Oklahoma City University School of Law took a chance on me, and I am eternally grateful for the opportunity. I received a small scholarship upon my admission into the law school. While my GPA from my undergraduate institution was high, my standardized test score was not comparable. OCU Law evaluated me holistically, and I received a small scholarship that assisted me with affording the steep price of law school. After the completion of my first semester, the academic scholarship was increased because of my academic performance. OCU Law rewarded my hard work. The reward OCU Law gave me alleviated some of the financial burden as I was investing into my future. I was able to take out less student loans because OCU Law saw my potential and my willingness to achieve my goals. I accomplished one of those goals in May 2024 when I became a graduate of Oklahoma City University School of Law.
Oklahoma City University School of Law does everything it can to keep financial limitations from limiting its students' academic success. Because of that, numerous students are afforded the opportunity to pursue a legal career with one of the finest schools around, including myself. I have been graciously awarded academic scholarships in both my years at OCU Law. And because of that, I have been able to afford supplemental materials for school, decrease commute time by moving to Oklahoma City, secure reliable transportation, and overall gain a new level of time and focus for academics, allowing me to excel at OCU Law.
Redmond Wortham CLASS of 2024
J Badillo CLASS of 2026
Doors were opened for us at OCU Law.
Now, let’s hold those doors open for the next generation.
Right now, you are holding our annual magazine, now called 8th & Harvey. When you turn the page, I outline the remarkable momentum we are enjoying at OCU Law. The rest of this magazine tells that story. But on this page, you are holding our annual appeal. Through our annual appeal, we are asking for your help – as we do each year – to help fund the important work we do at OCU Law.
If you are a graduate of OCU Law like me, I can assure you that the education we received at OCU Law benefitted from the generosity of donors. That is just as true today. OCU Law provides an enormous benefit to our students, our profession and our community, but as a private school, we do it entirely through tuition and philanthropy. And the latter is not a luxury. The generosity of our supporters has always been a necessary ingredient in our formula. Without it, we can’t open the doors, literally or figuratively. At one time, those doors were opened for you. Now, it is your turn to hold them open.
Today, please go online to law.okcu.edu/give, or use the envelope provided with this magazine, to make an annual tax-deductible donation to OCU Law. Your gift ensures that our important work continues, and that the next generation enjoys the same opportunities we did.
Thank you for your support of OCU Law!
With gratitude,
OCU Law Stats
1L CLASS
6 Clinics • 9 Competition Teams
Ranked Top 50 school for diversity by PreLaw Magazine
Top 5 school for Native American students by PreLaw Magazine
Ranked Top 50 School for teaching by Princeton Review
Your Gift Goes Far
$250 provides a student access to digital study aids and additional tutoring
$500 covers the cost of a student community event
$750 provides lunch for one bar exam prep event during the summer
$3,000 supports a merit-based student scholarship
$4,500 provides lunch for all the bar takers
David Holt ’09, Dean & Professor of Law
$5,000 covers the expense of a traveling competition team
$6,000 scholarship gift covers fees for a year
$10,000 pays for the annual publication of the Law Review
Greetings from the City’s law school and welcome to our annual OCU Law magazine! We work hard each year to ensure that everything you need to know about OCU Law is found in these pages. This year’s issue is the first to arrive under the banner of 8th & Harvey (see my blurb on page 5 about the new name).
As you read these words, I’ve been the Dean for about a year, and it’s been a whirlwind. If I had to choose one word to define this past year, it would be MOMENTUM. The aspirations we have for our school are being realized. Here are some of my favorite momentum builders of the past year, many of which hold promise for the year ahead as well:
• We welcomed to OCU Law the highest-credentialed 1L class since 1992 (story on page 11).
• Our July first-time Bar passage rate of 76 percent was our highest since 2020 and represented a jump of 15 points from the previous year.
• Standing with tribal partners, we announced the launch of the OCU Tribal Sovereignty Institute, which builds upon OCU Law’s longtime commitment to American Indian law (story on page 20).
• At our first Sovereignty Symposium as the official host, we welcomed a record-breaking number of attendees (story on page 8).
• We announced the creation of the Inasmuch Center for Public Service, formalizing and building upon OCU Law’s reputation for producing public servants (story on page 10).
• We enjoyed the third-largest fundraising year in school history (behind only the two main years of the capital campaign for our current home). This success was fueled by support for the OCU Tribal Sovereignty Institute and the Inasmuch Center for Public Service. In the year ahead, our focus will shift to support for our existing work, especially in the area of scholarships.
• We have enjoyed a series of superlatives, including being named a top
50 law school for diversity by PreLaw Magazine, the #4 law school in the country for Native American students, and a top 50 law school for teaching by Princeton Review. Our Professor Andy Spiropoulos was named OCU’s Outstanding Faculty Member.
• Our unique programming continues to thrive. This includes the Oklahoma Innocence Project, which has made a lot of news this past year; the American Indian Wills Clinic, which celebrated 15 years; the HELP eviction clinic, which has become a vital partner in our community’s response to homelessness; and the Collaborative: Law Clinic for Business & Innovation, which has made OCU Law the only law school in Oklahoma certified by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.
We are the only law school in America’s 20th-largest city and we are in the heart of the city, which are perhaps our greatest differentiating characteristics. But as you see from the list above, we continue to add to our unique identity. We are building something special at 8th & Harvey.
By the way, this magazine is pretty special itself. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this fantastic issue of 8th & Harvey, but thanks especially to Destry Holzschuh, our Director of Marketing & Communications.
And we couldn’t do any of this without you –our alumni, donors and supporters. Thank you for your continued commitment to OCU Law!
If there is ever anything I can do for you, or if there is something specific you’d like to support at OCU Law, don’t ever hesitate to reach out to me directly, at dholt@okcu.edu.
Enjoy 8th & Harvey!
All my best,
David Holt ’09 Dean & Professor of Law
DEAN
David Holt ’09
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Destry Holzschuh Director of Marketing and Communications
EDITORIAL STAFF
Katherine Witzig Law Library Administrative Assistant
Nick Trougakos OCU Chief Marketing & Communications Officer
Jennifer Stevenson
Assistant Dean for Advancement & External Relations
Tribal Sovereignty Institute
CONTRIBUTORS
Travis Weedn ’14
Tia Ebarb Matt
J Badillo ’26
Redmond Wortham ’24
Ashley McKechnie
Casey Ross ’00
Lori Harless
Jennifer Finley ’24
Christine Eddington
CREATIVE DIRECTION & GRAPHIC DESIGN
Amy Fuller Flint Inc
PHOTOGRAPHY
Ian Weston
Simon Hurst
CONTACT INFORMATION
Admissions
& Advancement
lawadmit@okcu.edu
lawadvancement@okcu.edu
34 Woman in the Arena
8 Sovereignty Symposium
The Oklahoma City University School of Law first started educating future lawyers in 1907 and has continuously done so since 1952. From the 1950s to 2015, our alumni generally recall one of three buildings from their OCU Law experience – the Sarkeys Law Center, the Gold Star Memorial Building, or “the Barracks.”
The Honorable Deborah Barnes ’83
These buildings – two of which are still in use by OCU – stand at the center of alumni memories, and they will always be a part of our OCU Law story. In recognition of their importance, we recently displayed large images of each building near an entrance of our school (and thanks to alumnus Bob Burke for a donation to make that possible).
In 2015, our school’s somewhat nomadic existence came to an end, and we arrived at our forever home at 800 North Harvey Avenue, bounded by Harvey, 8th Street, Robinson and 7th Street. New generations of law school students are now creating memories at one of the most historic and beautiful buildings in Oklahoma City. The building first known as Oklahoma High School opened in 1910 and has gone through many chapters in its 114 years. Now, after ten years as the home of OCU Law, we can claim nearly
ten percent of the building’s history. One day, decades from now, it will have been OCU Law longer than it was anything else. Though that day is far in the future, I have a high level of confidence it will arrive. Our school and this building are now synonymous. Our beautiful building has reimagined our school. We now have a sense of place that inspires faculty, staff and students every day. Our ideal downtown location has positioned OCU Law as the city’s law school. And with only about 30 American law schools outside the Northeast boasting downtown campuses, our opportunistic location has opened new doors for our students. As you can see with the momentum we are now enjoying, the vision and potential of 2015 is being realized in 2024. Because of the way our home defines us, it seemed fitting to rename our annual magazine to reflect that identity. Therefore, enjoy this first edition of “8th & Harvey.” The new name captures the simple reality that our home is where our story is told, and this particular home is an intrinsic part of that story.
— Dean David Holt
Legal Briefs NEWS IN & AROUND OCU LAW
Back to School Bash
In August, OCU Law ushered in the new school year with the annual Back to School Bash! All OCU Law students and faculty, their families and current members of the Law Alumni Association were invited to join the fun. With food trucks, balloon animals, yard games, face painting and community, the Bash is a favorite school year event for many.
Wrongful Conviction Day Dinners
The Oklahoma Innocence Project at OCU Law hosted its annual dinner and celebration of Wrongful Conviction Day in October 2023 and 2024. The evening is meant to celebrate exonerees and highlight the work still to be done, along with recognizing the work done by OKIP. The 2023 speaker was Franky Carillo, a criminal legal reform advocate and exoneree.
Franky was wrongfully convicted of murder in 1991 at the age of 16 and spent 20 years in prison before being exonerated in 2011. During his time in prison, Carrillo educated himself and became a powerful advocate for reform.
At the 2024 dinner, attendees heard from a panel of exonerees who bravely shared their stories to shed light on the flaws within our justice system.
Several other exonerees were in attendance at both Wrongful Conviction Day Dinners, and each was a great evening celebrating them and the work of OKIP.
The City's Law School
The Oklahoma Judicial Center, which houses the Oklahoma Supreme Court, is less than two miles away from 8th and Harvey. Over the past decade, 21 students of OCU Law have externed at the state’s highest court during their time in law school. Currently, three Oklahoma Supreme Court Justices are graduates of OCU Law. Justice Rowe is a current adjunct professor.
Sovereignty Symposium
XXXVI – A New Beginning
The 2024 Sovereignty Symposium was dedicated to the late Dennis Arrow for his work and scholarship in the field of Indian Law.
In June, OCU Law hosted the annual Sovereignty Symposium at the Skirvin Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City. With more than 650 attendees, it was a record-breaking event. Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear delivered the Symposium’s keynote address and received the Symposium’s highest award: Honored One. During the Opening Ceremony, attendees also enjoyed appearances by the Kiowa Black Leggings, Southern Nation and the Osage Tribal Singers, including the Oscar-nominated Scott George. All of Oklahoma’s 39 tribes were represented in the Opening Ceremony flag processional.
In its 36th year the Sovereignty Symposium once again brought together tribal leaders, state and federal leaders, policymakers, lawyers, scholars, artists and hundreds of people active in American Indian Law and tribal sovereignty issues. Panels covered topics of data sovereignty, government to government relations, healthcare, gaming, and more, with experts from the respective fields spurring important conversations.
The 2024 Symposium also saw the exciting announcement from OCU and OCU Law that OCU Law will be the home of the new Tribal Sovereignty Institute. Supported by a dozen tribal leaders, Dean Holt and President Evans made the announcement at a press conference on the first day of the Symposium. The launch of the Institute complements OCU Law’s existing work in American Indian Law, including the American Indian Wills Clinic and the hosting of the Sovereignty Symposium. The launch of the Institute continues to establish OCU Law’s place as a national leader in American Indian Law.
The Sovereignty Symposium will continue to be a vital event in the tribal community and for all people interested in American Indian Law, and OCU Law is proud to serve as host. We extend our gratitude to all attendees, volunteers, panelists, speakers, moderators and staff who made the 36th annual Sovereignty Symposium an amazing success! Thank you to Brent Learned who was the artist behind the featured artwork for this year’s Symposium.
Thank you to our sponsors:
Presenting Sponsors: GableGotwals and Whitten Burrage
Partner Sponsors: Phillips Murrah, Crowe & Dunlevy, Oklahoma Bar Association Indian Law Section, and Hartzog Conger Cason
Program Sponsors: Native American Journalists Assocation and The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Native American Center for Cancer Health Equity
Congratulations to our competition and award winners!
