Lewis & Clark College Reviews of Doctorates in Law

"Don't go here unless your parents have money -- I'm talking $50,000+ per year money. There is basically no financial aid. The best they offer is for you to go beg for money in an essay contest. If you win, you might get a few grand here and there, but believe me, you won't have time to be writing essay contest essays in your free time. Also, the school does not care about the nightmarish parking situation, and is inflexible in allowing a continued remote learning option. Literally a majority of law students voted not to come back in person, and the school did not care. The social vibe is clique-ish and exclusionary. Terrible experience all around."

"Overall a good program, more financial aid would be desirable, but the faculty realy cares about the students."

"Pro - L&C is an awesome law school. The faculty, many of who write the text books you read or who are leaders in their fields, are always willing to meet with you and help you succeed. Also the staff and students are very friendly and supportive. Con - It can get cliquey and that sucks, especially for people coming from out of state. It also seem that sometimes the high ups support is focused on the top 15%, leaving the rest of us to fend for ourselves. Overall though a great school and well worth every penny just to sit and talk to some of the professors. Seriously. They are that great."

"I have completed one year at Lewis & Clark Law School and enjoyed my experience so far. Portland is a great city and has a low cost-of-living compared to other cities in coastal states (my friend from Oklahoma has a higher cost-of-living than she was used to), plus no sales tax. Portland has a great mix of people, but is not ethnically or racially diverse, and the school is not a beacon of diversity, either, though they do make an effort. The professors here are very knowledgeable and accessible; most of mine have extensive practical experience which I am learning is not the norm at a lot of schools. Like presumably any law school, there is a lot of work involved. Competition inherently exists since we are all ranked relative to each other (again, the norm at law schools), but it seems healthy and classmates are helpful (no resource-hiding, or false-information-giving). Lewis & Clark has a very friendly "vibe" as does Portland/Oregon (I was a little taken aback when the city bus driver told me to have a good day as I was exiting from a rear door). Great environmental law program and cutting edge animal law program. Many firms from outside the state recruit at Lewis & Clark for students interested in environmental law (less so for other fields but career services is helpful at reaching firms/agencies in your target market). There is also a great legal writing program which is difficult to appreciate until you are in law school or are otherwise aware that your success at writing in undergrad does not automatically transfer to success in legal writing. The job numbers for graduates have not been good, which is what the popular rankings reflect. I have found career services to be very helpful, but cannot yet speak to their assistance with post-school job hunting. The numbers are improving, though, and the school is bringing in more people in career services to increase their already stellar outreach efforts. I am happy with my choice to attend Lewis & Clark and would do so again!"

"It is an incredible school with a non-competitive law school atmosphere. The professors are intelligent and considerate. The only problem for me is affordability. It is very expensive and there are little to no scholarship opportunities offered for non-minority students."

"Our school is awesome mainly because of the great professors. Many of them write the textbooks that you use and all of them are out there in the community making a difference. There is not one professor I've had that is just there to teach."

"Education offered, surrounding area, campus safety, and transportation are some of the highlights at Lewis and Clark. I think the Career Support, and Financial Aid are two weak points with the school."