University of Tulsa College of Law

Last updated
The University of Tulsa
College of Law
Univ. of Tulsa Law.png
Established1923
School type Private
Dean Lyn Entzeroth
Location Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
Enrollment280
Faculty28 (full-time)
USNWR ranking111th (2024) [1]
Website law.utulsa.edu

The University of Tulsa College of Law is the law school of the private University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma. For 2023, U.S. News & World Report ranked the University of Tulsa College of Law at No. 111 among all law schools in the United States. It is the only law school in the Tulsa Metropolitan Area and northeastern Oklahoma.

Contents

History

The University of Tulsa College of Law was founded by local attorneys in 1923, during one of Tulsa's oil booms. The law school was originally known simply as the Tulsa Law School and was independent of the University of Tulsa. Initially, classes took place in the Central High School building in downtown Tulsa, while the law library was in the Tulsa County courthouse, a few blocks away. The faculty initially consisted of practicing Tulsa attorneys who taught classes at night. [2]

Tulsa Law was formally absorbed by the University of Tulsa in 1943. A pioneering Tulsa attorney named John Rogers is credited with making this association. [3] In 1949, the school moved into a downtown office building. In 1953, the school was accredited by the American Bar Association. During the 1950s and 60s, the library, classrooms and administrative offices were consolidated at a single location in downtown Tulsa and full-time tenured and tenure-track research faculty were hired. The school became a member of the Association of American Law Schools in 1966. The name of the school was formally changed to the University of Tulsa College of Law.

In the late 1970s, Tulsa Law became increasingly prominent in the field of energy law and policy; during this period, the Energy Law Journal and the National Energy and Law Policy Institute were established at the law school (NELPI). [4] The National Energy Law and Policy Institute was initially led by Kent Frizzell, who had served as Assistant Attorney General of the United States from 1972 to 1973 and Undersecretary of the Department of the Interior from 1975 to 1977. [5] During this time, Frizzell also taught at Tulsa Law.

In the 1990s, Tulsa Law developed a reputation for strength in legal history, hiring legal historian Bernard Schwartz (formerly of New York University Law School) and, later, Paul Finkelman. [6]

Law school building

Tulsa Law moved from downtown Tulsa to its present location on the University of Tulsa's main campus in 1973, where it was housed in what was then named John Rogers Hall. [2] The building was formally dedicated with a speech by U.S. Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist. [7]

In May 2016, the university decided to remove the name of John Rogers from the law school's building, in response to increased controversy about Rogers' role in the founding of the Ku Klux Klan in Tulsa in the 1920s. [8]

Academic programs and offerings

TU College of Law offers Juris Doctor programs for full-time and part-time students. TU Law also grants the degree of Master of Laws, or LLM, in the areas of Native American Law, Natural Resources and Energy Law, and International Law for foreign students. Additionally, the College of Law offers two online Master of Jurisprudence (MJ) degrees in Indian law and energy law. Students have the ability to obtain joint JD/MA degrees in a variety of fields including, history, English, psychology, as well as a joint JD/MBA, joint JD/Masters in Taxation, and joint JD/MS in geosciences, biological sciences, and finance. TU Law offers certificate programs in sustainable energy and resources law, Native American law, and health law.

The college also hosts a number of endowed lecture series which bring renowned scholars and jurists to campus:

The College of Law also has study abroad arrangements allowing students to study in Dublin or London.[ citation needed ]

The University of Tulsa College of Law is a national leader in teaching, scholarship and research in energy, environmental, and natural resources law and policy and Native American law.[ citation needed ]

Student-edited publications

Clinical offerings

The on-campus Boesche Legal Clinic offers students real-world experience under the supervision of clinical professors while providing pro bono legal services to disadvantaged populations. Clinics include the Immigrant Rights Project and the Lobeck Taylor Family Advocacy Clinic. Previous projects have centered on among the aged, American Indians, inter alia.

