Oregon law states, “Every person has a right to inspect any public record of a public body in this state.” Yet individuals across the Northwest and the country increasingly face long wait times, steep fees and other obstacles to obtaining these records, according to InvestigateWest.
On Tuesday, Lewis & Clark Law School and Oregon Public Broadcasting announced they are partnering to create the Public Records and Government Transparency Project. It will provide legal resources for journalists and media organizations and train Lewis & Clark law students in practices specific to Oregon Public Records Law.
A 2024, provided image from Lewis & Clark Law School's Boley Law Library. The private law school in Portland, Ore., will offer a program in the fall of 2025 on Oregon Public Records Law.
Courtesy of Pete Eckert via Lewis & Clark College
“This partnership underscores the important role legal professionals play in ensuring access to public records,” Alicia Ouellette, dean of Lewis & Clark Law School, wrote in a press release. “As a leader in training students for careers in public interest law, we are especially excited about this new offering.”
In Oregon, agencies can charge hundreds or thousands of dollars for requests. Many news outlets and private individuals don’t have legal representation to fight these fees. OPB is currently the only media organization in the state with in-house legal counsel doing open records work.
Beginning in the fall semester of 2025, the program will train Lewis & Clark law students under supervising attorneys to assess legal issues, conduct research, develop strategies and work with clients and public agencies to ensure compliance with public records law.
Legal counsel from OPB will serve as adjunct professors to provide seminars for law students. Other local attorneys will provide pro bono supervision of students and act as the attorneys of record on cases.
“As an independent public media organization, OPB’s work is rooted in the relentless pursuit of truth and transparency of our public institutions,” Rachel Smolkin, OPB president and CEO, wrote.
“Our partnership with Lewis & Clark serves students, our larger local journalism ecosystem, and the public interest. We’re thrilled to connect OPB’s leadership in this area with the law school’s innovative approach to developing opportunities for public interest work.”
According to a fact sheet from Lewis & Clark about the program, “Any journalists and media outlets reporting on local and state government in Oregon or on topics requiring materials covered by Oregon Public Records Law will be eligible to receive support from the Law students.”
The program will have six students per semester, totaling 12 for the 2025-2026 academic year, according to the fact sheet.
Shasta Kearns Moore, vice chair of Oregon’s Public Records Advisory Council, praised the initiative and said she hopes to see the program expand in the future.
“OPB and Lewis & Clark College are correct in seeing this as an underrepresented area of law and a desperate need for journalists in our state,” she wrote in a message to OPB.
Kearns Moore called public records law a “major underpinning to a fair and democratic society.”