Honored One
Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear
The Sovereignty Symposium Award
David Holt, Wayne Garnons-Williams, Brent Learned
Hargrave Prize for Writings by Past or Present Sovereignty Symposium Faculty
1st: Elizabeth Lohah Homer, Why Can’t We All Get Along
2nd: Brian T. Candelaria, Path to Higher Ground
3rd: Christianna Stavroudis and Gordon Yellowman, Sr. Peyote Crisis, Past and Present
Doolin Prize for Students
1st: Sara Mae Moore, Harvard University, a river of grief, The Mortality Effects of Water Restoration on Native American Reservations
2nd: Steven Parker, Thompson Rivers University, Closing the Infrastructural Gap
3rd: Rob Houle, Thompson Rivers University, Indians and the 49th Parallel
Honorable Mention: Nina Still Privett, University of Central Oklahoma, Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women
Dr. C. Blue Clark Student Poster Competition
Winner: Sarah Osborn
Finalists: Catherine McGee, Garrett Trett, Hayley Harris, Stuart Osborn
Immigration Clinic Returns
Oklahoma City University School of Law is thrilled to announce the return of its Immigration Clinic in Spring 2025, under the dynamic leadership of Melissa Lujan, a renowned immigration attorney based in Oklahoma City. The revitalized clinic promises to be an invaluable resource, not only for law students seeking hands-on experience but also for the local immigrant community in desperate need of legal assistance. Through this immersive program, students will engage in meaningful work, representing immigrants in a variety of legal contexts. From securing family reunifications to obtaining asylum protection for non-citizens fleeing persecution, the clinic will tackle a broad spectrum of cases. Students will also champion the rights of immigrant survivors of domestic violence and felony crimes. Working closely with the Latitude Legal Alliance in Oklahoma City, clinic students will take on real-world responsibilities, managing every aspect of their
cases—from fact gathering and developing legal theories to making final presentations.
The return of the Immigration Clinic marks a sign of dedication to service by OCU Law for the Oklahoma City community. We are excited to see the positive impact this program will have on both our students and the individuals they will serve.
Inasmuch Center Launch
OCU Law is excited to announce the launch of The Inasmuch Center for Public Service, coming soon to OCU Law. The Center will highlight OCU Law’s historic emphasis on educating lawyers who ultimately serve the public in government and nonprofit positions. The funding will support a full-time member of the law school staff and related programmatic costs. The Center’s three priorities are 1) placing students in experiential public service opportunities, 2) creating public service programming at the law school, and 3) establishing a summer DC experience for select students. Stay tuned for more information about the Center!
Collaborative Clinic Expands Services
Oklahoma City University School of Law is proud to announce a significant milestone for its Collaborative Clinic, led by Professor Tia Ebarb Matt. Certified as a United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) clinic in 2023, the Clinic broadened its impact in Spring 2024 through a strategic partnership with the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST). This partnership enables the clinic to provide invaluable start-up legal services across the state of Oklahoma. This key collaboration serves to provide a new standard of collaboration for state agencies and law school clinics.
In addition to this new state collaboration, as of June 1, 2024, the clinic took on the stewardship of the regional USPTO Pro Bono Patent Program. This program serves Arkansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma, matching innovative inventors with pro bono patent lawyers and agents, ensuring that groundbreaking ideas receive the protection and support they need.
These new and exciting collaborations for our Collaborative Clinic allow the clinic to continue to provide valuable legal services and essential support to the innovators and entrepreneurs who drive our community forward.
Interested in being a part of this exciting development? We’re in search of volunteers! If you are an attorney or patent practitioner and are interested in providing patent prosecution assistance, scan the QR code to learn more and fill out our application.
1Ls with High Credentials
This Fall, OCU Law welcomed its highest-credentialed 1L class in 32 years. Applications to OCU Law were up over 20 percent from the previous year (nationally, law school applications were up about 5 percent). OCU Law received more total applications than in any year of the previous decade. As a result, the school’s acceptance rate dropped significantly, below 55 percent.
The undergraduate GPA of 3.46 for the 1L class is the highest in school history. The median LSAT for the 1L class was 151, a jump of two points from the year before and –in OCU Law history – second only to a 152 median LSAT in 1992. This 1L class includes a total number of Dean’s Scholars (the highest-credentialed students who receive a full merit-based scholarship) that nearly doubles the previous record.
Much credit goes to Assistant Dean Preston Nicholson and his Admissions team - Ramona Freels, Lorenzo Banks and Heather Webster; as well as the Faculty Admissions Committee – Professors Clark, Hsieh, Kolar and O’Shea. Applications are now officially open for the 2025-2026 1L class and are available at law.okcu.edu/admissions.
Outstanding Faculty Award
Professor Andy Spiropoulos was presented the University’s prestigious Outstanding Faculty Member Award for 2023-2024! The Outstanding Faculty Award honors a faculty member whose teaching, scholarship and service are deemed to be exemplary. Professor Spiropoulos has provided those exemplary services to OCU Law for more than 30 years now – and counting! He currently teaches Constitutional Law; Legislation, State and Local Government; and Legal Analysis.
With this recognition, Professor Spiropoulos was also given the honor of speaking at OCU’s Graduate Graduation Ceremony. We thank Professor Spiropoulos for his service to OCU Law and look forward to many more years of his dedicated teaching at our school.
Brennan Lecture
The Brennan Lecture is named in honor of the late United States Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. The lecture provides a forum for distinguished jurists and scholars to examine timely issues in the field of state constitutional law.
2023
State Courts and the Law of Democracy
Presented by Miriam Seifter, Professor of Law, CoDirector of the State Democracy Research Initiative, and Rowe Faculty Fellow in Regulatory Law at the University of Wisconsin Law School
Professor Seifter’s research addresses questions of state and federal public law, with a focus on challenges affecting democracy at the state level. She teaches courses in Administrative Law, Property Law, and State and Local Government Law at the University of Wisconsin Law School.
Professor Seifter received a B.A. magna cum laude from Yale University, an M.Sc. with distinction from Oxford University, and a J.D. magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, where she was the Environmental Fellow and an Articles Editor on the Harvard Law Review. After law school, she served as a law clerk for Chief Judge Merrick Garland on the D.C. Circuit and for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the Supreme Court of the United States.
OCU Law was delighted to welcome Professor Seifter to Oklahoma and to provide our students and community members with the opportunity to learn from an expert in the field.
2024
Brennan, Madison, and Religious Freedom
Presented by Michael P. Zuckert, Reeves Dreux Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame
Quinlan Lecture:
The Constitution of American Colonialism
Presented by Maggie Blackhawk (Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe), Professor of Law at New York University School of Law
Professor Blackhawk is a prize-winning scholar and teacher of federal Indian law, constitutional law, and legislation. She was awarded the American Society for Legal History’s William Nelson Cromwell Article Prize and her research has been published or is forthcoming in the Harvard Law Review, Stanford Law Review, Yale Law Journal, Supreme Court Review, American Historical Review, Legislative Studies Quarterly, Journal of the Early Republic, and Journal of Politics. Much of her scholarship explores the relationship between law and power, with a particular emphasis on the ways that subordinated peoples leverage law to shift power to their communities—especially outside of rights and courts-based frameworks. Her recent projects have focused on the laws and legal histories of American colonialism and the central role of the American colonial project, including the resistance and advocacy of Native and other colonized peoples, in shaping the constitutional law and history of the United States.
She also writes about her research for general audiences, most recently in the New York Times, and serves as an academic consultant to a range of public education projects focused on the First Amendment, the history of Congress, and Native peoples––including the Obama Presidential Center, documentarian Ken Burns, the National Constitution Center’s First Amendment exhibit, and Crystal Bridges. Her empirical projects have been supported by the American Political Science Association, the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, among others.
The Quinlan Lecture is named for long-time Oklahoma City University law professor Wayne Quinlan. Professor Quinlan taught at Oklahoma City University from 1952 until his death in 1981 and served as a Special Justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court in 1966 and 1967. His love of constitutional law and American history inspired the faculty to name this annual lecture in his honor.
Photography by Oklahoma City University
2023 Brennan Lecturer Professor Miriam Seifter
The City's Law School
Less than 20 blocks away from OCU Law stands Oklahoma's State Capitol building. Typically, 20-25 alumni from each class go on to work in a government role immediately following graduation. Each year, 10-15 students from OCU Law extern within the state government. Those roles range from the Office of the Oklahoma Attorney General, to the Legislature, to the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, and everything in between. OCU Law alumni are serving in positions in the governor’s office, state courts, the House of Representatives – any place important decisions are being made. OCU Law grads have also served in many elected positions at the Capitol. Just in the last decade, OCU Law grads have served as Lt. Governor, Speaker of the House, House Majority Floor Leader and Senate Majority Whip.
Legal Action PUBLICATIONS
LIST
Marc J. Blitz
Professor of Law
B.A., Harvard University
Ph.D., University of Chicago
J.D., University of Chicago
Country Report on The Right to Freedom of Thought in the United States, in THE CAMBRIDGE HANDBOOK OF THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF THOUGHT (Patrick O’Callaghan & Bethany Shiner, eds., 2024).
The First Amendment and Robots in the Virtual and Physical Worlds, in THE CAMBRIDGE HANDBOOK ON LAW, POLICY, AND REGULATIONS FOR HUMAN-ROBOT INTERACTION (Woodrow Barfield et al., eds., 2024).
Marc J. Blitz & Woodrow Barfield: Neuroprostheses and Memory Enhancement: Technological Possibilities and Constitutional Challenges, in POLICY, IDENTITY, AND NEUROTECHNOLOGY (Veljko Dubljevic & Allen Coin, eds., 2023).
Timothy Gatton
Professor of Law
B.A., Cornell College
J.D., Oklahoma City University School of Law
M.L.I.S., University of Pittsburgh
Lee Peoples
Frederick Charles Hicks Professor of Law, Associate Dean of Library and Technology
B.A., University of Oklahoma
J.D., University of Oklahoma
M.L.L.S., University of Oklahoma
Timothy T. Hsieh
Associate Professor of Law
B.S., University of California Berkeley
M.S., University of California Los Angeles
J.D., University of California Hastings
LL.M., University of California Berkeley
“I Want My NFT”: Money for Nothing for Intellectual Property Rights in the Modern-Day Non-Fungible Token Transaction, 48 OKLA. CITY U. L. REV. (2024).
Timothy T. Hsieh, Saurabh Vishnubhakat & Karishma Jiva Cartwright: Update on Patent-Related Cases in Computers and Electronics, 2024 Int’l J. L. Ethics & Tech. 1 (2024).
Making the Mark(Man): A Suggested Methodology for Enhanced Patent Claim Construction, 93 MISS. L.J. 230 (2023).
A Tale of Seven Districts: Understanding the Past, Present, and Future of Patent Filings to Form a Two-Step Burden-Shifting Framework For 28 U.S.C. § 1404(a), 32 TEX. INTELL. PROP. L.J. (2023).
D.A. Jeremy Telman
B.A., Columbia University
M.A., Cornell University
Professor of Law
Ph.D., Cornell University
J.D., New York University
Rights Mediation: Contracts Law and the First Amendment, 48 OKLA. CITY U. L. REV. (2024)
The Reception of Hans Kelsen’s Legal Theory in the United States: A Sociological Model [text in Spanish], in HANS KELSEN ANTE EL SIGLO XXI: UN DIALOGO CRITICO (Augusto Fernando Carrillo Salgado, ed., 2023).
Ying Zhou
Assistant Professor of Law
J.S.D., Cornell Law School
LL.M., Cornell Law School
LL.B., Shandong University
Coping with Anti-Investigative Law in Global Corporate Enforcement: A Study of China’s Data Protection Regime and Its Implications for Cross-Border FCPA Enforcement, 29 RICH. J.L. & TECH. 91 (2023).
SHAPING FUTURES
Fighting Injustice and Empowering Tomorrow’s
Advocates with Oklahoma Innocence Project
BY JENNIFER FINLEY
6,654 years — an unfathomable number.
6,654 is the total number of years collectively served and lost by 450 exonerees in attendance at the 2024 Innocence Network Conference. OCU Law students attended the conference with the Oklahoma Innocence Project in March. To understand the magnitude, consider that for most, it is difficult to imagine spending even a single day incarcerated, let alone enduring up to 50 years for a crime they did not commit.
