The “DEAN” of the ages
IN the NE WS
The Lewis H. Orland Endowed Law Scholarship
9TH U.S. CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS
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As a part of the Centennial Celebration at Gonzaga University School of Law, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals visited on Oct. 3 and heard oral arguments in three cases in the Law School’s Barbieri Courtroom. “The students were so excited to have this wonderful opportunity and the courtroom was standing room only. It is an incredible learning experience for students to be able to see oral arguments during their time here. In addition, the judges were kind enough to attend some of our classes and interact with many of our 1L students,” explained Dean Jane Korn. In the morning, the three-judge panel of Chief Judge Alex Kozinski, Judge Paul J. Watford and Judge Morgan Christen spent time in both Professor Brooks Holland’s criminal law class and Professor Kevin Michels’ torts class. The judges discussed the role of a good litigator, how they each reached the bench and took questions from students.
Judges Watford and Kozinski with law students.
At 1 p.m. the Barbieri Courtroom was packed to beyond standing room only with approximately 350 students, faculty, staff and community members. The Court of Appeals heard oral arguments for three cases. The first case, United States v. Sin, hinged on a judicial determination of the proper protocols required for a Coast Guard-issued Breathalyzer test of a vessel captain, and posed the question whether a Breathalyzer test that had been administered in a manner inconsistent with established protocol could be used to put someone in jail, when it would not be considered sufficient to terminate someone from their job. The second case of Slater v. Clarke addressed whether public employees working for, or with, a county prosecutor’s office in Massachusetts could be held civilly liable for decisions they made in the course of their jobs, specifically the decision to not extradite an individual from Washington to Massachusetts.
GU Law history
Judge Christen addresses law students.
Finally, the judges heard the case of Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign v. King County which raised significant First Amendment issues. Throughout the arguments, the judges questioned if the King County Metro bus system had effectively declared itself as a “designated public forum” by allowing political ads, which carries additional First Amendment responsibilities.
Helen Donigan Helen Donigan was one of few female faculty members in the late 1970s, soon after Gonzaga Law School went to days. She served the University as a law faculty member for 32 years before retiring in 2010. The Gonzaga Law alumna was the 18th recipient of the Myra Bradwell Award for her work in furthering women’s and children’s issues through the law.
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GONZAGA LAWYER
ver the past 100 years Gonzaga Law has seen its fair share of legends at the school, all of whom have made a lasting mark on the overall success of the institution. One such former faculty member fits this very description, Professor and Dean Lewis H. Orland. Dean Orland’s relationship with the law school spanned more than five decades, beginning in the 1950s and lasting until his death on Feb. 14, 2012.
A native of Moscow, Idaho, Lew was born on Sept. 18, 1915. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Idaho in 1937 and then went on to receive his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1940. He began his legal career as a government lawyer in Washington, D.C.; however, world events redirected his talents. He was commissioned an officer in the United States Navy and served his country gallantly during World War II. It was even rumored that during the war he spent some time in Chile and other parts of South America where he may have been involved in covert operations. Following the war, he pursued graduate studies at the University of Geneva and traveled extensively in Europe, all the while increasing his remarkable fluency in French, Spanish, German and Russian. Long-time faculty member Amy Kelley remembers a fond story about Lew. “Lew worked his entire life on maintaining his language proficiency; students were often impressed, albeit somewhat frustrated, to find that many of the marginal notations he made while correcting their exams were not in English. When the days of cable TV arrived, visitors to Lew’s office would often find him tuned to a foreign language news channel – ‘to keep him up to date.’ Not that he was actually watching it; it would just be on in the background as he busily worked on whatever legal project he was attending to that day,” said Kelley. In 1950, he returned to the Northwest, entering private practice in Spokane. That same year he joined the adjunct faculty at the Law School. By the mid-1950s, he was a full-time member of the faculty with a growing reputation for his exceptional scholarship. A renowned scholar, Dean Orland, indeed may well be the most frequently cited authority in Washington state. For nearly 40 years, he authored or co-authored “Washington Trial Practice” “a veritable bible for practitioners” as well as “Washington Procedural Forms” and “Washington Rules Practice.” He also gave 35 years of expert service on the Supreme Court’s Washington Pattern Jury
Instructions Committee and 25 years on the Washington State Bar’s Court Rules and Procedures Committee. While many students remember him for his sharp intellect and mastery of his challenging Socratic method of teaching, Dean Orland also endeared himself to generations of students and colleagues for his friendly manner, his personal warmth and his wonderful sense of humor. Kelley fondly remembers Lew’s generosity, “In the early 1980s, when Lew was still frequently traveling, students who participated in the National Appellate Advocacy Competition (NAAC), which was held in conjunction with the summer ABA meeting, might look up during one of their rounds and see Dean Orland in the audience. He would likely then surprise them by offering to take them out to lunch.” Professor Larry Weiser, long-time faculty member and current director of University Legal Assistance (the Clinic) mentioned that “Dean Orland was quite aware of the financial hardships of many of our students. That is why he created this Law Scholarship fund. Every year he challenged the entire law faculty to give generously to this fund. He didn’t stop ‘challenging’ until each professor contributed. Of course, he was the most generous contributor to this fund.” The service of Lewis Orland to Gonzaga has gone well beyond the classroom. He served as the ninth dean of the Law School from 1968 to 1973 and as associate dean from 1975 until June 2000. As dean, he played a central role in securing the Law School’s full accreditation by the American Bar Association and in establishing the Law School’s day division in the 1970’s In addition to his professional accomplishments, Lew was a devoted husband. He and his wife, Jackie, were married for more than 60 years. In honor of Dean Orland’s commitment to the law school, friends and colleagues have supported the Lewis H. Orland Endowed Scholarship since 1986. In the Jesuit spirit, the scholarship is awarded annually to students who demonstrate need. Kelley noted, “Lew understood that law school was a challenging endeavor and many times, students needed extra help for unexpected emergencies, or life situations that arose on a day-to-day basis. This scholarship represents what Lew Orland was all about.” This endowed scholarship ensures Dean Orland’s vision of a law school that meets the personal needs of students is honored.
Gonzaga University School of Law is thankful to Lewis H. Orland for his many contributions to the law school, the legal profession and the local community. If you are interested in supporting the Lewis H. Orland Endowed Law Scholarship, please contact Jeff Geldien at jgeldien@lawschool.gonzaga.edu or 509.313.6121. GONZAGA LAWYER
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