What You Need to Know

The 2024 - 2025 Academic Calendar will be available here. 1L arrival day will be held in August (date TBD). Attendance is mandatory for all incoming 1L students. We will be posting more information here when it’s available so bookmark this page and check back!

Every year, the Academic Enhancement Program offers an eight-day intensive course to incoming first-year law students known as the Summer Institute. The institute accepts forty applicants each year to participate in workshops covering: basic legal concepts and analytical tools, real first-year lectures from Lewis & Clark Professors, exam skills, including a mock exam and debrief session, time and stress management techniques, an introduction to academic and other resources available to help you succeed and thrive in your first year of law school, and an opportunity to engage and network with your fellow 1L’s, alums and Lewis & Clark faculty and staff! For more information, check out the website here.

Associate Dean for Student Affairs Libby Davis answers some FAQ’s for new students. You may find some interesting stuff in here so please take time to look through it!

If you have a physical or learning disability that you believe you will need accommodation for while at L&C Law, please schedule an appointment with the Office of Student Accessibility (OSA). One of OSA’s professionals will meet with you to discuss your disability and appropriate accommodations. Once an accommodation has been issued by OSA, the Law School’s Student Affairs Office will ensure it is put in place for you.

The information provided below focuses solely on issues of special concern to international students.

Immigration

Bailey Davis in the law school Student Affairs office, is the main contact person for immigration processes at the Law School. Bailey collaborates closely with the campus-wide International Students & Scholars Office. You can contact her with questions regarding your immigration process via email at bddavis@lclark.edu.

IMPORTANT: You will need to provide the following information to Bailey Davis after Baily contacts you via email with more specifics.

1) Certificate of Financial Responsibility
The U.S. government requires educational institutions to obtain evidence that applicants have adequate funds to pay for their educational and living expenses while studying in the United States. To comply, international students must complete a financial certificate and provide proof of funding as described. If you have not already received this information, Bailey Davis will calculate the current minimum costs associated with your program.

2) Supplement for International Law/Graduate Student Applicants form
You must complete a supplemental form in order for the Law School to issue the documents necessary to obtain a US student visa. Send to Bailey Davis

3) A copy of your Passport Biographical Page; the primary page of your passport that provides key information such as your full name, date of birth, and citizenship information

4) It is up to you to monitor that all requirements are fulfilled within your arrival timeline. After receiving all necessary information, Bailey, at the law school will provide an I-20 form valid for obtaining an F-1 visa.

The I-20 form includes specific instructions regarding entry or departure from the country whilst on this student visa. These instructions include a mandatory meeting in-person with your Designated School Official, Bailey Davis at the Law School with appropriate documentation.

Visit this site for a comprehensive list of information you will need to prepare for your immigration process here.

Contact:

Bailey Davis
Lewis & Clark Law School
10101 S Terwilliger Boulevard
Portland, Oregon 97219

Email: bddavis@lclark.edu Phone: (503) 768-6638

International Students & Scholars Office

The International Students & Scholars Office serves all three campuses of Lewis & Clark—Undergraduate, Graduate, and Law. Their primary involvement with your experience at Lewis & Clark is limited to your immigration processes relating to practical training after your time as a student expires, or if your immigration needs are particularly complex. They also have a wealth of resources on their website, so be sure to check it out!

Housing

The Law Admissions Office at Lewis & Clark maintains a comprehensive housing resource guide. The Law School reserves a small number of spots in its campus housing described at the above link for the use of international students.

Information on Employment

To work off-campus, students must have permission from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

International students who are on F-1 visas and who are enrolled full-time may work legally on campus after obtaining approval from International Students and Scholars (ISS). The process takes approximately twenty minutes and requires students to complete several government forms. Students should bring their passports, I-94 and I-20 forms to ISS and complete the On-campus Employment Verification process. Students may interview for positions before completing the forms in the packet, but should complete the forms and turn them in before beginning employment. In order to engage in any type of paid work you will need to obtain a social security card.

Most students get their textbooks at the law school bookstore. You should have your class schedule a couple of weeks before class starts, and you will have an opportunity to purchase books from the bookstore during Orientation. The bookstore orders enough books to cover all the students who will be enrolled in each professor’s class. Used books are also available during Orientation and the first few days of classes. The bookstore will also publish Book Lists for the upcoming semester on its website here.

If you are looking for interesting books about the law, then check out our Optional Reading page.

When you applied, you were required to submit a statement regarding any issues with the Character & Fitness portion of the application (e.g. criminal charges, academic dismissals, military discharges, etc.). If you have had any changes to answers to these questions, or failed to report something on your application, now is the time to notify the admissions office. When in doubt, report it.

Further, this information will be asked on your application to take the bar exam. In addition to a bar examination, there are character, fitness, and other qualifications for admission to the bar in every U.S. jurisdiction. You are encouraged to determine the requirements for any jurisdiction in which you intend to seek admission by contacting the jurisdiction. Addresses for all relevant agencies are available through the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

The law school does not require students to purchase a laptop computer but students are highly encouraged to purchase/bring their own computer. Regardless of which type you bring, Mac or PC, please make sure it isn’t too old, that it’s in good working order (no viruses or spyware), and has the latest updates. We support Windows 10 for PCs. For Macs, please have the latest version of macOS X installed. Chromebooks are not fully supported.

Even though a computer is not required for your legal education, the purchase price of a new computer may be added to your Cost of Attendance to increase your loan borrowing eligibility. This adjustment may only be made once during your program. For more information, please contact the Office of Financial Aid at 503-768-7090 or fao@lclark.edu.