Awareness of wrongful convictions and the unjust incarceration of innocent people is on the rise. While there was a time not too long ago when wrongful convictions were largely unknown to most, increasingly, through news headlines and documentaries, the shocking stories of those wrongfully convicted are exposed. Yet, there is still much work to do. The estimation is that 3-5% of those incarcerated are innocent, and with Oklahoma having one of the highest rates of incarceration in the country, this could translate to 700 to 1200 people in Oklahoma alone. Nationally, the range for innocent people living in prison cells is 37,000 to 62,000. Since not even one person
should be living behind bars for crimes they did not commit, these numbers are disturbing and should be unacceptable to us all.
The Oklahoma Innocence Project at OCU Law works to identify and remedy cases of wrongful convictions in Oklahoma. Established in 2011, it operates under the umbrella of the Innocence Network, a broader network of over 70 innocence organizations globally and a prominent force in the fight against wrongful convictions.
Currently armed with only one attorney on staff, it is one of the smallest Innocence Projects in the network. When Professor Andrea Miller took over as the Legal Director of the Oklahoma Innocence Project in 2019, she inherited a backlog of almost 900 cases awaiting review. With the help of two staff members, a team of outside investigators, and OCU law students, she has managed to get that number down to under 600 cases. Given it can take an average of two years to review a case and determine if there is credible evidence of innocence and a path to exoneration, this is a remarkable feat.
The contributions of OCU Law students in the Innocence Clinic, an experiential learning clinic within the Oklahoma Innocence Project, are critical to the
OCU LAW GRADUATE of 2024
Photo on opposite page by Ian Weston. This page: Top left: L-R: Kayla Graves, Chris Garinger, Maddie Doerr, Donna Carmichel (Beverly's mom), Lea Glossip, Beverly Moore (recent OKIP exoneree), Andrea Miller, Ricky Dority (recent OKIP exoneree), Jennifer Finley, Ricky Dority, Jr. (Ricky's son), Amber Ferguson, Cheryl Burns
at the 2024 Innocence Network Conference. Top Right: Bobby Staton (investigator), Andrea Miller, Ricky Dority, Patrick Wells.
Project’s success. However, we must also recognize the importance of the Innocence Project to OCU Law and its students. The Innocence Clinic provides a hands-on learning opportunity for law students to review case files, re-examine evidence, and pursue leads overlooked during initial investigations and trials. Their efforts often uncover critical flaws in the legal proceedings, such as eyewitness misidentification, prosecutorial misconduct, and unreliable forensic evidence. Many students choose OCU Law specifically for the opportunity to work with Oklahoma’s only Innocence Project to gain the specialized learning experience the clinic offers. Chris Garinger, an OCU Law 2024 graduate and aspiring criminal defense attorney, spent three semesters in the Innocence Clinic during law school. When asked to describe his time there, he said, "The experience has forever shaped my perspective and has taught me that advocacy isn't just about winning cases; it's about restoring lives, righting wrongs, and standing up for truth and justice."
The Innocence Clinic has proven to be an effective learning model for the experience it provides and the wrongfully convicted individuals it serves. Since its inception thirteen years ago, the Innocence Project has secured the release and exoneration of five innocent people. This achievement is significant since the national average for time an innocent person spends in prison before attaining an exoneration is fourteen years. Just this year, they added to that list when they successfully obtained the release and exoneration of Ricky Dority, a man wrongfully convicted of a 1997 murder.
Mr. Dority was serving a life sentence when a private investigator and the Oklahoma Innocence Project, with law student Abby Brawner, uncovered inconsistencies in the state's case, including a coerced confession and unreliable witness testimony. After years of trying, Dority was eventually granted an eviden-
tiary hearing in June 2023. Miller presented the new evidence and a new witness with critical testimony that Dority's original defense counsel never offered. The Sequoyah County Judge remarkably dismissed the case and vacated the conviction that day. Dority went home with his family instead of going back with armed guards to the only home he had known for two decades—a prison cell.
Dority, along with his adult son, attended the Innocence Network Conference with the Oklahoma Innocence Project staff and students in March. Though he wore a constant smile and never expressed anything but joy and a grateful heart, it must have also been bittersweet when faced with so many other people who had walked the same path he had and knowing that so many years of his life were part of the 6,654 years served and lost by the exonerees in attendance.
The Oklahoma Innocence Project has proven invaluable this year not only to Ricky Dority and the many other clients it continues to serve but also to the students who are learning critical and complex skills by working on these cases in one of the most challenging areas of law. They will carry those skills as they become attorneys and continue advocating for a more just system. Unquestionably, there are not enough attorneys doing this work, making it even more critical that we continue to train people who can do it and do it well to ensure these tragedies of justice are remedied and stop happening altogether.
Here's to celebrating Ricky Dority's exoneration, the tireless efforts of the Oklahoma Innocence Project and OCU Law, and their continued work in challenging systemic injustices and giving a voice to the thousands who have had theirs silenced by a system that has failed them.
“The experience has forever shaped my perspective and has taught me that advocacy isn't just about winning cases; it's about restoring lives, righting wrongs, and standing up for truth and justice.”
Chris Garinger '24
BY DESTRY HOLZSCHUH DIRECTOR of MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
Fifteen years of the American Indian
WILLS CLINIC
In 2024, the American Indian Wills Clinic at OCU Law (AIWC) celebrated its 15th anniversary. The AIWC provides wills and estate planning services to Native American tribal communities owning trust or restricted property in Oklahoma at no cost to the tribal members. OCU Law students are primarily responsible for all case-related work, including fact gathering, developing legal theories, and initial document drafting under the supervision of a licensed attorney faculty clinician.
In the past 15 years, the AIWC has provided estate planning services to 29 of the 39 Oklahoma tribes and 12 tribes outside the state of Oklahoma. The clinic has served more than 1,300 clients and has executed 1,051 wills, 193 powers of attorney, 184 medical advance directives, and 46 Transfer on Death Deeds for non-Indian property.
Before the AIWC could boast those impressive numbers, a single student, Wayne Edgar, and Casey Ross, then professor and now General Counsel at OCU, developed an estate planning externship that would later evolve into the AIWC. With a small grant and high demand for services, Ross and Edgar started visiting tribal communities across Oklahoma.
“It was amazing to me just how many people would show up,” Edgar said. “I would bring my computer and printer, and Casey would have hers, and we would spend all day long drafting wills and trusts.”
With some funding left over after that first semester, Ross, a couple of student workers, and now-clinic As-
sistant Director Lori Harless used their limited resources to visit more tribal communities in the state and provide estate planning services. Then, in the spring of 2010, an anonymous donation to the school allowed the AIWC to start building its future in earnest.
The scope of the clinic is two-fold. First, it provides OCU Law students with hands-on experience, not only in drafting wills but also in working with clients through the full range of services, from intake interviews to follow-up calls to drafting the documents. In its lifetime, more than 200 students have participated in the AIWC. Second, it provides essential estate planning services pro bono to Native American communities where they otherwise would often have no access.
“The Native population in Oklahoma was a really underserved population in terms of having access to a legal resource that understood how their land needed to be handled,” clinic Professor Emily Eleftherakis said as she discussed the clinic’s inception.
Now a teacher in the classroom component of the AIWC, Eleftherakis first got involved with the clinic as a student.
“Our clients, number one, are great,” Eleftherakis said. “They're wonderful, but number two, it's providing that real-time, real-life experience for students. They’re in charge of their own cases, they’re the frontlines of the clinic, and they're the ones that are having the conversations with the clients. They're the ones
"... the Wills Clinic gives you an opportunity to learn the full depth and scope of what being an advocate looks like.”
- JACOB FANNING '21
that the clients are getting to know. It's a great experience for everyone because the clients are getting this service at no cost to them, but the students are also getting more experience than I think they could possibly get in any other class at law school.”
The AIWC has consistently provided its services to Native American communities for the past 15 years, even through the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. Before 2020, the clinic did most of its work in-person. However, tribal elders were affected by the risks of coronavirus at a higher-than-average rate, so the clinic deployed new precautions to maintain its services as safely as possible.
One person who can attest to the way the clinic adapted to the threat of coronavirus is Jacob Fanning, who graduated from OCU Law in May 2021. Fanning interned with the AIWC in the spring of 2020.
“It was a pretty unique time,” Fanning said. “It was challenging in both good and bad ways.”
That spring, classes at OCU Law went completely online, including clinic classes. But students were still obligated to stay in touch with their clients and keep them informed. Eventually, the AIWC innovated drive-up client services at the law school building. Wearing masks and keeping clients in the safety of their cars, the clinic and students continued to provide essential estate planning services to the underserved Native community.
The clinic later returned to personal visits to tribal communities and providing its services face to face. Now back to normal, the clinic typically hosts three to four service dates each semester.
In fact, demand for the AIWC’s services has never waned. Harless, the assistant director, said the clinic has never had to do much marketing and advertising to stay busy.
The fact that they’ve stayed busy for 15 years is a point of pride, Harless said.
“I’m very proud of the work the interns have done and the services that the clinic provides,” she said.
The AIWC has thrived over the years because of the dedicated and knowledgeable staff that has led the clinic throughout its history. At the official AIWC anniversary celebration in June 2024, OCU Law Dean David Holt spoke to the crowd and recognized the commitment from Harless, Ross, Eleftherakis and Stephanie Hudson, noting that their determination has kept the clinic going for the past 15 years.
And Holt isn’t the only one with those sentiments. Fanning said, “The Wills Clinic would not be where it is today without Lori Harless and Professor Eleftherakis. Not only are they incredibly kind and generous, but they really care about the clients and the students.”
The clinic’s leaders say that level of care is crucial when it comes to making a difference in people’s lives.
“For a lot of folks, their trust land is all that they have that links back to their heritage,” Harless said. “Each tribe is very unique. Each tribe has its own culture. Each tribe has its own language. Each tribe has its own constitution, its own policies. This helps them keep their heritage with their tribes.”
OCU Law staff members are glad to be able to provide clinic services to tribal communities and to give law students the opportunity to serve through the clinic. The school looks forward to many more years of the American Indian Wills Clinic.
Fanning said the work they do makes him feel like he’s making a difference.
“You're doing substantive, quality work for clients who you start to understand and get to know their story,” he said. “When you get to know the client's story the term advocate takes on a whole new meaning, and the Wills Clinic gives you an opportunity to learn the full depth and scope of what being an advocate looks like.”
Wills Clinic drivethrough service date
American Indian Wills Clinic Spring 2018 interns
OCU Law Launches
TRIBAL SOVEREIGNTY INSTITUTE
For decades, OCU Law has placed an emphasis on American Indian law. As the only law school in the capital city of a state with 39 tribal nations, American Indian law has been a natural focal point. Recent events have elevated the topic to an even higher importance, culminating in the exciting June announcement that OCU Law will become the home of the OCU Tribal Sovereignty Institute, set to launch in 2025.
OCU Law’s history with American Indian law includes important thought leaders like late Professors C. Blue Clark and Dennis Arrow. Students have long been drawn to OCU Law to study the topic. PreLaw Magazine recently named OCU Law the #4 law school in the country for Native American students, and one out of every ten current students is a tribal member.
Fifteen years ago, OCU Law created the American Indian Wills Clinic, under the auspices of the American Indian Law and Sovereignty Center. Since its inception, the Clinic has assisted over a thousand tribal members with their estate planning. Through the years, clinic students have worked under the mentorship of Casey Ross, Emily Eleftherakis and Lori Harless, and many students have been inspired to continue in the field.
In 2020, American Indian law rose even higher in the public consciousness following the U.S. Supreme Court decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma. Meanwhile, management of the long-running Sovereignty Symposium, founded by the Oklahoma Supreme Court in 1988, reached an inflection point. Justice Yvonne Kauger (a graduate of OCU Law) approached President Kenneth Evans and then-Dean Jim Roth about taking on the hosting of the Symposium, a special opportunity that OCU and OCU Law quickly embraced.
In 2023, Osage tribal member David Holt became Dean of OCU Law and recognized it was a perfect moment to further elevate American Indian law as an area of excellence for the school, not only to further OCU Law’s reputation but to fill a critical need for legal expertise
and scholarship. The need is real, and being a private school in the state’s capital, OCU Law is perfectly positioned, both because of its geography and its independence from state politics.
