the first two years of law school, students learn to “think like a lawyer.” The Clinical Law Program teaches them to “be a lawyer.” Students can choose from one of our three clinics including immigration, trusts and estates, and criminal defense.
Students participating in the Immigration Clinic represent clients in a variety of cases and projects that involve international law, such as customary international law or treaty law and immigration, in particular, immigration matters associated with asylum claims.
Students in the Trusts and Estates Clinic represent clients requiring non-tax estate planning. Clients typically include those with minor children unable to manage property, as well as others who have adult children, are childless, or are terminally ill or elderly.
Students who participate in the Criminal Defense Clinic represent clients in misdemeanor cases. They develop defense strategies, interview clients, cross-examine witnesses, review discovery, and write motions for clients in need of representation.
Willamette Law offers seven specialty certificate programs that recognize focused training in specific areas of legal study. These certificates are designed for students pursuing a JD degree and are not stand-alone degree programs. Students are not required to choose a certificate program, but those interested in pursuing one should consult with their faculty advisor, the program director, or the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Administration.
Students must complete 90 credit hours to graduate. Law school at Willamette begins with an Orientation program, followed by essential courses such as Civil Procedure, Contracts I & II, Lawyering I & II, Torts, and Property. Throughout their studies, students will also delve into Constitutional Law I & II, Criminal Law, Professional Responsibility, Evidence, Real Estate Transactions, Criminal Procedure I, and Legal Analysis for the Bar.
The Juris Doctor (JD) is a three-year professional degree that is necessary for taking the bar exam and practicing law across most of the United States. Applicants to the JD program are required to have a bachelor's degree, or an equivalent degree for international applicants that is comparable to an American undergraduate bachelor's degree.
Willamette Law recognizes both the cost and the value of a legal education. We advise students to thoroughly understand their financial outlook when choosing a law school. The Financial Aid office at Willamette University is dedicated to assisting students in navigating the financial aid process.
Willamette University’s financial stability and strategic partnerships empower the School of Law to provide robust financial aid and scholarship opportunities. All applicants are automatically evaluated for scholarships upon application. A substantial number of incoming students at Willamette Law receive scholarship awards, which are renewable as long as the recipient maintains academic good standing.
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