FALL 2017 — ISSUE 1 Voice for Justice NORTHWESTERN SCHOOL OF LAW AT LEWIS & CLARK COLLEGE SAVE the DATE FOR PILP’S 27TH ANNUAL Secret Garden Auction OPENING THE GATES TO OPPORTUNITY ONE AWARD AT A TIME ALUMNI EVENT - 5:00 PM MAIN EVENT - 6:00 PM LEWIS & CLARK LAW SCHOOL THE PUBLIC INTEREST LAW PROJECT Voice for Justice - Page 18 It’s been 18 years since PILP put out a newsletter, FALL 2017 so we felt it was high time to tell the Oregon legal community what we’ve been up to. From inside the issue successful auctions to cutting edge CLE’s, PILP has been hard at work raising money to fund the work of future trailblazers in public interest law. Announcing our 2018 4 Amburgey Award Recipient! L&C Law students graduate with an average debt of $139,745. This, in combination with recent threats to public service loan forgiveness programs, has even the most 6 L&C Students honored for dedicated public interest students concerned pro bono achievements about whether a career in the realistic. If given the choice, most will take the job that PILP’s 27th Annual Secret holds the promise of paying off their student 10 Garden Auction! debts--not the hypothetical job that may or may not be available after passing the bar. Public interest work can be transformative: 2017 PILP Award Recipients one which shapes perspective, character, 13 point of view and values. If we want L&C students to go into public interest law, or to realize their responsibility to perform pro bono work, these values must be 14 PILP’s 3rd Annual CLE instilled while they are still in school. PILP works hard to provide these opportunities, but we still need your help. The Justice Gap - An Editorial OUR ANNUAL AUCTION IS IN FEBRUARY 15 by Marija Boise AND WE ARE COUNTING ON YOUR SUPPORT. PILP’s Annual Networking 16 Breakfast Meet the 2017-2018 PILP 17 Executive Board! PUBLIC INTEREST LAW PROJECT 10015 SW Terwilliger Blvd. Portland, Oregon 97219 503-768-6782 letter [email protected] from the president Student-Organized Humanitarian Events DAY OF RELIEF BAR REVIEW One of the SBA’s focuses this year is mental health. With that Over 40 students attended L&C’s first Bar in mind, SBA Vice President Quincy Frazier thought that it Review last month at Stickmen Brewing “would be nice to provide students with an opportunity to Company. You might be asking, why study give back to the community in which we live.” As he put it, for the bar . at a bar? Well, Bar Review “Helping others not only benefits the receiver but is a great has nothing to do with the bar exam. vitamin to the well-being of the giver.” Instead, the event encourages students to create positive relationships with their Thanks to a generous donation, Frazier obtained enough peers and future colleagues. socks, ponchos, emergency blankets, toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, Band-Aids, granola bars, water, and even dog food and dog treats to put together over 300 care The ranking system in law school often packages for people experiencing homelessness in Portland encourages and rewards competition this season. Now all he needed was students to help assemble among students; however, community- the bags. minded legal work and problem solving are essential to reaching the best outcomes In spite of looming exams, enough students (and their for clients. As such, Bar Review is a great families) showed up to fill the LRC. After socializing over way for students to help establish a more soda and Thai food, students teamed up to make the care collegial legal profession. packages. Not more than a couple hours later, they were done. As an added benefit, the profits from each Bar Review event will be donated to Two days later, Frazier and a group of students teamed up a different nonprofit that gives back to with “a tenacious team of career-volunteers” from Potluck the school or legal community. PILP was in the Park to distribute the care packages and serve lunch. honored to be the first beneficiary. Thank That afternoon, in an interview with Koin 6 News, Frazier you to the Bar Review founders, Stickmen said, “I focused on myself the last year and a half that I’ve Brewing Company, and the attendees who been at Lewis & Clark . Giving back, honestly, this is one supported PILP by coming. of the highlights of my law school career.” BAR REVIEW FOUNDERS: Lucy Brookham, Have an idea for an event? Max Yokli, Stephan Warner, Alison D. Roth, Contact us at [email protected] Kadin Pasley & Maia Powloski VOICE FOR JUSTICE — PAGE 3 Voice for Justice — Page 6 VOICE FOR JUSTICE — PAGE 4 Announcing the 2018 Larry K. Amburgey Commitment to Public Interest Law Award Recipeint: REPRESENTATIVE EARL BLUMENAUER Earl Blumenauer is an alumnus of