Working with President Evans and their teams at OCU Law and OCU’s main campus, a proposal was developed to create the OCU Tribal Sovereignty Institute, to be housed at OCU Law. Its primary goals will be to educate future lawyers, train current lawyers to practice in tribal legal systems, produce scholarship accessible to policymakers and the public, and advocate publicly for heightened awareness of tribal sovereignty.
In March of 2024, OCU and OCU Law invited the leaders of all 39 tribes to the Law School for a discussion about the concept (followed by a fun visit to the Thunder game and a meet-and-greet with Thunder player and Kiowa citizen Lindy Waters III). At the meeting, tribal leaders shared feedback about the Institute’s vision.
In June, at Sovereignty Symposium, President Evans and Dean Holt stood shoulder-to-shoulder with tribal leaders and publicly announced the launch of the Institute, with a commitment to a first phase that will hire a full-time tenured or tenure-track law professor to teach, produce scholarship and serve as the Institute’s inaugural executive director.
“The Sovereignty Symposium has played a central role in sovereignty conversations for nearly four decades, and it is time for its work to expand year-around,” said Governor Bill Anoatubby of the Chickasaw Nation. “I believe this OCU Tribal Sovereignty Institute will provide an important new platform for many important initiatives. The Chickasaw Nation is excited to work with OCU and OCU Law in this endeavor, and we believe this institute has great potential.”
“We need information that is accessible to attorneys and policymakers and members of the public,” said
Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear, a practicing attorney. “We need focused training as well. I think this institute can play a critical role in this regard and I’m pleased to see it launch.”
Following the announcement, OCU Law is currently in the process of hiring the executive director/professor. Faculty hiring processes commonly last most of an academic year, and it is envisioned to have the person identified in time for the 2025 Sovereignty Symposium. If you know someone who would like to know more about this opportunity, the chair of the hiring committee for this role is Associate Dean Lee Peoples, and he can be contacted at lpeoples@okcu.edu.
Future phases of the Institute beyond the initial hire are envisioned but will be dependent on resources. OCU Law and OCU leadership continues to visit with potential partners.
In the meantime, Dean Holt is among those excited at the long-term potential of this Institute, both for OCU Law and for tribal governments and their citizens.
“Policymakers need more independent, credible information on this topic,” Holt said. “All government entities, law firms, and tribes need attorneys who are knowledgeable in these areas. Considering our existing work and our location, we think that OCU and OCU Law are ideal institutions to meet this need. This Institute will further establish our law school, our university and our city as leaders at the forefront of these sovereignty conversations.”
The Tribal Sovereignty
Institute at Oklahoma City University (OCU) School of Law is a new program that aims to advance tribal sovereignty through education, scholarship, and initiatives beyond the legal realm.
Education The institute will educate and train lawyers to specialize in American Indian law.
Scholarship The institute will create scholarship on the topic of sovereignty.
Initiatives The institute will pursue initiatives beyond the legal realm, such as cultural preservation, language revitalization, and economic development.
Executive Director The institute will be led by a full-time tenured or tenure-track professor who will also teach at the law school.
DAVID HOLT Investiture of Dean
On Feb. 15, 2024, David Holt officially assumed office as the 14th dean of Oklahoma City University School of Law at a formal Investiture Ceremony hosted at the law school.
The Investiture Ceremony is the “formal ceremony of conferring the authority and symbols of high office” and is counted among the oldest traditions in academia. OCU Law has traditionally held an Investiture each time a new dean has assumed office.
At the ceremony, Dean Holt accepted calls to service from president of the Student Bar Association Samuel Holzschuh (‘24), Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Paula Dalley, Law Alumni Association President Travis Weedn (’14), Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Yvonne Kauger (’69), Attorney General of Oklahoma Gentner Drummond, and Governor of the Chickasaw Nation Bill Anoatubby. Chairman of the OCU Board of Trustees Gary Homsey (’74) performed the official Ceremony of Investiture, and OCU President Kenneth
Evans delivered remarks on behalf of the university. The presentation of colors was performed by the Oklahoma City Police Department.
Dean Holt’s Osage heritage was honored within the ceremony. Gigi Sieke, past Osage Nation ambassador, delivered the national anthem and the Lord’s prayer, and 2023-24 Osage Princess Lulu Goodfox performed the Lord’s prayer.
The Rev. Joseph Alsay from Dean Holt’s home church St. Augustine of Canterbury Episcopal Church gave the Benediction, and The Very Rev. Katie Churchwell from OCU Law neighbor church St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral gave the invocation.
Associate Professor Maria Kolar served as the host for the ceremony.
Following the ceremony, there was a reception by OCU Law neighboring restaurant GHST and James Beard-nominated Chef Zach Hutton.
Dr. Sergio Monteiro, DMA, performed a piano piece during the ceremony, in addition to the processional and recessional pieces. Monteiro is Steinway artist and director of piano activities at OCU’s Wanda L. Bass School of Music. He began piano study at the age of 4. In 2003, he won first prize in the Martha Argerich International Piano Competition in Buenos Aires. He has performed around the globe and his recordings on Spotify have more than 18 million streams.
Processional piece: Traumerei by Robert Schumann
Program piece: Ballade No. 1, Op. 23 by Frederic Chopin
Recessional piece: Intermezzo, Op. 26 by Robert Schumann Frederick Chopin (1810-1849) was a Polish composer. Robert Schumann (1810-1856) was a German composer who began his career studying to be a lawyer. He once wrote to his mother that “My whole life has been a struggle between Poetry and Prose, or call it Music and Law.”
OCU Law and Dean Holt thank the sponsors of the Investiture Tom Quinn (JD ’74), William F. (BA ’62, JD ’65) & Pam Shdeed (BA ’67), William C. Mee (MBA ’86), Susan & Nick Harroz III (JD ’09), Gary (JD ’74) & Sue Homsey, J.R. (JD ’73) & Patsy Homsey, McAfee & Taft, The Honorable Deborah (JD ‘83 ) & Ronald Barnes (JD ’80), Joe (JD ’74) & Sherry Crosthwait (BA ’01), The Honorable Drew & Linda Edmondson, Robert (JD ’00) & Sarah Haupt, Brad (JD ’00) & Stacy Klepper, Andrew (JD ’07) & Jennifer Schroeder
BLUE CLARK Bowties & Buffalos
BY LORI HARLESS
ASS ISTANT DIRECTOR of THE AMERICAN INDIAN LAW and SOVEREIGNTY CENTER at OCU LAW
and CASEY ROSS '00
UNIVERSITY GENERAL COUNSEL at OCU
To be invited to participate in writing a tribute to Carter Blue Clark is both a privilege and a deeply felt responsibility. To write of a departed mentor and friend is a most difficult assignment, one that can only be undertaken with humility and heartfelt sadness. And in a sense, no tribute to Blue, the husband, father, scholar, law professor, and dedicated member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, can adequately capture the amazing person he was.
Dr. Clark began his career by establishing the new field of American Indian Studies at the University of Utah, Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, and California State University, Long Beach. He also taught at UCLA and San Diego State University. In 1985, he was a fellow at the McNickle Center for American Indian and Indigenous Studies in Chicago. Dr. Clark joined Oklahoma City University in 1991 as the University’s
Vice President of Academic Affairs, and then moved toward his true passion: teaching as a professor across multiple disciplines on campus. Dr. Clark retired in 2016 as the Oakerhater Chair of American Indian Studies and Professor of History but continued as an adjunct instructor at the School of Law.
In addition to classroom teaching, Dr. Clark also extended his scholarship through writing, authoring “Lone Wolf v. Hitchcock: Indian Treaty Rights at the End of the Nineteenth Century” (1994), and “Indian Tribes of Oklahoma: A Guide” (2009). He was also a contributing author for several other books, spanning diverse topics including religion, philosophy, environmental concerns, and history. He authored numerous academic articles on matters of sovereignty, colonization, and tribal constitutions. Blue’s focus on the intersectionality of indigenous life with a wide ar-
ray of topics enhanced our world’s understanding of the unique issues impacting tribal communities. Former students of Dr. Clark will remember him for fostering spiritual and cultural connections to traditional tribal ways. Dr. Clark understood that students arrive for their studies at points all along a spectrum of their own engagement with cultural competency. He sought to meet students where they were on that spectrum, and he strived to help them make more meaningful community connections for their own development. Dr. Clark took students, colleagues, and guests from all over the world to his home stomp grounds and to stomp grounds throughout Oklahoma Indian Country to strengthen understanding of traditional tribal practices. As a traditionalist, Dr. Clark adhered to the cultural, familial, and structural teachings of native religious practices, and he promoted continuation of these practices for future generations.
As impressive as his resume was, Dr. Clark stridently opposed self-promotion in any form, and insisted that the attention be placed squarely on his students. Dr. Clark prioritized intelligence and charisma, but only through integrity and fair play.
Although faculty, students, and alums collectively and individually mourn the passing of Dr. Clark, it would not be appropriate to close this tribute on a sad note. Dr. Clark was a man of good cheer and constant optimism, two hallmarks of the Christian faith to which he was unwaveringly dedicated. His love of Gourd Dancing and humor epitomized a personality that embraced the joyful side of life.
Beyond academic achievement and professional accomplishment, Blue will be remembered as a beloved husband to Sheryl Sullivan and loving father to Sanger. While we all mourn the loss of our friend and colleague, we will forever treasure the improvement he made in our lives and in Indian Country.
A MESSAGE FROM DR. JAMES BUSS, DEAN OF THE HONORS COLLEGE AT BALL STATE UNIVERSITY AND FRIEND OF DR. CLARK:
Dr. Blue Clark was a world-renowned scholar, mentor, superb teacher, proud member of the Muscogee nation, father, and husband. Personally, he was my former colleague, a fellow historian, and, most importantly, my friend.
I had the great pleasure of working alongside Dr. Clark in the history department at Oklahoma City University, but we shared far more than a department and a discipline. He welcomed me as an outsider to Oklahoma and taught me volumes about what it meant to be part of a community. Blue’s legacy extends well beyond the classroom, as he helped forge a community among students and faculty. Together, we served, along with Reverend David Wilson, as faculty mentors
for the Native American Society (NAS) student organization, and in this capacity, Blue taught me as much as he taught students about community via this organization. These lessons made my time at OCU and relationships he helped me forge with Native students far richer and deeper than would have been otherwise. Blue’s role in forging a community at OCU was evident when former students and faculty met following his memorial services this past fall. Even though more than a decade had passed since many of us had met on OCU’s campus, we gathered to remember Blue, swap stories, and remember his laughter. He had served as the common link that connected us all together. In his memory, we have pledged to meet again to continue his legacy (and perhaps swap some more ol’ Blue stories).
Beyond these important lessons of community and kinship, Blue also taught me one crucial piece of information: that the OCU cafeteria offered a faculty discount. For five years, we ate lunch together almost daily in the small faculty dining room near the rear of the cafeteria. This allowed me, and many others, to learn more about Blue as a friend. To know Blue was to know his unique sense of humor, to enjoy his laughter, to understand his compassion and generosity toward others, and to want to embody those characteristics in oneself. For those who knew him, who shared his company, we are all better people as a consequence.
I am forever grateful to Blue for welcoming me to Oklahoma, dragging me to stomp dances in Glenpool, volunteering my apartment as a kitchen for the NAS Indian Taco fundraiser, encouraging me to become involved in the OCU Powwow, introducing me to the lunch discount in the OCU cafeteria, and much more. He will forever be remembered by his former students and colleagues as a positive force in this world, and his legacy will last for generations. I will always cherish the many memories that we shared.
VICKI MACDOUGALL
Beloved Professor, Mentor, and Friend
Vicki Ellen Lawrence MacDougall dedicated 46 years of service to Oklahoma City University School of Law from 1978 until her death in 2024. She died January 21, 2024, at 71 years old. She graduated number one in her class from OCU Law in 1977, and after a year of being a clerk for a local judge, was promptly offered a job as a professor at the law school. Vicki's career at OCU continued until the day she died as she was actively teaching two courses at the time of her death. Throughout her service to OCU, she taught a rigorous courseload while being an exceptional single mother to the two greatest joys of her life, her daughters Katie and Emily. In addition to work and raising children, Vicki enjoyed gardening, reading, and crocheting. She experienced more hardship and loss in her life than most could imagine. Yet, she was known for her contagious laugh, which sounded a lot like a cackle. She was the life of every party and enjoyed a good prank.
