Located in Salem, Oregon, and founded in 1883, Willamette is the oldest law school in the Pacific Northwest.

According to Willamette's 2022 ABA-required disclosures, 84.69% of the Class of 2022 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required or JD-preferred employment nine months after graduation.

[6] In July 1866, Willamette University's trustees formed a committee to explore the possibility of a legal department.

[7] At that time, legal education was traditionally taught as an apprenticeship in which those wishing to be lawyers would study under an existing attorney for several years before being allowed to pass the bar.

[8] In April 1884, the Board of Trustees officially approved the new legal department; tuition for the two-year course was $50 per year.

[7] In 1908, Charles L. McNary was appointed dean, serving until 1913, when Willamette selected future Oregon Attorney General Isaac Homer Van Winkle.

[12] During this time, deans of the law school included George M. McLeod (1940–1942), Ray L. Smith (1942–1946), and Seward P. Reese (1946–1968).

[7] During World War II, enrollment declined to only five graduates between 1943 and 1945, and classes were moved to the undergraduate library as the United States Navy used Gatke Hall.

[7] After 1952, Willamette Law received a large Lady Justice statue when the Marion County Courthouse was demolished to make way for a new one.

[7] The College of Law moved across campus to the Collins Legal Center along with Lady Justice, the 12-foot (3.7 m)-tall, 300-pound (140 kg) statue formerly located on the roof of the Marion County Courthouse.

[7] Deans of the school in recent years include David R. Kenagy (1994–1996 interim), Robert M. Ackerman (1996–1999), and Symeon Symeonides (1999 to 2011).

Through a partnership between the College of Law and Willamette's Atkinson Graduate School of Management, a joint degree program is offered to students interested in earning both a JD and an MBA concurrently.

The program comprises four advanced legal education courses, including specialized clinics in Business Law, Trusts and Estates, Child and Family Advocacy, and Human Rights and Immigration.

Both LLM tracks allow students to enroll in classes at the Atkinson Graduate School of Management.

This one-year program is designed for professionals whose job involves working within a legal or regulatory framework.

MLS students work with a law school advisor to develop a set of courses to meet their specific career needs or goals.

[41] Willamette Law Online is a subscription service produced primarily by students that provides case summaries free to legal professionals in the Pacific Northwest.

[44] Built within Salem's 1912 Carnegie library building, the school remodeled the structure at a cost of $4 million.

A According to Willamette's 2022 ABA-required disclosures, 84.69% of the Class of 2022 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required or JD-preferred employment nine months after graduation.

[6] Willamette's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 14.3%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2022 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.