MAJOR EVENTS
Reception Honors Outstanding Mentors
The College of Law held a reception to honor those dedicated attorneys and judges who volunteer their time as mentors to Willamette’s law students. The popular Mentor Program is administered by the college’s office of Career Services, which hosted the annual awards reception at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art on the Willamette campus in early April. College of Law alumna Concetta Schwesinger JD’88 received the 2006–07 Judge Edward H. Howell Mentor of the Year Award, which is named in honor of the late judge, an enthusiastic mentor to Willamette law students for many years. Schwesinger, who works as a child support program liaison on behalf of the Oregon Department of Justice, was nominated by her mentee Rachel J. Wixson. A member of the Class of 2008, Wixson praised Schwesinger for her tremendous support.
Rachel Wixson, Mentor of the Year Concetta Schwesinger JD’88 and Director of Career Services Phylis Myles
“She believed in me and helped me believe in myself,” Wixson wrote in the letter nominating Schwesinger for the award. “She opened her heart to me and shared wisdom she had gleaned from many experiences. She also introduced me to women attorneys and judges working in various fields so I could talk to them about their jobs.”
The law school’s Mentor Program enables students, early in their legal careers, to forge an individual relationship with experienced legal practitioners who provide valuable insight and advice on the practice of law. For more information about becoming an attorney mentor, please contact Career Services at law-career@willamette.edu.
Pro Bono Award Winners Announced Last spring, the College of Law hosted the fifth annual Pro Bono Honors Program awards reception to recognize those law students who volunteered their time and services to pro bono activities and community service projects during the previous 12-month period. A highlight of the reception was the presentation of the Pro Bono Student of the Year Award, which is given to the third-year student who made the greatest pro bono contribution during his or her three years of law school. The award is named for Col. “Rudy” Park Jr. LLB’47. A former JAG Corps officer, Park established an active legal practice in Oregon and contributed a significant amount of time to pro bono activities throughout the state. Preston Greene with Dean Symeon C. Symeonides
The 2007 Col. Rupert E. Park Jr. Pro Bono Student of the Year Award was presented to Preston Greene, who volunteered 222 hours to pro bono activities. Greene amassed all his pro bono hours during his third year of school, serving as a judicial assistant to Judge Jack L. Landau of the Oregon Court of Appeals. Also recognized during the awards reception were those 1L and 2L students who volunteered the most pro bono hours throughout the academic year. Todd Huegli was named top volunteer from the Class of 2008. Huegli, who recently won the Oregon State Bar’s Student Pro Bono Challenge, volunteered 500 hours of service. Three members of the Class of 2009 contributed the most volunteer hours; Tracy Demers, Nicole Lundberg and Emily Pringle each volunteered 20 hours of service.
| Willamette Lawyer