Training Law Students for Professional Service
in Ocean and Coastal Law

Conflicts over the sea's resources and development pressures on coastal areas have generated significant legal and political activity, both internationally and domestically. Important and complex laws for the organization of ocean resources activities and for coastal zone management, here and abroad, are now established segments of domestic and international legal systems.

The lawyer's role in this field, now and in the future, requires knowledge and skills not entirely imparted by traditional law school training. The University of Oregon School of Law meets the education needs of this field of law through the Ocean and Coastal Law Center.

The Ocean and Coastal Law Statement of Completion

Download information sheet and application form.

Second- and third-year students at the School of Law are eligible to begin developing a specialty in the field of ocean and coastal law. Students who satisfactorily complete one of three programs will receive an Ocean and Coastal Law Statement of Completion signed by the dean of the School of Law and the director of the Ocean and Coastal Law Center. A statement of completion may be obtained through one of the following programs:

Research Assistant Program

The Center sponsors a small research assistant program (three to four students per year) to provide multifaceted education and training for second- and third-year law students in the field of ocean and coastal law. To obtain the statement of completion, a Center research assistant must spend at least one academic year doing ocean and coastal law research work and write an academic research paper of high professional quality concerning an ocean or coastal law topic approved in advance by the Center director.

Fellowship Program

The Ocean and Coastal Law Center helps University of Oregon law students pursue graduate student fellowships in marine law and policy, including the Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship sponsored by the National Sea Grant College Program and various legislative and resource fellowships sponsored by Oregon Sea Grant. Law students may earn the statement of completion by serving as a marine law or policy fellow in a state or federal fellowship program for at least one semester.

Course-based Program

Satisfactory completion of two marine law courses and any combination of relevant courses and seminars totaling at least nine credit hours leads to the granting of the statement of completion.

Curriculum in Ocean and Coastal Law and Related Fields

The School of Law contributes to the Center's educational efforts by providing ocean and coastal law courses as well as an array of related curricular offerings. These are listed below. For course listings by year and detailed course descriptions, please consult the law school's Course Listings.

Marine Law Courses

Admiralty
Introduction to basic maritime commercial law. Occasional offering.

Coastal Law
Judicial and legislative responses in the United States to conflicting uses of coastal resources. Offered Fall 2007.

Law of the Sea
International rules for use of the world's oceans and seas. Last offered Fall 2002.

Ocean and Coastal Law
U.S. rules for use of U.S. ocean and coastal areas. Last offered Fall 2004.

Ocean Law
U.S. and international rules for use of the oceans. Offered Spring 2008.

Related Offerings

Comparative Environmental Law
Environment and Energy
Environment and Pollution
Environmental Justice
Environmental Law Alliance Externship
Environmental Law Clinic
Global Environmental Challenges
Hazardous Waste Law
Human Rights and Environment
Indian Law
International Environmental Law
International Law
Land Use Law
Natural Resources Law
Public Land Law
Water Resources Law
Wildlife Law

Ocean and Coastal Law in the Profession

The demand for professional ocean law services is a present and future reality. Certainly many federal, state, and private legal offices have recognized this reality. There are, in addition, a number of businesses and other private organizations that associate themselves, directly or indirectly, with ocean and coastal resources. These organizations, and the law firms that serve them, also need the assistance of lawyers who have focused on the intricacies of ocean and coastal law.

Together with the law school's Career Services Office, the Ocean and Coastal Law Center assists the recipients of the statement of completion and other interested law students in finding positions with governmental agencies, law firms, and businesses where professional training in ocean and coastal law is of value. There is much competition for such positions, and successful placement consequently cannot be ensured. However, the educational emphasis represented by the statement of completion has often provided a significant advantage for those who have earned it.

For More Information

If you would like additional information about the Center's educational activities and opportunities for law students, please contact Center director Richard G. Hildreth by e-mail or phone, (541) 346-3866.

If you have questions about admission to the University of Oregon School of Law, or if you would like to request an application packet, please visit the law school's Admissions web site, or contact Admissions staff by e-mail or phone, (541) 346-3846.