The following includes excerpts of a piece written by former OCU Law Professor Dan Morgan to honor Vicki Lawrence MacDougall upon her retirement from OCU Law. It was previously published in the Oklahoma City University Law Review in 2019.
Vicki entered law school at OCU in the fall of 1974 as one of ten women in a day division class of two hundred students. Suffice it to say, Vicki (to use a baseball metaphor) hit a grand slam with the bases loaded during her law school career. She graduated first in the class of 1977, was the Managing Editor and then editor of the very first OCU Law Review. This was her first crack in the glass ceiling!
Further icing on the cake of her law school record: she and then-Dean Sylas “Bob” Lyman literally saved the OCU Law Library. Vicki, in the course of her law
review duties, was working in the Law Library on a bitterly cold December afternoon. The book collection was then located in the old “barracks” building, a World War II vintage Quonset hut which had been repurposed as a classroom/library building before the move to the Goldstar Building in 1978. Frozen water pipes located in the ceiling above the book collection broke, sending water cascading over the books. Vicki sprang into action! She grabbed everyone in the building, including the Dean and two other students, and frantically pulled most of the books out of the flood. She wryly notes that the University recognized the students’ service by paying hourly minimum wage to her and her fellow students for their assistance. Such generosity!
After law school, Vicki continued her string of firsts: she was the first woman law clerk in the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals, hired by the Honorable Dwain D. Box, whom she describes as an inspirational leader with a terrific work ethic. During her two years in the position, 1977-1978, Vicki learned the anatomy of litigation from inception of suit through appeal and, under the Judge’s tutelage, gained extensive experience in legal writing and drafting opinions, skills she has since passed on to generations of OCU law students.
In 1978, Vicki was invited by Dean Richard Coulson and the faculty to accept a tenure-track faculty position at OCU, the first OCU female law graduate to be offered such a position. To the great good fortune of OCU, Vicki accepted, putting yet another crack in the glass ceiling.
Distinguished learning institutions are known for including on their faculty a renowned professor who simultaneously commands great respect from grad-
uates and causes immense trepidation in incoming students. Such a professor’s name is whispered by the lips of students before her face is recognized and is sure to echo throughout the halls of the school long after she has left the lectern. A well-known matriarchal archetype of such distinction in the literary world is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry’s Professor Minerva McGonagall. We here at Oklahoma City University School of Law have someone akin to the great McGonagall in Professor Vicki Lawrence MacDougall. Just as McGonagall is a Hogwarts legend, MacDougall is a legend in her own right here at the law school.
From 1978 to the present, Professor MacDougall has been providing her special brand of magic to more than 10,000 students, teaching a broad variety of courses in Torts and law and medicine. Vicki described the high aspirations she set for herself as a teacher: “to motivate, encourage, challenge, and inspire.” For the record, Professor MacDougall, you have met and exceeded those lofty goals. You measure up as one of the best classroom teachers (if not the one) ever to step behind the podium at OCU. Your lasting legacy will be that bit of “magic” every one of those 10,000 students carry with them into their lives and legal careers. Your wisdom and character carry the day!
Vicki taught Torts, one of the building blocks of the law, to her first-year students until her formal retirement in 2018. Her students agree that she made the class a memorable experience, exposing them not only to the content of the law but also to the rigorous logical skills to understand and apply it—the so-called “thinking like a lawyer.” In MacDougall’s torts class, one stood when called on, facing an audience of 60-80 classmates, a daunting task. Many will say that surviving the MacDougall treatment in those first class days was the most memorable event of their legal careers. In those first class sections, Professor MacDougall would be rigorous and fair, but woe betide the ill-prepared or thoughtless statement by the reciting student. The bar was set high, but no higher than the rigor demanded in the courtroom. However, with hard work, commitment to learning, and courage to step out of their comfort zones, students could survive and eventually thrive in her class.
A recurring student recollection about Vicki was her out-of-class support for students. Her office door was always open and, although her grades were rigorous and her classroom performance standards demanding, her high standards did not get in the way of providing emotional support for her students. Many students have remarked they would have dropped out of school except for Vicki’s support, guidance, and example. For young women entering the often-intimidating legal world dominated by men, she was able to empathize with their situations because she had
“been there, done that, experienced that” on so many levels. At the same time, many male students looked to her for the same kind of support so valued by the women—truly an “equal opportunity” professor.
Vicki MacDougall has lived a lot in her 60+ years. She saw parts of the Civil Rights Movement play out in her own family through the courage of her father, she experienced the horror of Vietnam with the loss of her beloved brother and the cruel rejection by some of the great sacrifices made by veterans. She learned the ongoing costs of service to country, with the responsibilities she assumed at 17 years old to become the emotional rock of her family. She was among the first of a brave cohort of women who fought for equal rights for women, both in society and in entering the practice of law. All Vicki’s “firsts” in academics, in law school, and throughout her legal career have not been without their costs and burdens. She has weathered the challenge of “work-life balance,” which she was living before the term was coined, and has come out on top.
For the law school mom struggling to balance home and family, Vicki was there. For the Afghan War vet struggling with PTSD, Vicki was there. For a young lawyer writing his first appellate brief on a products liability issue, or a graduate seeking a job in health care, Vicki was there. For the thousands of students who sought advice and counsel over four decades, Vicki was there.
That’s what counts! Godspeed, Vicki!
Read more about Vicki’s life and legacy in the full version of "Vicki MacDougall, Beloved Professor, Mentor, and Friend": okcu.link/vickimacdougall
Woman for All Seasons
NANCY KENDERDINE A
Nancy Ingram Kenderdine dedicated 28 years of service to Oklahoma City University School of Law from 1977 to her retirement in 2005. She passed away on December 26, 2023, at 81 years old. Nancy became the first woman to serve as dean of an Oklahoma law school when she took on the role of Interim Dean in 1982. She taught more than 8,000 students during her tenure at OCU Law. She was the first recipient, and first repeat recipient, of the OCU Law Merit Scholars Teaching Excellence Award. She was a longtime fighter for women’s equality, a lover of animals, and a beloved colleague and friend – her influence will always live on at OCU Law.
The following includes excerpts of a piece written by the late Dennis W. Arrow to honor Nancy Kenderdine upon her retirement from OCU Law. It was previously published in the Oklahoma City University Law Review in 2004, titled "A Woman for All Seasons: A Tribute to Nancy I. Kenderdine".
One should hesitate more than once before deploying a cliche in a tribute to a retiring friend. But in this instance, my friend is so much the antithesis of a cliche, and so truly a woman for all seasons, that her character, her contributions to our university, and the value of her friendship will shine through any verbal infelicity on my part. Nancy Kenderdine is an American original, a woman of exceptional and varied talents, and a woman I have been privileged to call “colleague” and “friend” for twenty-seven years.
Following a period of distinguished instructional and administrative service at the University of Oklahoma College of Law, Nancy Kenderdine joined our faculty in 1977. At the time, both our law school and university were undergoing periods of transition, and I (at the well-seasoned age of twenty-eight) reflected on my two years of teaching experience and with the hubris of youth thought that I had quite a few of the answers. In short order, by her example (and without any awareness of her effect), Nancy disabused me of both notions and moved onto the short list of colleagues on whose opinion I could always rely. She soon assumed that status for the rest of our law faculty as well.
So much so that during the most difficult days our law school has ever faced (a financial crisis that peaked during Academic Year 1979-80), the school turned for leadership to Associate Professor Kenderdine, first as Associate Dean and a year later as Interim Dean. With Nancy’s capable leadership (and the unparalleled help of our friends), both the law school and Nancy pulled through splendidly, and Nancy returned to the faculty to provide superb instruction to the next generation of law students and rock-solid academic-quality-leadership to the next generation of our faculty... As any reader familiar with legal education will well understand, the set of faculty members about whom not a single colleague would have an uncomplimentary word approaches zero. But Nancy Kenderdine is one...
Though the word has now become unfashionable (at least at some trendy law schools), the style of Nancy’s leadership was principled. Nancy, no automaton, is quite human, and from time to time is as tempted by ad hoc, make-it-up “pragmatism” as any of us. What is extraordinary about her is the remarkable number of times she resisted such temptations, with an unshakable academic-quality-driven commitment as her lodestar. In those circumstances in which she applied incarnations of the rule of lenity, the applicant had always found a way to satisfy Nancy’s rigorous – and articulable – standard of desert. In those cases, despite my equivalent commitments to academic quality, to equal treatment, and to principle, I usually found myself in agreement. Any law school – any institution at all – would be fortunate to have a dozen or more like her for moral-compass-preservation purposes.
Nancy’s personal odyssey is fascinating in its own right, and helps explain the person she has become today; that story, however, is best told by others.* For myself, however, I can only express my everlasting appreciation for her friendship, her judgment,
her strength, her courage, and her example. Thank you, Nancy.
*Read about Nancy’s life, as told by Vicki Lawrence MacDougall in “Nancy Ingram Kenderdine: Colleague, Mentor, Friend” at okcu.link/nancykenderdine
The following is an excerpt from Dean Emeritus Lawrence K. Hellman’s article “Reflections on the Career of Nancy I. Kenderdine” from the 2004 Oklahoma City University Law Review.
Nancy Kenderdine has helped to shape the institutional personality of Oklahoma City University School of Law into one that serves students well. Ours is an institution that is in tune with the world and determined to exert a constructive influence on it. Through the strength of her character and her seriousness of purpose, she has guided thousands of her students to care about “doing right” and “doing good.” Every time one of her former students touches the life of a client, Nancy’s influence is there. And her influence on the law school she served so long and so well will be ever-lasting.
MARJORIE DOWNING
The “F” Word Tribute
Marjorie (Marj) Rose Downing dedicated 26 years of service to Oklahoma City University School of Law from 1972 to her retirement in 1998. She passed away October 2, 2023, at the age of 90. Marj became the first female full-time member of the OCU Law faculty upon her hiring in 1972. She was the only woman in her graduating class from the University of Oklahoma College of Law, and she worked tirelessly throughout her life toward equality for women, especially in the legal profession. Marj’s legacy at OCU Law and the path she helped pave for women in law will be everlasting.
The following includes excerpts of a piece written by the late Vicki Lawrence MacDougall to honor Marjorie Downing upon her retirement from OCU Law. It was previously published in the Oklahoma City University Law Review in 1997 and titled "The 'F' Word Tribute to Professor Marjorie Downing".
When the Law Review first asked me to write a tribute to Professor Marjorie Downing for this issue, I hesitated because I really do not think I am very good at that sort of thing. I did have some things that I would like to say about Marj, but I feared they would appear rather radical. I listened to the tributes made to Marj at her retirement party on February 7, 1998, and realized that all the comments were certainly true, but there was one thing lacking, which should be included in any full description of Marj’s accomplishments. There was no mention of the “F” word, “feminist.” I realize that the word “feminist” has come to be more of a dirty word at times than the other “F” word we are all familiar with. However, a full description of Marj’s accomplishments should include an acknowledg-
ment of her position and fight on women’s issues and a description of what Marj has meant to women entering the legal profession. Marj relentlessly worked for the Equal Rights Amendment, birth control, and abortion. She was extremely active in attempts for women’s equality and has worked for many years for Planned Parenthood. Marj also established and maintained in her office a women’s legal study collection, which was subsequently donated to the library. Her record reflects a politically active career to advance equal rights for women. The purpose of this tribute, however, is to tell Marj what she has meant to me as a colleague.
I started Law School in Fall of 1974. When I told people that I was going to law school, I was met with looks of confusion and bewilderment and statements like “that’s no career for a woman” and that it would be a waste of time and money when I got married and had children. Many thought it was just a crazy decision. My parents were quite convinced that I should remain at my job at Sears. I entered law school and began classes. Within the first couple of days, a fellow student pointed to a woman walking down the hall and said, “That’s Marj Downing” in a hushed tone. I wanted to know who “Marj Downing” was. I was informed that she was an excellent Property professor, a well-respected member of the bar, and an excellent practitioner. One of my big regrets in my legal education is that I did not have the opportunity to have Marj in more classes. Still, she made a significant contribution to my legal education. There was a woman who had made it in this profession. She had excelled. It sent a strong message that maybe, just maybe, I had
not made such a weird decision and maybe, just maybe, I could make it and be accepted in the legal profession as well. Her presence validated my presence...
