Hannah Goldblatt
L&C gave me a rigorous education in the fundamentals of law, offered a variety of experiential learning opportunities, and empowered me to pursue a public interest law career!
Degree and Class Year
Program Type
Hometown
Undergraduate/Graduate School(s)
Areas of legal interest(s)
Brief Background
I am a 2020 Lewis & Clark Law graduate living and practicing in Portland, Oregon. After graduating, I worked for one year as a judicial clerk for the Honorable Michael W. Mosman at the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon. I am currently a staff attorney at Advocates for the West, a public interest, nonprofit environmental law firm that protects and defends the West’s public lands, waterways, fish, and wildlife.
Why did you choose to attend Lewis & Clark Law?
I chose to attend Lewis & Clark Law because of the reputation of its environmental law program––I wanted to get the best training as an aspiring environmental advocate as possible. Additionally, because I went to undergrad at Lewis & Clark College, I had a strong connection to Portland and felt confident that I would love the community at Lewis & Clark Law.
List up to three activities (school-related or not) that you were involved in. Pick the ones that were most important to you and tell us why.
Northwest Environmental Defense Center (NEDC), Environmental Law Moot Court, and Earthrise Law Center. All three of these experiences gave me incredible practical training in public interest environmental law and advocacy and connected me to a wonderful network of public interest environmental lawyers in the Portland and broader community.
Tell us about a meaningful Lewis & Clark Law academic experience that happened outside of the classroom.
Working as Professor Robert Klonoff’s research assistant was a very meaningful experience, both because of work I was involved in and the mentorship I gained while doing it.
Do you have any advice for students making their final law school choices?
The connections I made through getting involved with things that interested me most––both in and outside of the classroom––are what most shaped my law school experience and directly impacted my career outcomes.
Tell us about your job at Advocates for the West.
Advocates for the West is a public interest, nonprofit environmental law firm that protects and defends the West’s public lands, waterways, fish, and wildlife. We provide free legal services to conservation organizations, Native American tribes, and concerned citizens in all 11 western states. In my first year and a half as a staff attorney at Advocates for the West, I have advocated to protect the winter habitat of endangered Southern Mountain Caribou and other imperiled species; brought litigation over harmful pesticide spraying in Western desert ecosystems; worked to stop a four-lane high-speed highway from being constructed through a National Conservation Area in Southern Utah; and am involved in a case to safeguard air quality, water, and wildlife from a massive oil and gas development project in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin.
How did L&C Law prepare you for your job?
By giving me a rigorous education in the fundamentals of law, offering a variety of experiential learning opportunities in my legal area of interest, and empowering me to pursue a public interest career!
