Officially known as Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College, L&C Law was established in Portland as the
state’s first law school in 1884. In 1915 the legislature decided to relocate the school South to Eugene, but the faculty
and administration wanted to stay in Portland, and reorganized as a private institution. They established Northwestern College of
Law, which operated as an evening school in downtown Portland for 50 years.In 1965 the Law School merged with Lewis & Clark and was renamed Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College.
Soon after, the Law School built a new campus, initiated a day division, and launched an aggressive library acquisition
program.Lewis & Clark Law School now enrolls 220-230 first-year students from approximately 2,500 applicants. Around 700 students
attend, of which most are full-time day students, but about 25 percent opt for the part-time or evening program. The School
offers studies and courses in Business and Commercial Law (including Tax Law), Environmental and Natural Resources Law,
Intellectual Property Law, Public Interest Law, and an Indian Law Summer Program.Most notable is the Environmental and Natural Resources Law program. Lewis & Clark Law School is an extraordinary place to
study environmental and natural resources law. Consistently ranked one of the top environmental law programs in the nation by
U.S. News and World Report, the program received the 2001 American Bar Association Award for Distinguished Achievement in
Environmental Law.