Marj’s presence also sent an equally important message to the male law students. They were entering a profession where they would have to deal with women as colleagues and, heaven forbid, occasionally in positions of power. Enrollment in law schools in the eighties reached fifty percent women nationwide. That was a big change in a short period of time. Marj was the only woman in her law school class; Nancy was one of five; I was one of ten. Women today confront a significantly different environment when they enter law school, and I have to wonder if they really understand what it used to be like in the not so distant past. Marj once stated that women would achieve equality in the legal profession when “average” women are accepted into the profession like average men. In a short period of time we now see “average” women going to law school and establishing legal careers.
Shortly after law school, I joined the law faculty. I was told that Marj had stated to the faculty that if we wanted more women on the faculty that we needed to consider “home grown” ones because at that time women were not as likely to relocate for professional advancement as perhaps they are now. Perhaps it is no accident that the faculty extended an offer to Nancy Kenderdine holding an OU degree and shortly thereafter to me holding an OCU degree. I doubt if there were very many, if any, law schools in the country that had three women as members of the full-time tenure track faculty at that point in time. OCU has never been given enough credit on that particular issue. At a faculty meeting shortly after my arrival on the faculty, the Appointments Committee raised the
question of whether we need to be concerned about hiring more women. Did we have enough? Marj could have gone for the jugular on that one. Instead, she responded that there would only be enough women on the faculty when we could sit boy, girl, boy, girl at faculty meetings. Everyone laughed. But the point was made, and no member of the faculty has ever raised the issue again...
Marj is also a fighter. She will fight and state her opinion on issues she feels strongly about. It is not surprising that one administrator suspected Marj of leading a walkout at graduation. Marj was certainly a force to be reckoned with when she fought for any issue either within the law school or at the university level. Marj’s willingness to fight on issues she believed in also sent a strong message that it was the appropriate thing for me to do as well. It was something “ladies” could do as well as the guys. Although my opinions usually were not as well-received as Marj’s, I think the faculty understood that I could at least have an opinion, even if wrong.
I would like to thank Marj for being a friend and an excellent colleague through the years. The last message I would like to send, however, is remotely feminist in character. Marj Downing helped pave the road for women to enter the legal profession, as did the women who preceded her. That road was paved gradually. The entry road into the legal profession would have been built without the presence of Marj; however, that road would have been constructed more slowly and less well. A heartfelt thanks from me and countless women for paving that road.
For more about Marj Downing’s life in her own words, read “A Conversation with Marj Downing” written by Nancy Kenderdine at okcu.link/marjdowning
2024 Graduation
“OCU Law, you gave me countless memories, lifelong friends, and the opportunity to be an advocate at the highest level... You gave me a future that was once only a dream.”
JERIAH STEWARD
Class of 2024 Class President Commencement Address
“At this school, you found your voice; I ask you now to speak. Here you found tools; now build. You found power; now act.”
SAM HOLZSCHUH
President of the Student Bar Association Commencement Address
The Woman
BY CHRISTINE EDDINGTON FREELANCE WRITER
Judge Deborah Barnes ’83, is possessed of a calmly assured, almost soft-spoken manner which could, if you’re not paying attention, fool you. This woman is a powerhouse: driven, fiercely competitive, deeply faithful, and a huge proponent of mentorship and mastermind groups, especially for women. She’s a two-time breast cancer survivor who reads her Bible every day and is a big believer in the crucial role exercise plays in a person’s physical and mental well-being.
Same with reading. She devours books like Brene Brown’s “Daring Greatly;” “The Light We Carry,” by Michelle Obama and “All My Knotted Up Life: A Memoir,” by Beth Moore. Complex and contemplative, it comes as no surprise when Barnes reveals a favorite song, “Both Sides Now,” by Joni Mitchell. Other favorites are Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” and “The Wind Beneath My Wings,” by Bette Midler.
For the past fifteen years, she’s served Oklahoma as a judge at the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals, the intermediate appellate court in the state of Oklahoma. She was appointed by Governor Brad Henry. Before that, she was a vice president, corporate secretary and associate general counsel at Oneok Inc. in Tulsa from 1997 until 2001. Positions like hers have, for much of our history, been held by men. “I just was raised by my dad and mother that I could do anything, and I really didn't think about gender,” she says, though she’s happy to see more women occupy key roles within the legal community. “Last year, was the very first time for our court of civil appeals to have a panel in which all three were women. That was a first for our court.”
Without a doubt, this fierce lady very much prefers to prevail but is (mostly) sanguine when she doesn’t. In 2019 she was one of three finalists for a position on the Oklahoma Supreme Court. She didn’t get it, and when she tells the story, she brings up the ‘man in the arena’ quote from President Theodore Roosevelt’s 1910 speech on the meaning of citizenship at the Sorbonne in Paris:
in the Arena
The Honorable Deborah Barnes
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. Barnes recommends surrounding oneself with the right people, socially, professionally and even in matters of the heart. At the 2019 Law Review banquet, she encouraged the assembled guests, telling them “Your friends determine the quality and direction of your life. I sincerely believe that. It makes a huge difference in your success if you put yourself out there and engage, make a difference. Build deep relationships, not just superficial. Be genuine.”
Another piece of advice? “Marry well. That goes for
Above: Graduation at OCU Law. Opposite page, left to right: Barnes with her father, Barnes with husband and son, Barnes with grandchildren.
’83
everyone, male or female. Marry somebody that is going to support you and help you be all that you can be and not be jealous or hold you back,” she says. She’s proud of her own marriage, “I feel like we've really been a team. And since we're both lawyers, we understand the field.”
What other words of wisdom might she offer to the broader Law School community? That there is huge value in that community. “The OCU community is our tribe. The lawyers within the bar of our state, that's our tribe. I really advocate being active in your county bar, your state bar. Be politically active, whatever affiliation you are.”
Growing up, Barnes excelled at everything she did, and she did everything: she was a cheerleader whose team won national titles, practicing twice a day. She spent summers at church camp, took ballet lessons and won pageants including Miss Oklahoma Teen and first runner up Miss America Teen. She was voted state FFA sweetheart. She met her husband early on, when she served as an escort at an event honoring his grandfather, and their paths continued to cross. “I worked at my family’s hamburger drive in, and he was working for the county health department painting across the street, and he would come every day to get milkshakes or pop or whatever…I guess I caught his attention.” She was a bat girl; he was on the baseball team. Finally, a sorority sister set them up on a blind date and their die was cast.
Barnes and her husband Ron attended OU for undergrad; she majored in public relations. The young couple lived, for a number of their years as students, with Ron’s grandfather Maurice Merrill, a beloved professor at the University of Oklahoma’s law school and prolific legal scholar, known nationally for his expertise in oil and gas law. He and his wife Orpha, also a lawyer, who passed away a few years before the couple moved in, inspired them. “I married into a legal family,” she says. Her father-in-law, Don Barnes was a justice of the Supreme Court of the State of Oklahoma; her own grandmother was also a lawyer. But back to our story.
“I spent many mornings with Dr. Merrill when he was still practicing or teaching at the law school. He talked about cases, and all sorts of things, and really sparked my interest,” Barnes says. His inspiration wasn’t limited to academic matters. “He talked about the relationship he had with his late wife, who was also a lawyer, and how nice it was that they not only shared life, but they shared profession. He was very influential in my making that decision. I took a journalism law class, and just really fell in love with the concepts - that was a class that really got me excited.”
Barnes and her husband took turns going to law school, because as she puts it “Somebody had to work.” So he went first, attending OCU, while she worked. “As soon as he was employed and passed the bar, I went,” she says. The pair has one son, who has followed his parents into the family profession, now a practicing attorney working with his father.
Barnes was accepted to OCU Law via its ‘entrance by performance’ program, offered during the summer at that time. The program required that she take two classes, jurisprudence and criminal law, taught by the late Dennis Arrow and Art LeFrancois respectively. After earning the highest grades in both, her legal scholarship began. “There ended up being an opening on the day class, and I was asked if I wanted to do that, rather than going through night school.”
She absolutely did. “I worked really hard. I just approached it like a job or like I approach anything else in life that I'm very committed to.” Which is to say with a laser focus and a genuine desire to fully immerse herself in the process. Barnes went as far as taping her classes, so she could listen to them again while writing her outlines. “I've talked with classes, and they say, ‘Well, you can't do that anymore,’” she says, laughing.
Barnes has been involved with OCU Law’s alumni organization since its founding, supporting her alma mater any way she can. When she describes her involvement, it’s about gratitude, humility, community and giving back. “I had such great support from OCU, and such great mentors.”
JULY JUNE
class notes 2023 - 2024
1970s
The Wrangler Network ran a feature story about Leon Willsie ’75 and his passion for the Elk City Rodeo.
1980s
Tony Mastin ’86 was appointed as a practice group leader for the McAfee & Taft law firm.
Lynne McGuire ’89 was appointed to serve as Cleveland County district judge.
1990s
Tony A. Scott ’91 is serving as 2023-24 president of the Oklahoma City Estate Planning Council.
Fob Jones ’92 was sworn in as appellate judge for the Choctaw Nation.
Amy J. Staab ’93 was announced as a Point of Light inductee this year for the Thomas More PrepMarian school in Kansas.
Dean Emeritus Jim Roth ’94 was featured in the June issue of Oklahoma Magazine as the “Closing Thoughts” profile story.
Rafe Hall ’94 was appointed to serve as the district judge for the 3rd Judicial District, which includes Greer, Harmon, Jackson, Kiowa and Tillman counties.
Amir M. Farzaneh ’95 joined the Doerner, Saunders, Daniel & Anderson, LLP firm.
Chris Miciotto ’97 was named one of SB Magazine's (Shreveport/ Bossier City) Top Attorneys for 2024.
Michael D. McClintock ’98 was named to the Best Lawyers’ 2024 Oklahoma City Lawyers of the Year list for construction litigation.
Texas state Sen. Brandon Creighton ’98 was appointed to the Education Commission of the States.
Mark Hanebutt ’98 was selected for induction into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame.
Courtney Warmington ’99 was elected assistant secretary for the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.
Carey Hipp ’99 was appointed to serve as chief judge of the 20th Judicial District in Kansas.
2000s
Diana Ferguson ’00 was named one of the 2023 Honors Recipients by the American Society of Landscape Architects.
Christina M. Apostoli ’00 was appointed as judge of the Arapahoe County Court in Colorado.
Ryan Jackson ’01, a veteran Washington, D.C., lobbyist with previous high-ranking roles in both the U.S. Senate and Environmental Protection Agency, joined the American Chemistry Council as vice president of federal affairs.
Amy White ’01 became a shareholder at Phillips Murrah. Gideon Lincecum ’02 joined Steptoe & Johnson PLLC.
Carrie L. Burnsed ’02 joined the Day Pitney firm in Connecticut as a counsel in the health care, life sciences and technology practice.
Melissa Handke ’03 was appointed to serve as district attorney for the 20th Judicial District, which includes Carter, Johnston, Love, Marshall and Murray counties.
Trish Coleman Byars ’04 was appointed to the 97th Judicial District Court in Texas.
Ericka McPherson ’04 was appointed by Covenant Choice, a provider of captive insurance solutions and health care benefits, as its new executive director.
Eric Nelson ’05 was appointed as a district judge in Iowa.
Kate N. Dodoo ’05 was elected a shareholder and tapped to lead the Appellate Group at McAfee & Taft.
John Stratton, Esq. ’07 joined the Stange Law Firm as a senior associate attorney.
John Ratliff ’07 was appointed as city manager of Lawton.
Daniel Shackle ’08 was appointed as commissioner of the Department of Local Government Finance in Indiana.
Taylor McLawhorn ’08 joined Wyatt Law’s Oklahoma City office.
Dean David Holt ’09 was named president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors for 2025-26. Dean Holt was also named one of TIME's "100 Next" most influential people in the world.
Amanda Cochran-McCall ’09 was promoted to vice president for legal affairs and general counsel for The University of Texas at Austin.
