Overview

Applicants
1,216
Acceptance Rate
60%
Median Undergrad GPA
3.34
Accepted Applicants Who Attend
177

Test Scores

LSAT
25th-75th percentile
(enrolled students)
155 - 161

Deadlines

Application Deadlines
March 15

Application Process

Rolling Admissions
Yes

Application Fee
$50

CAS Service Used
Yes

Applicants accepted in terms other than fall
No

Transfer Applicants Accepted
Yes

Deferred Admission
Yes

Other Admission Factors

Academic

LSAT Score
Undergraduate GPA
Essay / Personal Statement

Selectivity Rating

Faculty Information

Student/Faculty
5:1
Total Faculty
138

56
Female
20
Underrepresented Minorities


Students Say

Students who take the legal plunge at Lewis & Clark Law School in beautiful Portland, Oregon, enjoy professors who are “uniformly excellent and approachable for discussion about class topics and other issues striking your fancy.” The small size of the law school allows for an extremely personalized educational experience, and students benefit from this cozy setup on multiple levels, “from an academic perspective as well as from a functional perspective.” “I have been lucky enough to develop solid mentor relationships with specific professors that were particularly inspirational,” says a second-year student. Practically everyone involved in running the school, from the dean to the cafeteria staff, “seem to truly like each other,” and the well-regarded faculty is given an “unusual amount of influence in the way that the school is run, and [in] the school’s policies.”
Lewis & Clark Law School has a relatively small course load of required classes and offers a night program, bringing a large contingent of older and more experienced students to the classrooms, which “adds a valuable, practical dimension to the learning experience.” As one would expect from such an environmentally conscious institution, programs such as environmental and natural resources law and animal law are “unparalleled.” No matter what their specialization, the faculty is considered to be “inspirational and knowledgeable enough to stimulate thinking beyond what’s required by the curriculum,” and the school’s size “allows for an ideal student/teacher ratio that goes further to foster a highly effective teaching environment.” Lewis & Clark’s National Crime Victim Law Institute is another source of pride for the school, “leading the way in an emerging field of law.”
Administrators are friendly, and accessible, “always willing to help out a student,” and they keep the law school “running very smoothly.” The research librarians are cited for being “very knowledgeable,” and the Career and Professional Development Center also does its part to make sure students’ needs are met, though some would like to see more non-metro area firms on campus. For students who are interested in staying in the area after graduation, there is “heavy support and involvement from the Portland legal community,” and for others, “alumni are distributed all around the world.”
Since the school and its student body are known for being nature-friendly, it follows that the buildings on campus are all “green” and “tucked into a forested state park.” This is nice, students say, because “when you are facing the gut-wrenching pain of law school, a ‘walk in the park’ goes a long way.” Students are quite pleased with the library and the newer building, Wood Hall, but many are clamoring for an update of the other facilities. Portland is universally beloved as “a great place to live,” though students say the parking situation could stand some improvements. A graduating student sums up life at the law school this way: “The professors are passionate about what they teach, and the students actually want to help each other get ahead in school. And where else do you get to study while in an overly large tree house?”

Career overview

Median Starting Salary
$65,000
% of graduates who are employed within ten months of graduation
87%
% of job accepting graduates providing useable salary information
52%

Career Services

On campus summer employment recruitment for first year JD students
Yes

On campus summer employment recruitment for second year JD students
Yes

# of Employers that Recruit on Campus Each Year
117

Employers who most frequently hire graduates
Small and medium-sized firms; State Government (Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Alaska); Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas Counties; US Government Agencies; State & Federal Judiciary; Stoel Rives LLP; Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt; Davis Wright Tremaine LLP; Tonkon Torp LLP; Bullivant Houser Bailey PC.

Graduates Employed by Area

44%
Private Practice
15%
Business/Industry
15%
Government
8%
Judicial Clerkships
7%
Public Interes

Graduates Employed by Region

75%
Pacific
2%
South
1%
International
1%
Mid-Atlantic
1%
MidWest
1%
South West

Prominent Alumni

Earl Blumenauer
U.S. Representative, Oregon

Honorable Anna Brown
U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon

Heidi Heitkamp
U.S. Senator, North Dakota

Honorable Michael McShane
U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon

Kate Brown
Governor, State of Oregon

Dates

Financial Aid Rating
Feb 15
Application Deadlines
Mar 1

Financial Aid Statistics

Average Annual Total Aid Package Awarded
$58,694

% Students Receiving Some Aid
99%

Expenses per Academic Year

Tuition
$50,098
Estimated Off-Campus Room and Board
$22,833
Estimated Cost for Books / Academic Expense
$2,900
Fees
$50

Student Body Profile

Total Enrollment
554
Parent Institution Enrollement
3,250

Number of Foreign Countries Represented
12
Average Age at Entry
26

% Out-of-State
58%
% International
2%

Demographics

24.00%
% Under-represented Minorities

76% are full time
24% are part time
57% female
43% male

Campus Life

Students Say

No one would argue that “liberal” describes the majority of those enrolled at Lewis & Clark, and as one 3L warns, “If you are conservative, religious, or a meat-eating capitalist, be prepared.” Fortunately, the laid-back nature of the majority of the student body means that there is “a complete void of competition”; absolutely “no one participates in the awful game of one-upmanship or cutthroat competition,” and “the students are genuinely interested in helping and supporting each other.” The day and night students don’t often interact outside of class, but this doesn’t seem to be a source of much tension. There are plenty of clubs in which they can relate if they so choose, and students here “are spoiled with the number of lunchtime events,” including speakers and panels. “Everyone is accepted for who they are,” coos a 2L. A second-year student puts it in another way: “Good people go here.”

More Information

% of Classrooms with Internet Access
83%

Admissions Office Contact

Contact
Mimi Huang
Assistant Dean for Admissions

Address
Lewis & Clark Law School
10101 S. Terwilliger Boulevard
Portland, OR 97219

Phone
503-768-6613

Email
lawadmss@lclark.edu


Articles & Advice