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On April 3rd, we hosted our Environmental Law Spring Symposium - Regulating Plastics: Legal Issues and Opportunities from Production to Disposal - featuring legal experts in the field who presented to more than 130 attendees. This year, we were pleased to offer in-person and online attendance options.
We had a full day of learning, and our panelists engaged in substantive discussions to identify practical legal tools and policy solutions to address the impact of plastics. Our keynote speaker, Oregon Senator Janeen Sollman, was a wonderful addition to our conversation on plastics.
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Chhime Dorji Selected as 2026 Karuna Foundation International LLM Scholarship Recipient |
Lewis & Clark Law School has named Bhutanese lawyer Chhime Dorji as the 2026 recipient of the Karuna Foundation International LLM Scholarship, which supports international environmental law students from countries where the foundation works. He joined Lewis & Clark’s top-ranked Environmental, Natural Resources, and Energy Law program in January 2026, using his LLM studies to strengthen environmental law, climate justice, and sustainable development in Bhutan.
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2026 Wyss Scholar Selection |
Lewis & Clark Law School was selected in 2017 to be part of the Wyss Scholars Program. Funded by the Wyss Foundation, a private, charitable foundation dedicated to land conservation, the Wyss Scholars Program seeks to identify and support a new generation of leaders focused on land conservation issues. Lewis & Clark is one of only a few law schools in the country selected for this program.
Two Wyss Scholars are selected from Lewis & Clark Law School each year on the basis of their leadership potential and academic strength and their commitment to furthering land conservation. Our 2026 scholars are Brooke Helstrom and Henry Sollitt. |
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Brooke Helstrom grew up exploring the Appalachian Mountains, sparking a lifelong curiosity about wildlife and ecosystems. At the University of Southern California, she led outdoor trips and studied conservation in Botswana, later working on human-wildlife conflict in Montana with NRDC. Before law school, she supported litigation at Earthjustice and led restoration efforts with the Gallatin Watershed Council. At Lewis & Clark, she is active with the Animal Legal Defense Fund and Northwest Environmental Defense Center, and will return to Earthjustice this summer to continue advancing wildlife and environmental protection.
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Raised near Wyoming’s Teton Range, Henry Sollitt developed an early connection to public lands, beginning with trout redd surveys in Idaho. He studied Environmental Studies at the University of Vermont before returning West to support conservation campaigns with the Trust for Public Land. After five years as a U.S. Forest Service wildland firefighter, he came to Lewis & Clark to pursue systemic solutions to the wildfire crisis through environmental law. Henry serves with the Northwest Environmental Defense Center and Environmental Law Review, and will join Crag Law Center this summer.
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| Professor Lisa Benjamin Writes Chapter for Research Handbook |
Professor Lisa R. Benjamin contributed a chapter to the newly published "Research Handbook on Climate Finance and Investment Law".
Her chapter, “Climate Risk Disclosure and Fiduciary Duties,” examines how legal frameworks governing finance and investment are evolving to address climate risk and the responsibilities of decision-makers in a changing regulatory landscape.
The Research Handbook on Climate Finance and Investment Law brings together leading scholars to explore how financial and investment systems can support global climate policy goals while identifying emerging legal trends and future research directions in the field.
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| Professor Daniel Rohlf Testifies in DC |
Earthrise Director and Professor Daniel Rohlf was in Washington D.C. on December 10th to be the sole minority at a hearing of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations entitled “Abuse of the Equal Access to Justice Act by Environmental NGOs."
Professor Rohlf testified that environmental attorneys are furthering Congress's purpose for enacting the statute when they hold federal agencies to account for violating the law. The availability of fee awards for successful environmental plaintiffs allows groups like Earthrise to provide free or low-cost legal services to those seeking to protect the public's lands, air, and water.
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| Professor Chris Wold Explores Whale Migration in New Journal Article |
Professor Chris Wold has published a new article: “The Convention on Migratory Species at 45: A ‘Sleeping’ Treaty Awakes,” in the NYU Environmental Law Journal.
The article explores how the Convention on Migratory Species, a global agreement designed to protect migratory species across national borders, is evolving as threats to biodiversity intensify and international cooperation becomes more critical than ever.
Professor Wold has served as a consultant legal advisor to the CMS Secretariat at its meetings of the Conference of the Parties in 2014, 2017, 2000, and 2024.
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| Dr. Carma Corcoran Retires After 19 Years of Dedication |
After nearly two decades at Lewis & Clark Law School, Dr. Carma Corcoran has retired as the Director of American Indian Law, leaving behind a legacy of expanded programming, student mentorship, and national leadership in Indian Law.