2010s
Timothy F. Campbell ’11 joined Hall Booth Smith’s Oklahoma City law office.
Holly A. Clouse ’11 was selected to be the probate commissioner for the Greene County Circuit Court in Missouri.
Jared Snedden ’13 joined the Stange Law Firm as a senior associate attorney.
Daniel Gerber ’13 joined the Champion law firm's corporate transactions group in Dallas.
Travis Weedn ’14 was selected for Leadership Oklahoma Class 36. Weedn is one of only 50 people in the state selected for the nine-month leadership development program. Weedn was also selected to chair the OCU Law Alumni Association board and is serving as chair of the Second Century Board at the Oklahoma Hall of Fame this year.
Aaron Chaloner ’16 joined the Baker Donelson firm’s Nashville office as an intellectual property law specialist.
Tasha R. Fridia ’17, national director of Tribal Programs at Friends of the Children, was selected as one of the 2023 class members of the Obama Foundation’s Leaders USA Program.
in memoriam
Alexander D. Necco ’65 of Edmond, OK
Charles F. Alden ’73 of Edmond, OK
James F. Robinson ’73 of Oklahoma City, OK
Richard M. Smith ’73 of Arlington, VA
William F. Simpson ’75 of Pink Hill, NC
Edward E. Sutter ’75 of Alva, OK
Gary M. Purcell ’76 of Norman, OK
R. Theodor Stricker ’76 of Fayetteville, AR
Michael J. Kanz ’77 of Concord, CA
Vicki L. MacDougall ’77 of Oklahoma City, OK
Carrie S. Hulett ’78 of Oklahoma City, OK
Tomilou F. Liddell ’81 of Edmond, OK
William R. Nix ’85 of Sherman, TX
Mark W. Osby ’94 of Oklahoma City, OK
Peter J. Palughi ’96 of Mobile, AL
Daniel P. Dooley ’99 of Minneapolis, MN
Tamara Hurd ’19 of Langston, OK
Bob Ravitz ’76 of Oklahoma City, OK
Bob Ravitz was the longtime chief public defender in Oklahoma County and a dedicated public servant. Bob served as an adjunct professor at OCU law, teaching in the areas of trial practice, capital litigation and criminal procedure. He was the recipient of the Oklahoma Defense Lawyers’ Association’s Clarence Darrow Award in 1996 for his handling of a case he argued before the U.S. Supreme Court. He also received the Angie Deebo Civil Liberties Award in 1985, the Barry Albert Award in 2006, the OCU Law Distinguished Alumni Award in 2010, the Opio Toure Champion of Justice Award in 2019, and countless other awards and honors. Bob was a respected lawyer, a dear friend, and a beloved professor. His contributions to the Oklahoma City legal community will not be forgotten, and he will be remembered by all who knew him at OCU Law.
Aimee Majoue ’18 joined Steptoe & Johnson PLLC. 2020s
2020s
Zana Williams ’20 became a staff attorney with a youth justice focus at the Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law & Justice.
Mike Flesher ’20 was hired a an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma.
Becca Davis ’20 joined Evans & Davis as an Estate Planning Attorney.
Victoria Carrasco ’20 was named to Oklahoma Magazine’s 40 under 40 list.
Elizabeth V. Salomone ’20 joined the Phillips Murrah firm as a transactional attorney focusing in the area of commercial transactions.
Madeline Sawyer ’20 was selected to be the new Edmond city attorney.
Kaitlin Allen ’20 joined the Lai & Turner Law Firm as director of the Criminal Defense Division.
Andrew Abraham ’21 joined the newly opened Gilson Daub law firm.
Katelyn N. Wade ’21 joined the Doerner, Saunders, Daniel & Anderson, LLP firm.
Holly Randall ’21 started as a clerk for Judge Jim Ho at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Tanner Shroeder ’22 joined Evans & Davis as an Estate Planning Attorney.
Colby D. Karcher ’23 joined the Phillips Murrah law firm.
Connor C. Curtis ’23 and Jacob M. A. Patton ’23 joined the McAfee & Taft law firm.
William McClendon ’23 was awarded a rural practice grant from the Kansas Farm Bureau.
Ryan W. Baker ’23 became an attorney for the Nacol Law Firm in Dallas
Linda Ferretiz ’23 joined the Chavez & Valko firm as an associate attorney. Martin Valko ’02 is the managing partner of the firm’s branch in Dallas.
Noteables
Dean Emeritus Jim Roth ’94, Dean David Holt ’09, and Brad Krieger ’82 were all included in 405 Magazine’s “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Leaders.”
Four alumni with McAfee & Taft were included in the 2023 edition of the prestigious Chambers USA Guide to America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. Patent attorney Michael J. LaBrie ’94, was honored as a top-ranked lawyer in the field of intellectual property law, firsttime honoree Tony Mastin ’86 was recognized for his work in the field of tax law, Patricia A. Rogers ’99 was top-ranked in the field of healthcare law, and ERISA attorney Brandon P. Long ’04 was ranked in the field of employment law.
Forbes Advisor included Emmanuel E. Edem ’82 and Darren M. Tawwater ’00 on its Best Personal Injury Lawyers in Oklahoma City list.
Janie Hipp '84 was featured in an article of OCU's Focus Magazine. Scan the QR code to read.
Please email your news to lawalumni@ okcu.edu with “Class Note” in the subject line. Be sure to include your graduation year. We welcome photos (high resolution) but due to space cannot guarantee publication.
Alumni Gala
alumni awards
Honoring OCU Law alumni and their many contributions within the legal community. We believe these award winners will continue the legacy of excellence in their legal communities and beyond.
C. Blue Clark, a true scholar’s scholar, worked constantly to learn more about the world around him and share his knowledge with others. Tributes have poured in from all corners of the country that show him as a person of compassion, kindness, someone possessing a wonderful sense of humor, and a willingness to help those who likewise seek to engage in academic pursuits — not only from his former students, but also from his colleagues.
He joined OCU in 1991 as an executive vice president of Academic Affairs. He taught various courses in the OCU School of Law and in the Petree College of Arts & Sciences as a history and political science professor. He was selected to lead the university
as interim president in 1997 while then-President Jerald Walker dealt with a health emergency.
Clark was an enrolled member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. He was considered a preeminent scholar of tribal law, Native American studies and American history. Among a plethora of published works are two prominent books: “Indian Tribes of Oklahoma: A Guide” and “Lonewolf v. Hitchcock, Treaty Rights and Indian Law at the End of the Nineteenth Century.”
He was the director of the university’s Up for Change program, an anti-drug and alcohol initiative for the OCU campus, which started in 1993. Clark was the longtime advisor for both the
Native American Student Association and the Native American Law Student Association. He retired in 2016 as the Oakerhater Chair of American Indian Studies and Professor of History, although he remained an adjunct instructor at the School of Law. Clark was closely involved in a variety of civic and American Indian projects across the state, dealing with cultural and economic development issues. Palomar is built on a national Family Justice Center model, which is a collaboration of agencies working together to provide necessary services and support for victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, bullying, elder abuse, and human trafficking. Oklahoma City’s Family Justice Center
OKLAHOMA CITY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL of LAW
is a multi-disciplinary service model where professionals come together under one roof to provide coordinated services to victims of interpersonal violence. Palomar has become the most comprehensive, integrated multidisciplinary response for crime victims in Oklahoma City.
Palomar has a tremendous goal: to unify all of the services a victim may need and make them easily accessible by housing them in one convenient location. In domestic violence, this coordinated response can make the difference between life and death for victims and their children. Integrating services is an innovative best practice approach to respond to our community’s needs and is in the best interest of victims. Further, agencies can save money and increase the effectiveness of service delivery to victims and their children by locating services under one roof instead of expecting victims to travel from agency to agency to get needed services.
Our mission is to provide protection, hope, and healing. We envision an Oklahoma City free from violence, where safety and security are felt. Palomar integrates innovative services among collaborative providers to: work together to interrupt the cycle of domestic violence, sexual
assault, stalking, child abuse, elder abuse, and human trafficking; provide long-term support for victims and their children to heal from trauma; hold offenders accountable; and, empower survivors to thrive.
Since opening its doors in 2017, Palomar has served over twenty-three thousand (23,000) clients and currently has forty-five (45) partner agencies, including victim service providers, community nonprofits, law enforcement, civil/legal, universities, mental health professionals, and more. However, a consistent barrier for those escaping violence is the lack of civil legal services. While a large majority of Palomar's clients experiencing violence or abuse would like to initiate civil court proceedings, such as a victim protective order (VPO), divorce, or child custody actions, these clients lack the financial resources to hire a private attorney.
Given the large number of clients needing civil legal assistance who are unable to be assisted by Palomar’s on-site partner, Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, Palomar launched a
pro bono legal program in 2020, the Palomar Legal Network, to increase the availability of civil legal services to survivors. The mission of the Palomar Legal Network is to organize and support a network of lawyers, licensed legal interns, law school representatives, and law students in the community that will provide high-quality free and low-cost legal support services with integrity, professionalism, and respect to clients of Palomar. In pursuit of the mission, Palomar Legal Network strives to promote and encourage individuals to learn, improve, excel, and become leaders in Oklahoma City's legal and civic communities.
Jim Roth Jim Roth is an energy lawyer and a Director with the Oklahoma City-based Phillips Murrah law firm, where he provides leadership to the firm’s clean energy and regulatory practice. In addition, Jim serves as President and Founder of A New Energy, LLC, an energy consultancy specializing in energy law and development throughout the United States, representing regional and national interests.
Jim Roth also served as the thirteenth Dean of Oklahoma City University School of Law until 2023 earning the honorific title of Dean Emeritus and serves as a tenured Professor of
Law specializing in energy law. At the time of his decanal service, Roth was only the second alumnus to serve as Dean, having earned his Juris Doctor degree, with honors, in 1994.
As an entrepreneur, Jim has also founded or co-founded four other existing private businesses, including Blue Skies Connections, LLC, an Oklahoma based telephone company with operations in five states. Jim also serves as a Board member of Global Innovation Platform, (dba ENXchange) a Texas-based, private IoT energy technology start-up, and serves on the Arvest Bank Board of Directors in Central Oklahoma.
Previously, Jim Roth served as an Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner by Appointment of Governor Brad Henry in 2007. As a Corporation Commissioner, Roth had involvement with Oklahoma’s important economies, including Regulation of Oil & Gas activities, Energy Policies, Public Utilities, Renewable Energies, Telecommunications, Transportation, Pipeline Integrity & Safety, and Consumer Services.
Jim Roth previously served as an Oklahoma County Commissioner for District One, elected twice, and also worked for eight years as a County Attorney. He is a member of the Oklahoma, Kansas and American Bar Associations and is a Past-President of the National Association of Civil County Attorneys.
Jim graduated from Kansas State University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science/Pre-Law before earning his J.D. in May 1994. Jim holds graduate certificates from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, The United States Air War College’s National Security Forum at Maxwell Air Force Base and The Institute of Public Utilities at Michigan State University.
Jim believes in community volunteerism and is involved in numerous civic efforts including: the Greater OKC United Way (Board); The Oklahoma City Philharmonic (President-Elect); the City of Oklahoma City Civic Center Foundation (Trustee); Mayflower Congregational Church (UCC); and
The American Law Institute, among others.
Jim Roth is known for his ability to bring diverse people together to solve problems and develop solutions. Jim is known for his strong work ethic, effective leadership, respect for all people and his integrity. Jim is an avid outdoorsman, enjoying boating, nature, travel and time spent on his farm, at the lake and with his husband Phillip, family, friends and, of course, their many animal pets.
Allison McGrew currently serves as Senior Legal Counsel for Stride Bank, N.A. In this role, she offers comprehensive legal counsel on a variety of matters, from real estate leases to vendor contracts and non-disclosure agreements. Embracing the dynamic nature of her role, Allison finds fulfillment in continually exploring new areas of law.
Before joining Stride in 2023, Allison was a Shareholder at McAfee & Taft P.C. in the firm’s aviation practice group. Her tenure involved representing a broad spectrum of clients, both domestic and international, in transactions in matters involving the buying, selling, leasing, financing, and registration of aircraft. Notably, Allison played a key role in developing the firm’s framework for registering and perfecting security interests in drones with the Federal Aviation Administration. Her contributions extended to co-authoring the United States segment of L2B Aviation’s Drone Registration Questionnaire.
