University of Oklahoma College of Law

Introduction

The University of Oklahoma College of Law is one of our nation's great public law schools. Founded in 1909, OU Law provides a dynamic intellectual community dedicated to teaching, learning, research, and service in the pursuit of law and justice. OU Law delivers an exemplary legal education at an accessible cost to students and is consistently recognized as a “best value” law school.

The OU Law campus is located just south of the university’s main campus in Norman, a city of approximately 100,000 adjacent to the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. OU Law enrolls more than 500 students annually in its Juris Doctor (JD) and Master of Laws (LLM) degree programs. The entering JD class is approximately 160 students, and first-year sections consist of 40 students. The John B. Turner LLM program attracts students worldwide wishing to specialize in the college’s core areas: energy, natural resources, and Native American law.

Facilities

Our home is Andrew M. Coats Hall, located just south of OU’s main campus. This 170,000-square-foot complex houses everything you’ll need, from faculty and administrative offices to classrooms and lounges. In addition to the Donald E. Pray Law Library and the Inasmuch Collaborative Learning Center, the OU College of Law has several other spaces you’ll use frequently.

The Inasmuch Collaborative Learning Center (CLC), located in the Donald E. Pray Law Library, cultivates teamwork. The 8,000-square-foot space opened in 2016, thanks to a $1.5 million gift from Inasmuch Foundation. The Inasmuch CLC features cooperative learning spaces complete with virtual reality stations, multimedia study rooms, collaborative workstations, and plenty of plugs and ports for your personal devices. A “genius station” offers students access to research and IT professionals.

The Donald E. Pray Law Library is the hub of research and collaboration at OU Law. Here, students, faculty, attorneys, and members of the public can access major legal databases and an extensive catalog of print and electronic offerings.

The 250-seat Dick Bell Courtroom is one of the largest and most technologically advanced courtrooms in the nation. In fact, many state and federal courts have held appellate trials here, including the Oklahoma Supreme Court and the US Court of Appeals.

OU Law graduates taking the bar exam consistently averaged a 95 percent passage rate. More than 40 full-time OU Law faculty foster student success while preparing students for the practice of law and for leadership positions in the state, nation, and world.

Digital Initiative

OU Law is the first law school in the nation to launch a college-wide initiative focused on equipping our students for success in the digital age, and is now recognized as one of the most innovative law schools in the nation. We began with the common platform of an iPad, given to each of our students at no cost, and built a comprehensive training curriculum around its use. Our Inasmuch Foundation Collaborative Learning Center is the physical space that builds upon our Digital Initiative’s success, devoted to using technology as a way to connect students to one another and prepare them to positively impact the people and societies they will one day serve.

Admission

OU Law utilizes a rolling admission process. A faculty committee meets regularly throughout the academic year to review applications. Admission to OU Law is highly competitive, and many factors are considered in the selection process. Although considerable weight is given to undergraduate grade-point average and performance on the LSAT, thoughtful attention is also given to an applicant’s extracurricular activities, employment experience, graduate studies, military service, and adjustments to personal difficulties, as well as other relevant factors.

The 1LS program, which runs from mid-June to early August, was designed to give a select group of admitted students a first look at law school—and the chance to work ahead. Completing a few credits early allows you to lighten your course- and final-exam loads for the first year.

1LS students typically take a legal foundations course and one other class over the summer, and then join the rest of their first-year cohorts in the fall semester.

International Programs

Since 1974, OU Law has held a summer program in Oxford, England, for American law students. The program affords students an opportunity to live and study in stimulating and beautiful surroundings under the guidance of American and English legal educators. The 2017 Oxford Summer Program at Brasenose College offered 12 credit hours. Classes do not meet on Fridays, providing students with time for sightseeing and travel.

Students enrolled in the International Human Rights Clinic travel abroad to compile extensive reports that are submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the UN’s regular review of these areas. Students have traveled to Morocco, Ecuador, Uganda, Venezuela, and Suriname. Through these experiences, OU Law students learn how to become advocates for the voiceless while gaining a global perspective of the rule of law.

In addition, OU Law offers a summer program for students at Renmin University of China Law School in Beijing, as well as a variety of summer- or semester-long study-abroad opportunities. These experiences allow students a unique opportunity to expand their legal worldview.

Student Activities

OU Law has more than 30 student organizations to accommodate a variety of interests, including a robust competitions program and three major student-directed journals: Oklahoma Law Review, American Indian Law Review, and ONE J. Since 1948, the Oklahoma Law Review has been published quarterly to give expression to legal scholarship nationally and to serve the profession and the public with timely discussion of important legal issues. The American Indian Law Review, published biannually, serves as a nationwide scholarly forum for the presentation of important developments in Native American law and affairs. ONE J, formerly The Oklahoma Journal of Law and Technology, is a web-based collection of important articles on the various aspects of intellectual property. The student board of editors continually monitors and updates the articles and other material on the website.

OU Law’s competitions program affords students the opportunity to participate in a wide range of extracurricular interscholastic competitions, including our nationally renowned appellate moot court team. OU Law students also participate in regional and national counseling and interviewing, negotiation, and trial advocacy competitions. The student Board of Advocates works closely with the students to facilitate participation in these competitions and provide intramural competitions for 1L and upper-level students.

Career Services

The OU College of Law’s Office of Career Development (CDO) is dedicated to assisting law students and OU Law alumni in exploring various legal, business, and alternative career options. The CDO provides comprehensive counseling, programming, and job-search resources for current law students and alumni.

OU Law student services include one-on-one career counseling; on-campus recruitment programs; “Lunch and Learn” presentations and speakers; mock interviews; internship and externship assistance; online job postings; networking events; and résumé, cover letter, and application material review. In 2017, 92 percent of OU Law graduates secured positions within ten months of graduation. Our graduates are employed in a variety of positions, including academics, business, government, military, judicial clerkships, law firms, public interest, and nonprofits.