In 2016, Tulsa Law launched the Solo Practice Clinic to help its students develop the skills necessary to operate their own legal practices, which is particularly common for attorneys serving rural, small business and low-income clients, among others. [9]

Employment

According to TU Law's 2021 ABA-required disclosures, 91.6% of the Class of 2016 obtained full-time, long-term positions for which bar passage was required (75%) or for which a J.D. was an advantage (16.6%) nine months after graduation, excluding solo practitioners and clerkships, [10] putting TU in the middle of regional peers like Baylor Law School, [11] the University of Oklahoma College of Law, [12] and SMU Dedman School of Law. [13] The most popular destinations for TU Law graduates are Oklahoma and Texas.

Costs

The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at TU Law for the 2015–2016 academic year is $58,496 (full-time). [14] 100% of TU Law students received scholarships and/or tuition benefits in 2015.

The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $201,183 (however this figure does not account for merit- or need-based aid). [15]

Notable faculty

The notable current and former faculty of TU Law include:

Notable alumni

AlumniClassOccupationDistinction
Robert D. Bell 1992Lawyer/Appellate JudgeJustice on the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals
Daniel J. Boudreau 1976Lawyer/Appellate JudgeJustice on the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals
Samuel H. Cassidy 1975Politician/Lawyer Lieutenant Governor of Colorado 1994–1995, Professor at University of Denver
Hugh Emerson Coleman1994Politician/LawyerDenton County Texas, Commissioner Precinct #1 2009-2020; Assistant County Attorney, El Paso County, Texas; Assistant Criminal District Attorney, Denton County, Texas; City Attorney for Sanger, Texas.
John E. Dowdell 1981Federal Judge/Lawyer United States District Judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma.
Angelique EagleWoman 2004 (LLM)Scholar/Lawyer/Law School DeanDean of Canada's Bora Laskin Faculty of Law; Scholar of Native American Law
Drew Edmondson 1979Lawyer/Politician16th Attorney General of Oklahoma from 1995 to 2011.
Allison Garrett 1987Attorney/Executive/University President Walmart Vice President/Legal Counsel (1994–2004); current president at Emporia State University.
Ross Goodman 1995LawyerHigh-profile criminal defense lawyer in Las Vegas
Brian Jack Goree 1989AttorneyJudge, Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals (2012–present)
David Hall [lower-alpha 1] 1959PoliticianGovernor of Oklahoma (1971–1975)
John F. Heil III 1994Federal JudgeFormerly shareholder of Hall Estill; now a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma, and the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma.
Stacie L. Hixon 2002 Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals Appointed to state Civil Appeals court in March 2020; previously worked for private law practices in Tulsa.
Fern Holland [lower-alpha 1] 1996Human Rights LawyerHuman rights advocate and investigator known for her work with the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq
Dana Kuehn 1996Judge Oklahoma Supreme Court Formerly Court of Criminal Appeals’ presiding judge; appointed to Oklahoma Supreme Court July 2001.
Brian Kuester 2000Lawyer United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Oklahoma
Bill LaFortune 1983Politician/Lawyer Mayor of Tulsa
Orville Edwin Langley [lower-alpha 1] 1940Federal Judge and US Attorney United States District Judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Oklahoma from 1961 to 1965
Robert E. Lavender [lower-alpha 1] 1953Appellate JudgeJustice on the Oklahoma Supreme Court (1965 - 2007)
Stacy Leeds 1997Scholar/Judge/Law School DeanDean of the University of Arkansas School of Law; scholar of Native American Law; Supreme Court Justice for Cherokee Nation
Mark McCullough 1998Politician Oklahoma State Representative (2007–2017)
Michael Mulligan 1987Attorney/ProsecutorLead prosecutor in the courts-martial of Hasan Akbar and of Nidal Malik Hasan, the sole accused in the November 2009 Fort Hood shooting.
John M. O'Connor 1980Lawyer/Politician19th Attorney General of Oklahoma (2021–present).
Charles L. Owens [lower-alpha 1] 1960JudgeFirst African-American judge in Oklahoma [18] and Supreme Court lawyer [19]
Elizabeth Crewson Paris 1987Federal JudgeJudge of the United States Tax Court and adjunct instructor at Georgetown University Law Center
Layn R. Phillips 1977Federal Judge and attorneyFormer United States District Judge on the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, former United States Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma from 1984 to 1987, and former partner at Irell & Manella.
Scott Pruitt 1993Politician/Lawyer Attorney General of Oklahoma (2011–2017); former Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Rodger Randle 1979Politician/Academic Mayor of Tulsa (1988–1992); President pro tempore of the Oklahoma Senate; President of predecessor to Rogers State University
Keith Rapp 1984Appellate Judge
John F. Reif 1977Judge (Retired - 2019)Justice on the Oklahoma Supreme Court (2007 - 2019)
Clinton Riggs [lower-alpha 1] 1954Law Enforcement educator and inventorLaw Enforcement educator and innovator, inventor of the first Yield sign
Scott J. Silverman 1981JudgeDade County Court judge (1991–1998); circuit court judge 11th Judicial Circuit in and for Miami-Dade County, Florida (1998–2012)
Robert D. Simms [lower-alpha 1] 1950Attorney/ JudgeJustice on the Oklahoma Supreme Court (1985 - 1999)
Chad "Corntassel" Smith 1980PoliticianPrincipal Chief of the Cherokee Nation (1999–2011)
Clancy Smith 1980Retired judgeJustice of Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals (2010–2017)
Jerry L. Smith [lower-alpha 1] 1970Politician Oklahoma State Representative (1973–1981) and Senator (1981–2004)
Burt Solomons 1978Real estate and construction attorney Texas State Representative from 1995 to 2013 from Denton County
Geoffrey Standing Bear 1980PoliticianPrincipal Chief of Osage Nation (2014–Present)
Leigh H. Taylor 1966Law professor, law school dean, and civil rights attorneyFormer Dean of Southwestern Law School and Dean of Claude W. Pettit College of Law at Ohio Northern University
Stratton Taylor 1982Politician Oklahoma State Representative (1979–1981) and Senator (1981–2007)
P. Thomas Thornbrugh 1974Lawyer and judgeJudge on the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals
Mike Turpen 1974Lawyer and politician Attorney General of Oklahoma (1983–1987), chair of Oklahoma Democratic Party
Jane Wiseman 1973Appellate JudgeJudge on Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals
Harry M. Wyatt III 1980MilitaryDirector, Air National Guard, the Pentagon, Washington, DC (2009–2013)

