The University of Tulsa College of Law is the law school of the University of Tulsa, a private research university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Established in 1923, it was originally known as the Tulsa Law School and become absorbed by the University of Tulsa in 1943.

History The University of Tulsa College of Law was founded by local attorneys during one of Tulsa's oil booms in 1923 with Washington E. Hudson, a state senator and Ku Klux Klan leader, serving as dean from 1923 to 1943. 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.The University of Tulsa College of Law: History of the College of Law." Accessed April 25, 2012

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. 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, the Energy Law Journal and the National Energy and Law Policy Institute were established at the law school (NELPI). 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. During this time, Frizzell also taught at Tulsa Law.

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. The building was formally dedicated with a speech by U.S. Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist.

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.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.

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, putting TU in the middle of regional peers like Baylor Law School, the University of Oklahoma College of Law, and SMU Dedman School of Law.

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). 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).

Notable faculty The notable current and former faculty of TU Law include:

Larry Catá Backer – Cuban-American scholar of comparative law and international affairs Daniel J. Boudreau - Oklahoma Supreme Court justice Robert Butkin – Law professor, former Dean of Tulsa Law, and former State Treasurer of Oklahoma Brad Carson – former U.S. Representative from Oklahoma and Under Secretary of the Army Nancy Feldman – Civil rights activist and community leader Paul Finkelman – Legal historian (Finkelman was listed as one of the ten most-cited legal historians in Brian Leiter's survey of most-cited law professors by specialty from 2000 to 2007) Kent Frizzell – United States Under Secretary of the Interior (1975–1977) and Attorney General of Kansas (1969–1971) Summers T. Hardy - Oklahoma Supreme Court justice F. Russell Hittinger – Legal philosopher and Catholic theologian, member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences Sven Erik Holmes – General Counsel of KPMG, former Federal District Judge for Northern District of Oklahoma. Janet K. Levit – joined law faculty as professor in 1995. She was promoted to dean of TU College of Law in 2017, then became Provost and vice president of TU. Served as Interim President of TU, July 2020 – January 2022, then returned to her previous duties. John S. Lowe – Energy law scholar Joseph Wilson Morris – Federal District Judge for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, former General Counsel for Shell Oil Company Marian P. Opala, Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Frank Pommersheim – scholar of Native American Law; serves as the Chief Justice for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Court of Appeals Melissa L. Tatum – Scholar of Native American law

Deans

No. NameTook office Left office 1 Washington E. Hudson 1923 1943 2 Summers Hardy 1943 1949 3 John Rogers 1949 1957 4 Allen King 1958 1962 5 Bruce Peterson 1962 1969 6 Edgar Wilson 1969 1972 7 Joseph Wilson Morris 1972 1974 8 Rennard Strickland (acting) 1974 1975 9 Frank T. Read 1975 1979 10 Tom L. Holland (acting) 1979 1980 11 Frank L. Walwer 1980 1991 12 John Makdisi 1991 199413M. Thomas Arnold (acting)1994199514Martin H. Belsky1995200415Catherine Cullem (acting)2004200516Robert Butkin 2005200717Janet K. Levit 2007201518Lyn Entzeroth 2015202119Elizabeth McCormick (acting) 2021202220Oren Griffin 2022202521Marc Roark (acting)2005present

Notable alumni

Alumni Class Occupation Distinction 1992 Lawyer/Appellate JudgeJustice on the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals 1976 Lawyer/Appellate Judge Justice on the Oklahoma Supreme Court 1988 Lawyer Partner at Susman Godfrey LLP 1975 Politician/Lawyer Lieutenant Governor of Colorado 1994–1995, Professor at University of Denver 1981 Federal Judge/Lawyer United States District Judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma. 2004 (LLM) Scholar/Lawyer/Law School Dean Dean of Canada's Bora Laskin Faculty of Law; Scholar of Native American Law 1979 Lawyer/Politician 16th Attorney General of Oklahoma from 1995 to 2011. 1987 Attorney/Educator Chancellor of Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education (2021–present); former President of Emporia State University (2016–2021); former Walmart Vice President/Legal Counsel. 1981Judge/PoliticianJustice, Cherokee Nation Supreme Court (2023–present); Cherokee Nation Secretary of State (2019–2023); Cherokee Nation Tribal Councilor (2007–2015) 1995 Lawyer High-profile criminal defense lawyer in Las Vegas 1989 Attorney Judge, Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals (2012–present) 1959 Politician Governor of Oklahoma (1971–1975) 1994 Federal Judge Formerly 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. 2003 Federal Judge United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma. 2002 Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals Appointed to state Civil Appeals court in March 2020; previously worked for private law practices in Tulsa. 1996 Human Rights Lawyer Human rights advocate and investigator known for her work with the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq 1996 JudgeOklahoma Supreme Court Formerly Court of Criminal Appeals’ presiding judge; appointed to Oklahoma Supreme Court July 2001. 2000 Lawyer United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Oklahoma 1983 Politician/Lawyer Mayor of Tulsa 1940 Federal 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 1953 Appellate Judge Justice on the Oklahoma Supreme Court (1965 - 2007) 1997 Scholar/Judge/Law School Dean President of the University of Tulsa 1998 Politician Oklahoma State Representative (2007–2017) 1987 Attorney/Prosecutor Lead prosecutor in the courts-martial of Hasan Akbar and of Nidal Malik Hasan, the sole accused in the November 2009 Fort Hood shooting. 1980 Lawyer/Politician 19th Attorney General of Oklahoma (2021–2023). 1960 Judge First African-American judge in Oklahoma and Supreme Court lawyer 1987 Federal Judge Judge of the United States Tax Court and adjunct instructor at Georgetown University Law Center 1977Federal Judge and attorney Former 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. 1993Politician/LawyerAttorney General of Oklahoma (2011–2017); former Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1979 Politician/Academic Mayor of Tulsa (1988–1992); President pro tempore of the Oklahoma Senate; President of predecessor to Rogers State University 1984 Appellate Judge 1977 Judge (Retired - 2019) Justice on the Oklahoma Supreme Court (2007 - 2019) 1954 Law Enforcement educator and inventor Law Enforcement educator and innovator, inventor of the first Yield sign 1981 Judge Dade County Court judge (1991–1998); circuit court judge 11th Judicial Circuit in and for Miami-Dade County, Florida (1998–2012) 1950Attorney/JudgeJustice on the Oklahoma Supreme Court (1985 - 1999) 1980 Politician Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation (1999–2011) 1980 Retired judge Justice of Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals (2010–2017) 1970 Politician Oklahoma State Representative (1973–1981) and Senator (1981–2004) 1978 Real estate and construction attorney Texas State Representative from 1995 to 2013 from Denton County 1980 Politician Principal Chief of Osage Nation (2014–Present) 1966 Law professor, law school dean, and civil rights attorney Former Dean of Southwestern Law School and Dean of Claude W. Pettit College of Law at Ohio Northern University 1982 Politician Oklahoma State Representative (1979–1981) and Senator (1981–2007) 1974 Lawyer and judge Judge on the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals 1974 Lawyer and politician Attorney General of Oklahoma (1983–1987), chair of Oklahoma Democratic Party 1973 Appellate Judge Judge on Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals 1980 Military Director, Air National Guard, the Pentagon, Washington, DC (2009–2013)

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