71. Conversation with Brian Gallini, Dean of Willamette College of Law

EdUp Legal

Welcome back to America's leading higher education law podcast, EdUp Legal - part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network!

In today's episode, we welcome Brian Gallini, the Dean of Willamette University College of Law in Salem, Oregon, a position he has held since 2020.

He shares his experience becoming a dean during the pandemic and his transition from the University of Arkansas. Dean Gallini tells us that he was attracted by Willamette's innovation, nimbleness, and flexibility, which match his leadership philosophy.

He describes Willamette's partnerships with different institutions that focus on providing a mentorship-based approach for admission. He also shares his ideas for alternative licensing and how he and others have been diligently working to explore alternative pathways in Oregon. He shares how members from all three Oregon Law Schools and other members of the Bench and Bar have come together to explore the possibilities that might make sense for Oregon. From this exploration, two things emerged, the Oregon experiential pathway and the supervised practice pathway, which he tells us are in the conceptual phase.

Further, he shares how working as a hockey coach with the University of Pennsylvania and Arkansas for over a decade has impacted his dean's leadership, and he recounts some of those valuable lessons.

Lastly, he shares his prediction for the evolution of legal education in the upcoming decade. He tells us that his aspirational vision is that ten years from now, there is an empirically accepted definition for minimum competence that outlines with transparency and clarity the measurable skills for newly licensed lawyers. He also tells us that he hopes for a better connection between legal education and skills training.

Thank you so much for tuning in. Join us on the next episode for your EdUp time!

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