Professor Bushaw Newest Recipient of the Evan T. Williams Sustainability Prize

The Sustainability Council will officially present Bushaw with the award this coming fall at its annual Sustainability in Portland event on November 16, 2023.

At Lewis & Clark, Bushaw specialized in contracts and commercial law, and pursued a broad range of research interests. She examined non-economic interests in business law, and in recent years explored the relationships among economic prosperity, social development, and environmental protection, with a particular emphasis on the role of small business.

“Amy taught and inspired countless law students interested in using their skills to help businesses succeed while at the same time benefiting their workers and the planet.” Professor of Law and Of Counsel and Earthrise Law Center Dan Rohlf said.

Bushaw co-taught the first sustainability law class at the law school, one of the first such courses in the country. She often used sustainability-related problems in her Advanced Contracts class, providing law school students with practical skills such as negotiating and formulating contracts for renewable energy facilities long before renewables became the primary focus of U.S. energy policy. She co-authored a contracts text with Jeffrey Bain Faculty Scholar and Professor of Law Brian Blum, now in its fourth edition, and a book on strategies and techniques for teaching Contracts. She is a dedicated teacher and three graduating classes have voted her the Leo Levenson Award for excellence in teaching.

“I was fortunate enough to have class with Professor Bushaw each of my three years at Lewis & Clark Law School,” Cecilia Bremner JD ’23 said. “With each class it became increasingly obvious that Professor Bushaw was not only well-versed in her chosen subjects but was also sincerely passionate about them and wanted her students to feel that passion too. She always entered class with a smile and an energy that ensured everyone engaged in class. She made me want to work hard for myself, my peers, and to make her proud. I am so grateful to Professor Bushaw for all she taught me. This award is very well deserved in recognition of her efforts and contribution to sustainability at Lewis & Clark and her students overall.”

Prior to joining the faculty, Professor Bushaw was a partner with the law firm of Hughes & Luce, LLP in Texas (now merged with K&L Gates LLP). As a student at Yale, she served as a research assistant for the Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights, and pursued research on martial law in Poland.

“I had the great fortune of being invited to participate in Professor Bushaw’s Contracts class as a ‘client’ on several occasions,” Lewis & Clark Sustainability Director Amy Dvorak said. “In working with her to develop these fictitious scenarios (often based on real world issues), I was able to see firsthand the great care and thought she put into ensuring her students had meaningful and realistic in-class experiences.” 

Professor Evan T. Williams founded the College of Arts and Sciences Environmental Studies program and ushered the institution-wide coordinating efforts that led to the current Sustainability Council formation. The Professor Evan T. Williams Memorial Tree Walk is concentrated around Frank Manor House.