Reflecting on her work at Lewis & Clark Law School, Dr. Corcoran noted “my vision was to support both Native American Law students and all students interested in Indian Law. I feel like I have been able to do that by being an advisor, a connector across Indian Country, and a relationship builder.”
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Earthrise Law Center's three faculty members, two legal fellows, and 18 students recently completed a busy and successful 2025-26 school year. Among other projects, the clinic worked on federal and state litigation to protect forests and water quality from New England to the west coast. It also fought for lawful disclosure of government documents under the Freedom of Information Act, urged the federal government to finally outlaw poisonous leaded fuel used by small airplanes, and filed a brief on behalf of members of Congress urging a federal court to remove political images on the pass enabling people to enter national parks. Students attended class each week to discuss cases and strategy, hear from clients, and get advice from a panel of alums about career opportunities and job-hunting strategies.
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Data centers, the reliability of our electricity grid, the challenges of a region divided into two electricity markets, the exciting possibilities of microgrids, and the wonders of an energy efficient heat pump (not to mention the necessity of stopping investments in more natural gas distribution). These are just a few subject areas GEI's four attorneys and multiple law clerks engage with on a day-to-day basis. See GEI staff attorneys commenting on Renewable Natural Gas investments, Climate Protection Program litigation (again), and how our electric utilities are stacking up to meet carbon emissions reductions. Oh, and save July 13, 2026 for the opening day of PNW Climate Week at Lewis & Clark College, co-hosted by GEI.
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The Global Law Alliance for Animals and the Environment has had a busy year! Students and faculty have worked with clients around the world to tackle threats to biodiversity and to mitigate the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure around the world. Highlights of this work include filing an affidavit in an important case in South Africa that could upend decades of global rhino conservation, participating as legal advisors to a coalition of conservation NGOs at COP20 for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), supporting efforts to combat the trade in thousands of wild-sourced specimens to a breeding facility in India, and building legal efforts to challenge U.S. funding for mining and fossil fuel infrastructure abroad.
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MSL and LLM students in the Emerging Topics: Environmental Law course this past fall worked hard writing blogs that address topics of contemporary interest in environmental law. From topics like protecting pollinators, Alaska's wild salmon crisis, to Hawai'i's water management system, the Emerging Topics course is designed to allow students to study current developments in environmental, natural resources, and energy law and policy.
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On March 11th our 2025 Wyss Scholars, Soshana Grossman and Tory Dille, put on their symposium - Public Land Management Today – Multiple Use or Abuse?
Panelists discussed challenges of applying the principle, the proposed rescissions of the Roadless and Public Lands Rules under the current administration, and the advocacy landscape moving forward.
We are so proud of Tory and Shoshana for their hard work in putting this event together!
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Environmental Alumni Reception |
On March 13th we celebrated our annual Environmental Alumni Reception at the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference, with over 60 alums in attendance. Thank you to all who joined us for making it such a fun and meaningful evening. We can’t wait to do it all again next year!
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| Empowering Local Climate Action: Education, Policy and Practice |
Climate advocates of all ages are welcome to join us in a day-long event filled with fun, learning, and skill-building to get your community on a path toward meeting climate, environmental justice, and health goals. This will be a free event with raffle prizes offered throughout the day! A livestream will be available for those who are unable to attend in person.
Monday, July 13th, 2026
Council Chamber in the Fowler Student Center
at Lewis & Clark College
Brought to you by the Future Climate Collective and Lewis & Clark Law School's Green Energy Institute.
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38th Annual Environmental Law Distinguished Visitor & Graduates Event |
We are excited to honor Robin Kundis Craig as our 38th annual Distinguished Environmental Visitor!
On the evening of September 30th, Professor Craig will present her lecture, and we will honor this year's distinguished graduates: Chris Gunn JD '11, Bubba Cook JD '03, Marc Fink JD '95, Paul Conable JD '97, and Oday Salim LLM '09.
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| Earthrise 30th Anniversary Party |
Join us for a party to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Earthrise Law Center and honor co-founders Dan Rohlf and Craig Johnston.
Enjoy an evening of community and terrific live music as we mark this milestone together.
Saturday, October 24, 2026
7:00 PM
Lewis & Clark Law School
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Fall 2026 Environmental Law Courses |
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Pursue Environmental Law With Us! |
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| Environmental, Natural Resources & Energy Law Program
10101 S Terwilliger Blvd
Portland, OR 97219
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