Notes

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References

  1. ↑ "University of Tulsa".
  2. 1 2 The University of Tulsa College of Law: History of the College of Law." Accessed April 25, 2012
  3. ↑ ".TU website "History of TU." Accessed February 24, 2011". Archived from the original on March 17, 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2011.
  4. ↑ Tulsa County Bar Association (2003). Building Tulsa: Lawyers at Work. Tulsa: Hawk Publishing. p. 112.
  5. ↑ "Kent Frizzell (1972–1973)". United States Department of Justice. 2015-04-14. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  6. ↑ Saxon, Wolfgang (26 December 1997). "Bernard Schwartz Dies at 74; Legal Scholar and Historian". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  7. ↑ Rehnquist, William (1974). "LEGAL EDUCATION: A CONSUMER'S POINT OF VIEW". Tulsa Law Journal. 10: 9. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  8. ↑ Laura Bult, "University of Tulsa law school to remove founder's name after discovering his affiliation with the Ku Klux Klan", New York Daily News , May 5, 2016.
  9. ↑ Martin, Miriam (1 November 2017). "Legal perspective: TU's Solo Practice Clinic helps students prepare for life after law school". Tulsa Business & Legal News. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  10. ↑ "Section of Legal Education, Employment Summary Report" (PDF).
  11. ↑ "Section of Legal Education, Employment Summary Report" (PDF).
  12. ↑ "Section of Legal Education, Employment Summary Report" (PDF).
  13. ↑ "Section of Legal Education, Employment Summary Report" (PDF).
  14. ↑ "JD Tuition and Fees".
  15. ↑ "University of Tulsa Profile, Cost". Law School Transparency. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  16. ↑ "Brian Leiter Most Cited Law Professors by Specialty, 2000–2007". Leiterrankings.com. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
  17. ↑ "Kent Frizzell (1972–1973)". United States Department of Justice. 2015-04-14. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  18. ↑ "Bartlett Appoints First Negro Judge :: TULSA AND OKLAHOMA HISTORY COLLECTION". cdm15020.contentdm.oclc.org. Retrieved 2018-06-11.
  19. ↑ "Charles Owens '60". University of Tulsa. Retrieved 30 July 2018.

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