Oklahoma City University School of Law

Oklahoma City University
School of Law
Motto Veritas Ecclesia Cognitio
Established 1907
School type Private
Endowment $ 80.5 million[1]
Dean Valerie Couch
Location Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
Enrollment 489[2]
Faculty 25[2]
USNWR ranking 149
Bar pass rate 53%[3]
Website law.okcu.edu
ABA profile OCU Law Profile

Oklahoma City University School of Law, also known as OCU Law, is one of the professional graduate schools of Oklahoma City University. OCU Law is located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and was founded in 1907. OCU Law was located in the Sarkeys Law Center on the southwest side of the Oklahoma City University campus until Spring 2015, when it moved to a new campus near downtown Oklahoma City.

The Chickasaw Nation Law Library at OCU Law houses a collection of more than 300,000 volume and volume equivalents, and is open to the public. OCU Law has been accredited by the ABA since 1960 and has been a member of the Association of American Law Schools since 2003.[4][5]

The 2010 edition of U.S. News & World Report's Best Law Schools ranked OCU Law as a 2nd Tier Law School among ABA accredited schools.[6][7] OCU Law was also listed under the outstanding category in the 2010 edition of the Princeton Review's best law schools release.[8] The IRLG ranked OCU Law #52 overall in its 2009 ranking of law schools, based upon the percentage of graduates who pass the bar exam. IRLG also ranked it #107 overall, in its ranking of law schools, based upon the 57.2 percentage of prospective applicants who are accepted.[9][10]

According to OCU Law's 2014 ABA-required disclosures, 91.3% of the Class of 2014 were employed nine months after graduation and 88% of the class was employed in bar passage required or J.D. advantage positions.[11] OCU Law was ranked in the first quartile for 2013 employment stats by Moody's Investors Services. The report issued in May of 2014 ranked all U.S. law schools based solely on their most recent graduating class' employment in J.D. required or J.D. preferred positions.

History

The law school has educated judges, political figures and founders of prestigious private law firms. Due to its long tradition of providing evening and part-time schedule options, the law school has also produced highly successful business leaders, particularly in the real estate, engineering, and oil and gas industries. The student body commonly includes medical doctors, university professors, military officers, and professionals from other fields. The School of Law is a member of the Association of American Law Schools and has been accredited by the American Bar Association since 1960.

The current dean of Oklahoma City University School of Law is Valerie Couch former U.S. Federal Magistrate for The Western District Court of Oklahoma, who succeeded Lawrence Hellman, who succeeded Rennard Strickland, a noted legal historian and former Dean of the University of Oregon School of Law, and the Honorable Robert Harlan Henry, United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.

Publications at the Oklahoma City University School of Law

Students of the Juris Doctor (JD) program are involved in preparing and publishing:

Academics

The School of Law offers Juris Doctor programs for full-time and part-time students. Oklahoma City University School of Law also offers students the ability to obtain a joint J.D./M.B.A. or a joint J.D./M.A. in Non-profit Organizations and Leadership.

Programs

Oklahoma Innocence Project

The Oklahoma Innocence Project (OIP) at Oklahoma City University School of Law is the only Innocence Clinic in the state. Law students participating in the innocence clinic assist the OIP legal staff with identifying and rectifying wrongful convictions in the state of Oklahoma.

Judge Alfred P. Murrah Center for Homeland Security Law & Policy

In conjunction with the school's move downtown in Spring 2015, Oklahoma City University School of Law opened the Judge Alfred P. Murrah Center for Homeland Security Law & Policy, an academic and practical resource center that examines the unique legal issues central to protecting and securing our nation, with a particular focus on the prevention of domestic terrorism. The Center works in close partnership with the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, and includes former Oklahoma governor Frank Keating and former U.S. Department of Homeland Security General Counsel Joe Whitley as co-chairs of the Center's board.

Alternative Dispute Resolution Center

Oklahoma City University School of Law provides a negotiation, mediation, and arbitration program designed to settle disputes in lieu of litigation in the Courts.

American Indian Law & Sovereignty Center

The American Indian Law & Sovereignty Center is an academic law and policy center focusing on the complexities of American Indian law and tribal law. The Sovereignty Center provides services for tribal governments and stakeholders and offers direct legal services to individuals through the American Indian Wills Clinic.

Center on State Constitutional Law and Government

The Center on State Constitutional Law and Government was founded to develop and implement programs dedicated to the improvement of state constitutions and state governance.