For questions regarding your computer, plus law school computer technology and resources, contact the law school’s computing services department at 503-768-6644 or at lawitservice@lclark.edu.

Attending Orientation will officially register you for first-year classes. Tentative class schedules are available a couple of weeks prior to Orientation but are subject to changes.

For a full list of First-Year Courses, click here. All first-year students take a class called “Legal Methods,” designed to provide general background on the foundations, history, and structure of the legal system, for the two weeks prior to the start of the Fall term. Legal Methods typically starts on the Monday after Orientation.

If you have special scheduling needs, these will be examined on a case by case basis. Please contact Associate Dean Libby Davis (eadavis@lclark.edu; 503-768-6610) to discuss your specific situation.

Written curriculum guides are given out with registration materials each spring to assist students in planning curriculum in their upper division years. Workshops are also set up to discuss how to plan a curriculum depending on your interests, and individual department faculty and administrators are available to consult for academic advice. Most professors at the law school also have an “open door” policy and are glad to discuss course selection and scheduling with students. Everyone at L&C is an advisor and you should feel free to approach any faculty or administrator for advice! There is more information about the curriculum and graduation requirements on our website.

All L&C students are required to set up an email account through L&C’s college-wide Gmail system. Email accounts are created through the Computing Services website. A direct link to the account creation page is here. You must have paid your first deposit with L&C in order to create an email account. Once your account is created, please allow for 24-48 hours for the account to go active. Once you have created your account, make sure to check it! Communication from Lewis & Clark departments will start to come to you regularly in the summer as we get ready for your arrival. If you prefer to use another email address, then make sure to have emails from your lclark.edu account forwarded to the other email address to ensure you receive messages from L&C.

All students are required to have medical insurance. Lewis & Clark Law students are able to purchase health insurance from PacificSource. For more information, please check out our Student Health Services for a general overview of the plan including cost and a schedule of benefits. Students who have medical insurance coverage comparable to that offered through the school’s comprehensive Student Health Insurance Plan may waive coverage here.

Paul Boley Law Library is one of the most beautiful areas of campus. Check their website for hours, references, and more. Our friendly and helpful reference librarians also created this 1L Survival Guide for entering students.

As you embark on your legal education at Lewis & Clark, you will receive support and advice from a number of people, including mentors assigned through our Mentor Network. Your Mentor Network will include:

Peer Mentors – every incoming student is assigned to a small Peer Mentoring team consisting of two Peer Mentors and about ten 1L students. Peer Mentors offer advice on the day-to-day of law school, such as study & exam-taking skills, best study spots on campus, and what they wish they’d known – or believed – when they started school. They can also recommend great places to get your favorite food and where to hike/bike/relax. And, Peer Mentors can serve as a friendly ear when you want to talk about law school and life as a law student.

Career Services Advisor – every incoming student is also assigned to a Career Services professional advisor. Your Career Services advisor will work with you throughout law school and will advise you on your professional development, including your summer and post-grad job search strategies. Your Career Services advisor should become one of your go-to people as you enter the legal profession.

Attorney Mentor – our Attorney Mentors are local attorneys, mostly alumni, who volunteer to meet and advise our students. Your Attorney Mentor can be a helpful sounding board (most well-remember their 1L year of law school) and can introduce you to others in the legal community.

This network of individuals will be a powerful support system for you!

All entering students will be sent a packet of information in late June that will be a useful resource as you prepare to start in the fall. The guide includes information about housing, transportation, financial aid, and more. This will be sent to you in June to the current email address on file. In addition, contents of the guide will be uploaded to Inside L&C Law.

Opportunities for Law in Oregon (OLIO) is the Oregon State Bar’s recruitment and retention program for law students who can contribute to the bar’s historically or currently underrepresented membership; who have experienced economic, social, or other barriers; who have a demonstrated interest in increasing access to justice; or who have personally experienced discrimination or oppression.

This diversity and inclusion program begins with an orientation that provides a diverse group of Oregon’s first-year law students with the opportunity to interact with each other, and with upper division students, judges and leaders who will serve as their mentors and role models. During orientation, students meet a diverse community of supporters committed to helping them succeed. The curriculum focuses on sharpening existing skills and providing new skills to help ensure success in law school and beyond. Students receive valuable information on networking, study skills and Oregon bar exam preparation. For more information, check out Oregon State Bar’s website here.

Orientation will be held in August (date TBD). If you are a first-year student, orientation is mandatory. Attendance is optional for transfer, visiting, and LLM students. Your Legal Methods class will begin the Monday after Orientation.

Lewis & Clark has been known to be a very animal-friendly place. Even so, it’s important to be respectful of others if you’re planning to have your dog or other pet on campus at any time. So, before bringing Fido to campus, please get familiar with the pet policy, found in the What’s What student handbook. Your allergic, animal-cautious friends will thank you!

The What’s What is the name of the law school student handbook. Check it out for info on institutional policies and procedures ranging from graduation requirements & the grading system to computer usage, applying for externships, the Honor Code, and policies regarding discrimination and harassment, sexual misconduct, alcohol and drug use. Students must be familiar with, and adhere to, these policies while enrolled at the law school.

The bronze pig statue in Wood Hall, fondly known as “Bacon” is an idol to all law students at Lewis & Clark. Students have been stopping by in the middle of the night since the early 2000s to leave offerings at Bacon’s trotters. Such offerings have included aspirin, cans of Red Bull, and prized highlighters. Adherents believe that Bacon blesses those he favors with prolonged caffeination, alleviates hangovers, and smites those who ask stupid questions two minutes before the end of class.

Learn more about our beloved Bacon here from the Fall 2010 edition of the now retired school newspaper Letter of the Law.