Willamette Lawyer | Spring 2014

WUCL – Home of the Northern Lights: Deemed “Alaska’s Law School,” Willamette’s College of Law has a surprising number of grads putting their law degrees to work in the Land of the Midnight Sun.

Raising the Bar Award Two ’97 grads share a name, an avocation and now, an award. Dean Curtis Bridgeman Editor Karen McGlone Graphic Designers Susan Blettel Mike Wright Class Action Editor Cathy McCann Gaskin JD’02 Photographer Frank Miller Willamette Lawyer is published by Willamette University College of Law for constituents of the College of Law, the first law school in the Pacific Northwest. Send comments to: Karen McGlone kmcglone@willamette.edu Willamette Lawyer Willamette University College of Law 245 Winter St. S.E. Salem, OR 97301 24 Departments Dean’s Message News Briefs Outside the Law Class Action 2 3 22 30 Profiles Alumni Nicole Nelson and Nikole Nelson: Raising the Bar Award 24 Student Heather Parker: Loving a job and leaving it Faculty Professor Rick Martson: Tools of the trade willamette.edu/wucl This publication is partially supported by contributions to the College of Law Fund. Copyright © 2014 Willamette University College of Law 26 Cover Section Willamette University College of Law Home of the Northern Lights 8 On the path of whales Educating Alaskans 10 14 28 Willamette trustee, Mary Hughes 16 From DC to El Paso Alaska’s U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski 18 20 Correction “An Up-Close View of Immigration,” published in the fall 2013 issue of Willamette Lawyer, incorrectly identified an employer for Teuta Norman JD‘98. Norman worked for HRCentral Corporation, a human resources outsourcing firm, from 1998-2001. She started practicing immigration law with the firm now known as Hecht & Norman, LLP in 2001, becoming an owner in 2004. We regret the error. Spring 2014 | 1