SALEM, Ore. — Willamette Law is pleased to recognize and welcome two new faculty members. Visiting Assistant Professor Robin Maril and new Assistant Professor Beth Zilberman will join the full-time faculty effective summer 2022.
Robin Maril
Professor Maril joins the full-time faculty following her term as a visiting professor during the 2021-22 academic year. She is excited to accept a full-time appointment as Assistant Professor of Law where she says she’s felt supported and welcomed since her first day on campus.
“Willamette is really a special place because of the people,” Professor Maril says. “The faculty is so engaged and focused on both scholarship and teaching. I have also been impressed by the energy, professionalism and passion of Willamette students.
“Every student walks in the door with their own unique perspective and experience that has led them to law school. This makes the exchange of ideas in the classroom a vibrant, two way street. I love learning from my students.”
In her first year, Professor Maril taught Constitutional Law, Administrative Law and Family Law. She will continue to teach those, along with courses in Health Law.
Professor Maril previously worked for 9 years at the Human Rights Campaign, where she served as the associate legal director beginning in 2016. Her work there focused on federal programs, administrative policies and legislation impacting the LGBTQIA community.
“Students have already benefited tremendously in learning from Professor Maril,” Dean Brian Gallini says. “She brings a unique experience in legislative and policy lawyering to our faculty that is driven by her passion for equal opportunity and access to federally-funded programs, like Medicaid and Medicare. We are thrilled she is joining our full-time faculty to continue sharing her knowledge and passion with our community.”
Beth Zilberman
Professor Zilberman will primarily teach within the Clinical Law Program, joining Professors Susan Cook and Sarah Matsumoto, and will work to expand upper-level immigration curricular offerings. She is currently an Assistant Professor and Director of the Immigration Clinic at the University of Arkansas School of Law, although this academic year she is visiting at the University of Washington School of Law where she teaches in the Immigration Clinic.
“Professor Zilberman is a welcome addition to our already strong clinical law program, where she will bring her years of clinical experience in teaching and directing immigration law clinics, Gallini says. “We are excited to see her re-build our immigration law clinic and add strength to our immigration law offerings more generally. After working alongside Professor Zilberman in the past, I know she will be an immediate resource to our entire WU community.”
Professor Zilberman is excited to be joining Willamette Law during a time of growth for the experiential learning program.
“The Immigration Clinic will provide students the opportunity to take their knowledge outside of the four walls of the classroom to develop a deep understanding of the real impact our nation’s laws and policies have on the lives of some of the most vulnerable members of their community,” she says, “while using that knowledge to effectively advocate for their clients and against systemic inequities.
“I am also looking forward to working toward developing a more comprehensive set of immigration law curricular offerings that meet the needs of students who are eager to learn and make meaningful changes in this complex area of law that intersects with so many other areas of practice.”
Professor Zilberman is an expert on asylum and child immigration and a trusted source for media members seeking clarity on those complex legal issues. Her scholarship focuses on access to justice in immigration adjudications and intersects with family, education and juvenile justice law. She will be in good company amongst Willamette Law faculty members who are active as local and national news sources.