Externship program

Oklahoma City University School of Law's prime location downtown leads to numerous opportunities for students to discover new and interesting aspects of the law through 80-plus externship sites. New sites are added regularly and each site has multiple placements. The School of Law offers five different externship focus areas: Corporate Counsel, Government Practice, Judicial, Litigation Practice and Native American. [13]

Employment

According to OCU Law's official 2013 ABA-required disclosures, 91.8% of the Class of 2013 was employed in some capacity while 1.2% were pursuing graduate degrees and 5.3% were unemployed nine months graduation.[14]

Costs

Tuition at Oklahoma City University School of Law is $1,065 per credit hour. Other expenses include: general fees, parking and security fee, Student Bar Association fee, Installment Plan Fee, Installment Finance Fee and a Finance Fee.[15]

Notable alumni and students

Name Class Accomplishments
Brandon Creighton[16] Member of the Texas House of Representatives from his native Montgomery County in the Houston suburbs
Johnston Murray 1946 14th Governor of the State of Oklahoma[17]
Marian P. Opala[18] 1953 Associate Justice, Supreme Court of Oklahoma 1978–2010
Enoch Kelly Haney[19] 1964 Principal Chief of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma
Yvonne Kauger[20] 1969 Associate Justice, Supreme Court of Oklahoma 1984–Present
Mickey Edwards[21] 1969 US Representative from Oklahoma's 5th district who served from 1973-1993. Also, an author, political commentator, and professor.
Carol Hansen[22] 1974 Judge, Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals 1985–Present
Ernest Istook[23] 1976 US Representative from Oklahoma's 5th district who served from 1993–2006 and the Oklahoma Republican gubernatorial nominee in 2006
James R. Winchester[24] 1977 Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Oklahoma 2007–Present
Richard Lerblance[25] 1979 Senator from District 7 of the Oklahoma State Senate 2003–Present
Elizabeth A. Hayden[26] 1980 District Judge for Stearns County, Minnesota 1986–2009
Michael D. Brown[27] 1981 Director and Administrator of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Deborah Barnes 1983 Judge, Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals 2008–Present
Hannah Diggs Atkins 1985 Secretary of State for the State of Oklahoma, Civil Rights Leader[28]
Jeff Cloud 1991 Elected commissioner of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission 2004–2011[29]
Todd Lamb[30] 2005 Lt. Governor of Oklahoma 2011–Present
David Holt[31] 2009 Oklahoma State Senator from District 30 2010–Present
Jason Sutton[32] 2010 Director of the Oklahoma House of Representatives Media Division 2012–Present

References

  1. ↑ Law School Almanac - 2008 Endowments retrieved on 6-6-2009.
  2. 1 2 2014 Standard 509 Information Report - Oklahoma City University
  3. ↑ http://www.okbbe.com/current_exam_statistics.pdf
  4. ↑ LSAC profile, ABA "OCU Law". LSAC.org . retrieved on 2-8-2010
  5. ↑ AALS member schools "Listing AALS member schools". AALS. retrieved 2-8-2010
  6. ↑ 3,4 rankings Top Law Schools retrieved on 1-20-2009.
  7. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on December 8, 2008. Retrieved February 8, 2010. retrieved 3/22/2009
  8. ↑ Princeton Review best law schools retrieved on 2-3-2010.
  9. ↑ Ranking of Law schools - Raw data "2009 Raw Data ranking". IRLG. retrieved on 2-8-2010.
  10. ↑ Ranking of Law schools - Raw data "2009 Raw Data ranking". IRLG. retrieved on 5-10-2010.
  11. ↑ http://law.okcu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/EmploymentQuestionnaireSummary-123-3190-04-14-2015-13-45-24.pdf
  12. ↑ Journal Rankings "Ranking the law journals" . Global Jurist. retrieved on 2-4-2010.
  13. ↑ "Externship Placement Sites - Oklahoma City University School of Law". Law.okcu.edu. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
  14. ↑ "Home". Employmentsummary.abaquestionnaire.org. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
  15. ↑ "Tuition & Fees - Oklahoma City University School of Law". Law.okcu.edu. 2014-06-20. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
  16. ↑ "Brandon Creighton's Biography". votesmart.org. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Johnston Murray". National Governors Association. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  18. ↑ "Marian P. Opala". The Supreme Court of the State of Oklahoma. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  19. ↑ "Enoch Kelly Haney". Oklahoma Arts Conference. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  20. ↑ "Yvonne Kauger". The Supreme Court of the State of Oklahoma. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  21. ↑ "Mickey Edwards". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  22. ↑ "Carol Hansen". 2010 Oklahoma Bar Association. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  23. ↑ "Ernest Istook". Notable Names Data Base. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  24. ↑ "James R. Winchester". The Supreme Court of the State of Oklahoma. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  25. ↑ "Richard Lerblance". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  26. ↑ "Elizabeth A. Hayden". Minnesota Judicial Branch. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  27. ↑ "Michael D. Brown". Notable Names Data Base. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  28. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20070324191808/http://www.library.okstate.edu/scua/collect/atkins/index.htm. Archived from the original on March 24, 2007. Retrieved February 5, 2007. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  29. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20061209135248/http://www.occ.state.ok.us/Divisions/COMM/Bio-Cloud.htm. Archived from the original on December 9, 2006. Retrieved February 9, 2007. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  30. ↑ "Todd Lamb". © 2013 The State of Oklahoma. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
  31. ↑ "David Holt". oklahoma state legislature. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
  32. ↑ "Jason Sutton". 2013 Zoom Information, Inc. Retrieved 14 March 2013.

Coordinates: 35°28′32.350″N 97°31′2.0568″W / 35.47565278°N 97.517238000°W / 35.47565278; -97.517238000

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