He started Portland’s nationally Lewis & Clark Law School and has acclaimed recycling program, launching been a Member of the House of #5 Portland’s status as a leader and innovator in sustainability. Representatives for over 40 years. Named one of “The Top 25 Change Agents in the History of Bicycling,” his Portland Bicycle Master Plan helped create the highest bike participation #4 rate in the nation, supporting a $100 million a year industry in this area. Upon entering Congress, he founded the Congressional Bike Caucus. He has hired numerous L&C law grads as staffers, ensuring that L&C law students #3 continue to serve the public interest in a government role. He created the Safe Routes to School program while he was Portland City Commissioner, a program that ensured #2 students could attend classes safely. His advocacy helped make it into a national He started his career in the 1960s and program. has refused to let up in his fight for progressive values. These things (and He has championed projects dear to much more) make him one of the most the hearts of many L&C law students, prominent members of our legal #1 including projects focused on community. You won’t want to miss sustainability, active transportation, out on this opportunity to see this true animal rights, and equal justice. public interest champion when he accepts • He is a Timbers fanatic (#10 & #6) the Amburgey Award at the auction, so • He is friends with Bill Murray (#7) purchase your tickets today! • He supports public broadcasting (#8) • He loves Bruce Springsteen (#9) Just in case you aren’t familiar • Last, but certainly not least: with this Oregon hero, here are the top ten reasons why PILP loves his signature bow-ties Representative Blumenauer. are fabuluous REPRESENTATIVE EARL BLUMENAUER 0 Voice for Justice — Page 6 VOICE FOR JUSTICE — PAGE 6 LEWIS & CLARK LAW SCHOOL STUDENTS HONORED FOR THEIR OUTSTANDING PRO BONO ACHIEVEMENTS 2016 OREGON STATE BAR PRO BONO AWARD WINNER Danielle Elefritz At the Oregon Convention their diesel engines so they Center this past October, the could “roll coal.” This is the Oregon State Bar recognized practice of increasing the Lewis & Clark law students for amount of fuel entering the the 13,177 hours of pro-bono engine in order to emit large work they did in the 2016-2017 amounts of dark sooty exhaust year. fumes into the air. Danielle Elefritz, a 3L at Lewis We are in absolute awe of & Clark and co-editor in chief Elefritz and cannot believe of the Animal Law Review, how much she was able to went above and beyond the accomplish in just one year. call of duty. She did 733 hours We can only aspire to do as of pro-bono work for the NW much for our community as, Environmental Defense Center but she—as well as all of the and the EPA. other students who logged extracurricular pro bono At the EPA in Washington D.C., hours this year—have inspired Elefritz worked in the Office of us nonetheless. Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, helping enforce We thank and commend all mobile source provisions of of the L&C Law students who the Clean Air Act. donated pro bono hours this past academic year. PILP looks She was also a Project forward to seeing what public Coordinator for NEDC. In interest projects students addition to proofreading complete this year! student work for the organization, she assisting Learn how to report your pro on a project that targeted bono and community service businesses selling car parts hours by contacting Carra allowing people to modify Sahler at [email protected]. VOICE FOR JUSTICE — PAGE 7 THE PSJD PRO BONO PUBLICO AWARD The PSJD Pro Bono Publico Award honors one law student nationwide for their pro bono achievements, thereby recognizing the significant contributions law students make to underserved populations, the public interest community, and legal education through public service work. Selection is based primarily on the pro bono work nominees provided their public service projects or organizations; the quality of work they performed; and the impact it had on the community, their peers, and the school. This year, PSJD received twenty-one impressive nominations. After much deliberation, they chose eight finalists. Lewis & Clark Law School had not one, PSJD is the largest public interest law but TWO of the final eight selected: Dayna database and resource center in the US. It Jones and Corinne Fletcher. connects public interest law job-seekers with their ideal opportunities in the public In addition to the winner, PSJD selected interest arena, in government, at law schools, two Merit Distinction recipients, one of and around the globe. PSJD is an initiative of which was awarded to Dayna Jones.