University of Oregon

The University of Oregon’s Legal Research and Writing Program—currently ranked 26th in the nation—has become even stronger in the past year. Last spring, the faculty created the position of senior instructor, which will provide LRW professors with longer contracts, a salary increase, and paid sabbaticals. Soon after, the faculty voted to award five-year contracts to senior instructors who have demonstrated a long-term commitment to teaching legal research and writing. In addition, class size has been reduced to 22 students, due to the hiring of additional LRW faculty. No LRW professor teaches more than two classes, keeping the student-faculty ratio around 43:1.

At Oregon, LRW is a required two-semester program that fully integrates research, analysis, writing, and advocacy skills. Topics covered by various professors include client interviewing, client letters, office roleplays, and trial arguments. The LRW faculty work collaboratively to ensure that students in various sections receive comparable experiences, though experimentation is encouraged. Each LRW professor is assisted by three student assistants who lead research training sessions (in print and online), hold office hours, assist with oral arguments, and mark exercises and citations. New LRW courses for upper level students have been added over the past few years.The full-time LRW faculty includes Suzanne Rowe, Joan Malmud, Kate Weatherly, and Rebekah Hanley. Part-time professors are Rosalind Lee and Megan McAlpin. Their prior work included federal clerkships, practice with major law firms, and public interest work. They have produced books and articles; they present at national and regional conferences and teach in international settings; and they have led CLE courses for major law firms. LRW faculty members are active nationally in LWI, ALWD, and AALS. For more information, visit our website at www.law.uoregon.edu/org/lrw.Suzanne E. RoweAssociate ProfessorUniversity of OregonEugene OR 97401srowe@law.uoregon.edu