Toketee Falls in Oregon.

University of California Berkeley School of Law has been “hit hard” by the presumed death of a student who aspired to become a public interest lawyer focused on social justice.

Brian Lewinstein, set to begin his second year of law school this month, fell from a steep embankment while photographing a waterfall in Southern Oregon on Aug. 12.

Authorities in Douglas County, Oregon, as of Wednesday had yet to locate Lewinstein, 23, who had been on a road trip up the Pacific Coast in the weeks before classes resume at Berkeley.

According to police, Lewinstein crossed a safety line to photograph the 120-foot Toketee Falls from above when he slipped and fell down a cliff. The falls are located in a national forest south of Eugene. Authorities said the rough terrain around the waterfall was complicating their search efforts and that they were utilizing drones to try to locate him.

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky told the website  Berkeleyside on Tuesday that the law school community was “devastated” to learn of Lewinstein's accident.

“He was a beloved member of our community,” said Chemerinsky, who taught Lewinstein in his first-year Constitutional Law class. “Our thoughts and deep sympathies are with his family at this difficult time.”

The law school has made grief counselors available on campus.

“We're a close-knit community,” said law school spokesman Michael Bazeley on Wednesday. “Students get to know each other well, as do students and faculty and staff. When something like this happens, it can hit hard. We've reminded students, faculty, and staff that we have counseling services available to anyone who wants to use them.”

According to his LinkedIn profile, Lewinstein aspired to be a public interest lawyer and intended to graduate from Berkeley Law with a certificate of specialization in public interest social justice.

“During law school, Brian plans on pursuing interests in racial justice and civil rights law, especially as they relate to police misconduct,” reads his LinkedIn profile. “Brian ultimately envisions himself working in impact litigation or on public policy regarding structural conditions that serve as barriers to success for marginalized youth.”

He spent the summer laying the groundwork for his public interest goals, interning at the East Bay Community Law Center—Berkeley Law's community-based clinic program. Lewinstein worked in the center's Education Defense & Justice for Youth Clinic, which represent juveniles in delinquency, school expulsion and special education matters.

Clinic director Tony Cheng told the San Francisco Chronicle that Lewinstein also worked on projects aimed at changing juvenile court policies related to fines and fees.

“He was very interested in pursuing a career working with youth in the future,” Cheng said. “He really seemed like he wanted to help people.”