Allison has previously been recognized as an honoree of The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch, Super Lawyers: Oklahoma Rising Stars, and 405 Magazine Top Attorneys.
Beyond her legal endeavors, Allison is deeply invested in her community. She is an active member of First United Methodist Church of Edmond, including its Love in Action Reconciling Ministry. Allison previously served as a board member for Bella SPCA. In her downtime, she enjoys spending time with her family, attending OSU sporting events, exploring local breweries, and indulging in her love of the Great British Baking Show.
Student Awards
Outstanding Service Awards
Oklahoma City University Law Alumni Award Samuel C. Holzschuh.
Dean's Service Award Outstanding Service to the School of Law Andrew Woods II.
Outstanding Graduate Awards
Judge Alfred P. Murrah Sr. Award
Outstanding Academic Performance Robert John Berry, Cecilee Grace Whitnah.
Oklahoma City University School of Law Jim Roth Award for Excellence in Law School Leadership Redmond Synclaire Wortham.
Oklahoma City University School of Law Justice Yvonne Kauger Award Kaylee Caroline Maxon.
Oklahoma City University School of Law J. William Conger Distinguished Student Award Christopher Paul Garinger, Samuel C. Holzschuh.
Oklahoma Bar Association Outstanding Law School Senior Student Caleb James Evans.
Oklahoma City University School of Law Outstanding Graduate Award Jackson M. Mayberry.
Academic Excellence Awards
Oklahoma Bar Association Bankruptcy Section Excellence in Consumer Bankruptcy Jinah Jung.
Oklahoma Bar Association Business/Corporate Law Section Excellence in Corporation Law Spring 2023 Priscilla Villanueva; Fall 2023 Kaylee Caroline Maxon.
Oklahoma Bar Association Energy and Natural Resources Section Excellence in Energy Law Thomas Glen Ferguson III, Cecilee Grace Whitnah.
Oklahoma Bar Association Financial Institutions and Commercial Law Section Excellence in Commercial Law Clifford Scott Kennedy.
Oklahoma Bar Association Litigation Section Excellence in Litigation Skills Katelynn Jayna Crain.
Oklahoma City Real Property Lawyers Association Excellence in Property Law Landen Kendell Logan. Oklahoma Bar Foundation Chapman Rogers Andrew Woods II.
Oklahoma Bar Foundation Partners Scholarship Kiaralexis Wood.
The Joseph A. Salem and Adele E. Salem Civil Liberties Awards Law Review Note Ethan Garrett Tourtellotte.
The Joseph A. Salem and Adele E. Salem Civil Liberties Awards Unpublished Paper Jeriah Jacob Steward.
Association of Corporate Counsel, Oklahoma Chapter Excellence in Corporate Law Andrew Woods II.
C. Blue Clark Memorial Award Excellence in Native American Law Roselin Pearl Buckingham.
Judge Dwain Box Memorial Award Outstanding Appellate Advocate Emily Charles Pirrong.
Professor Alvin C. Harrell Scholarship Excellence in Commercial Law Fall 2023 Cecilee Grace Whitnah; Spring 2024 Patrick W. Morrissey.
T. Hurley Jordan Award Excellence in Criminal Procedure Jackson M. Mayberry.
Oklahoma Association of Municipal Attorneys Excellence in Municipal Law and Policy Kohlby Winfield McInnes.
Oklahoma Bar Association Indian Law Section G. William Rice Memorial Scholarship Roselin Pearl Buckingham, Alexa Old Crow, Cael Marc Staton.
Charles Nesbitt Energy Law Award Excellence in Energy Law Robert John Berry.
Public Interest/Community Service Awards
Access to Justice Foundation Outstanding Pro Bono Service Andrew Woods II. Law Review Awards
Editor-in-Chief Award Emily Hurt.
Managing Editor Award Philip Novak. Honorary Law Review Member Dean David Holt.
Alumni Association Board of Directors
Travis Weedn (Chair), Lindsey Pever (Immediate Past Chair), Chance Deaton, Ben Grubb, Justin Meek, Abi Ray, Allie Ah Loy, Kendall Sykes, Emma Payne, Naureen Hubbard, Kari Hawthorne, Lauren Mass, Danielle Fielding, Katherine Mazaheri.
CLE Highlights
State Taxes in Bankruptcy Lorena Massey, The Ethics of Inclusion: Developing the Words, Actions, and Achievements to Change Yourself and Your Practice Tom Vincent, 2023 Oklahoma Supreme Court Year in Review Jana Knott.
Since our relaunch in 2018, the OCU Law Alumni Association has been striving to promote the welfare and effectiveness of OCU Law by connecting you to the school and its current students through a wide range of opportunities to participate.
If you graduated from OCU Law and are not yet a member of our association, we invite you to join today! You can join online at law.okcu.edu/alumni-friends/alumni-association/.
Annual membership begins at $100 per year and comes with a wide range of benefits, but most importantly it allows the Alumni Association to deliver an exceptional mentoring experience for students, provide scholarships, encourage and support students during their final exams and bar exam studies, deliver an engaging CLE program, and plan the annual Alumni Awards Gala recognizing our impressive alumni. Your membership directly supports OCU Law and its students.
In April, the Alumni Association hosted its annual Alumni Awards Ceremony where honorees were recognized and celebrated at a sold-out casino night gala at the Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club. Attendees thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to come together to celebrate leaders in our legal community. The Alumni Association recognized the honorees on the previous three magazine pages. Our beloved Dean Emeritus Jim Roth (’94) was the emcee and, as usual, engaged the audience with his humor and sharp wit. This event is a celebration of all things OCU Law, and we hope that if you weren’t with us this year, you will plan to join us next year. Nominations are now open for the next group of deserving alums.
None of these events and programs would be possible without the efforts of our talented board. The Alumni Association’s 2023-2024 Board of Directors includes Immediate Past Board Chair and Development Committee Chair Lindsey Pever; Board Chair Elect and Special Events Committee Chair Katherine Mazaheri; Student Engagement Committee Chair Chance Deaton; Mentorship Committee Chair Abi Ray; CLE Committee Chair Lauren Mass; Justin Meek; Allie Ah Loy; Ben Grubb; Kari Hawthorne; Danielle Fielding; Kendal Sykes; Emma Payne; Naureen Hubbard; and student member, Jeriah Steward. Thank you for your service!
It is an honor to serve as your Alumni Association Chair. I gained so much more than a degree from my time at OCU Law, and I’m constantly inspired by connecting with our talented current and future alumni. If you are interested in getting reconnected with OCU Law or if you have ideas on how our Alumni Association can better serve you, please don’t hesitate to contact me at (405) 639-7014 or travisweedn@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
Travis N. Weedn ’14
Chair, Oklahoma City University School of Law Alumni Association; Sr. Manager for Government and Regulatory Affairs, Oklahoma Corp. Commission
The City's Law School
The Oklahoma City Municipal Building is home to OKC's City Hall and sits just 8 blocks away from the law school. OCU Law’s Norick Municipal Law Research Clinic provides students an opportunity to explore and research municipal law while in law school. Our alumni often go on to work in city governments across the country. Currently in OKC, ’09 graduate David Holt serves as Mayor, and ’80 graduate Kenneth Jordan serves as Municipal Counselor.
thank you for giving
Gifts from July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024
Dean’s Cabinet
$100,000+
Chickasaw Nation
Inasmuch Foundation
Oklahoma Bar Foundation
Tom Quinn & Tommy F. Thompson
Dean's Council
$10,000+
Bob Burke
Niles Jackson & Barbara
Thornton
Partners
$1,000+
A New Energy, LLC
Robert Abernathy
Abigail, LLC
William Ackerman
David Aelvoet
Don Andrews
Avidxchange, Inc.
Ball Morse Lowe PLLC
Deborah & Ron Barnes
Hamden Baskin, III
Bass Law Firm
Jerry Bass
Arnold Battise
David Beal
Regan Beatty
James Beers
Andrew Benton
William Buckles
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Conklin Family Foundation
William Corum
Cindy Crittenden
Crowe & Dunlevy
CTI
Chance Deaton
Patricia Demps
Devol and Associates
DM Law OKC, PLLC
Jo Anne Eason
Marianne Evans
Fellers, Snider, Blankenship, Bailey & Tippens, PC
Danielle Fielding
Jennifer & Jason Finley
First Presbyterian Church
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M. Ladner Family Foundation, Inc.
GableGotwals
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Harry Goldman
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Susan & Nick Harroz III
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John and Claudia
Holliman Affiliated Fund
Johnson Hanan Vosler
Hawthorne & Snider
Eric Laity
LegalShield
Jenee Lister
Brandon Long
Martin J. Lopez
Robert Margo
Katherine Mazaheri
McAfee & Taft, PC
Nikki Miliband
Isai Molina
Ashley Murphy
OBA Indian Law Section
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OKC Thunder
Oklahoma County Bar Foundation
Lindsey Pever
Phillips Murrah, PC
Pierce, Couch, Hendrickson, Baysinger &
Green, L.L.P.
Kathryn Potts
George Proctor, Jr.
Andrew Schroeder
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Roy Slootheer
Irwin Steinhorn
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Supporters
$100+
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Suzanne Mitchel
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MJAC Investment
Company, LLC
Kelly Monroe
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Vincent Nealey
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Janet New
Ruey Newsom, II
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Nike, Inc.
Noble McIntyre
Erin Oakley
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J. David Ogle
OU Jimmie Austin Golf Club
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Leonard Pataki
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The Professional Basketball Club, LLC
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Lezel Safi
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Sherwood
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United Way of Central New Mexico
Susan Urban
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William and Lauren
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Wm. Mee Company
Michael Wolf
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$1+
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Lion Salon & Spa
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Joseph Wheeler, Jr.
Patty Whitecotton
Samantha Wolf
Cornell Woodard
Redmond Wortham
Anthony Woska
Peter Wright
Make a lasting investment in OCU Law's future
Supporting our students and continuing our legacy as Oklahoma City’s law school are Oklahoma City University School of Law’s top priorities. We need your help to continue producing the next generation of great lawyers and servant leaders. All gifts, regardless of amount, work together to support OCU School of Law.
Planned gifts, sometimes referred to as legacy gifts, encompass a range of gift types that allow donors to make a lasting impact while maximizing their estates. Each of these vehicles can help you make a meaningful gift to OCU School of Law and possibly reduce you or your estate’s tax liability. These gifts include appreciated stock, charitable bequests, retirement plan gifts, charitable lead trusts, real estate and other property income plans, estate gifts, and life insurance.
If you would like more personalized information about planned giving, please contact Jennifer Stevenson at jsstevenson@okcu.edu or (405) 208-7100.
OCU Law is the only law school in the city limits of America’s 20th-largest city and the only law school in our state’s capital city. Our beautiful historic home in downtown Oklahoma City places us at the heart of a dynamic city, walking distance from unique professional and cultural opportunities. Though the city is our clinic and we have nearly 100 established externship relationships, we also o er a growing number of experiential opportunities and centers of excellence inside the building.
These include:
• Oklahoma Innocence Project
• American Indian Wills Clinic
• American Indian Law & Sovereignty Center / OCU Tribal Sovereignty Institute
• The Collaborative: Law Clinic for Business & Innovation
• Housing Eviction Legal Assistance Program (HELP)
• Norick Municipal Law Research Clinic
• Immigration Clinic
• Center for the Study of State
Constitutional Law & Government
• Inasmuch Center for Public Service
Our students are taught by 24 full-time professors and dozens of adjunct faculty that includes many sitting judges and other accomplished practicing lawyers. Princeton Review recently named us a top 50 law school for teaching.
Our approximately 430 students are among the most diverse in the country, and PreLaw Magazine recently named OCU Law one of the top 50 schools in the nation for diversity.
PreLaw also ranked OCU Law the #4 best law school for Native American students. One out of every ten students is a tribal member. OCU Law and OCU are hosts of the Sovereignty Symposium.
The ABA judges a law school’s Bar passage rate by the percentage of students who take and pass the test within two years of graduation. This is known as the “ultimate Bar passage rate.” OCU Law’s average since 2015 is 87 percent.
