Find your place at OCU Law.
Your Future. Your Community. Your OCU Law Experience.
Oklahoma City University School of Law is a vibrant community for students from a variety of cultural and academic backgrounds. Whether you’re fresh from undergrad or following your law school dreams with some real-life experience under your belt, your success is our top priority.
Your J.D. academic journey at OCU Law is powered by a refreshing blend of practical experience and stimulating coursework, providing unique opportunities to both study and engage in the law. Our supportive academic environment brings together a solid foundation of knowledge and skills, preparing students to become forward-thinking innovators and problem-solvers. Our graduates are prepared to be leaders in law, business, government and civic life from day one.
Come visit us! We’d love to show you around. Located in the heart of downtown, OCU Law is just steps from courthouses, law firms, government agencies, businesses, nonprofits and all the amenities Oklahoma City has to offer. Our law school is steeped in rigorous and pragmatic traditions and operates in strong partnership with the community. We are a capital city law school, a practitioner’s law school, an interdisciplinary law school and we’re perfectly positioned to help place you in the rooms where it happens.
EXPLORE OCU LAW
Call 405-208-5354 to schedule a tour.
A quality legal education goes beyond the classroom and provides hands-on learning opportunities.
We offer a variety of ways for students to dive right into the action.
AMERICAN INDIAN LAW & SOVEREIGNTY CENTER
The Sovereignty Center is an academic law and policy center focusing exclusively on legal issues affecting tribal governments and communities. Students have the opportunity to practice wills and estate planning through the American Indian Wills Clinic, which serves Native and Indigenous people owning trust or restricted property in Oklahoma.
THE COLLABORATIVE: LAW CLINIC FOR BUSINESS AND INNOVATION
Students have the opportunity to advise entrepreneurs and innovators who are located in the underserved Oklahoma City community through The Collaborative, which offers legal assistance including entity formation, contract drafting, intellectual property protection and other services for business startups.
OKLAHOMA INNOCENCE PROJECT
With new cases coming into the Project every week, students receive the unique experience of working with incarcerated clients to prove their innocence.
STATE CONSTITUTIONAL LAW & GOVERNMENT CENTER
The Center develops and implements programs dedicated to the improvement of state constitutions and state governance.
NORICK MUNICIPAL LAW RESEARCH CLINIC
In partnership with the City of Oklahoma City’s Municipal Counselor’s Office, the clinic pairs students with attorney mentors to research municipal law issues including criminal justice, civil litigation, labor and employment, land use and economic development, trusts, utilities, elections and finance.
OCU Law is known for our inclusive and supportive environment, which means you’ll never worry about fitting in or asking for help. We also prepare you to practice and to lead. Our location in the heart of America’s 20th-largest city means you are literally blocks from virtually every experiential learning opportunity you could desire. When you graduate, you’ll be immersed in the doctrinal aspects of the law, you’ll be prepared to practice and you’ll have access to career opportunities.
Dean David Holt
We’re the first law school in Oklahoma, founded in 1907. Our law school has a robust, bold spirit that always strives for excellence. We are more than a law school; we are a community. YOUR community. It’s different here. Experience it for yourself.
Our innovative curriculum, opportunities to gain hands-on experience and top-notch employment services were all designed with your success in mind.
CAMPUS LIFE
You will not find a better location for a law school campus anywhere. Our positioning in the heart of downtown Oklahoma City puts our students within walking distance to just about anything. All three branches of government are right in our back yard. This is a place where you can learn, live, work and play.
AMENITIES
Our law school resides inside the historic Central High School building, now renovated with the latest technology and designed to provide students with a top-notch library, convenient meeting place, regal courtroom or a quiet place to study. Classically designed by famous architect Solomon Andrew Layton in 1910, our five-story structure occupies an entire city block and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
DIVERSITY,
INCLUSIVITY AND BELONGING
The very nature of Oklahoma City University School of Law is inviting and inclusive to individuals from all walks of life. We understand that a community - both inside and outside the law school - is strengthened by the unique insights, experiences, cultures and backgrounds of each person. By embracing the individual, we create a welcoming environment for all students.
Top Reasons to Choose OCU Law
• Supportive, welcoming environment
• Personalized attention from renowned faculty
• Certificate programs in a wide variety of subjects
• Vibrant downtown location in proximity to experiential learning and career opportunities
• Access to thousands of print and digital study aids
• Connect with a vast global alumni network
• Full access to BARBRI bar prep program
• 90% average employment rate for graduates since 2021
LARGEST CITY IN THE U.S. AND 6TH FASTEST GROWING TOP 20 CITIES
[U.S. CENSUS BUREAU]
THE OKLAHOMA RIVER IS AN OFFICIAL U.S. Olympic & Paralympic training site for rowing, canoeing and kayaking 20th
MAJOR ARTS AND FILM FESTIVALS EACH YEAR
including Festival of the Arts, deadCenter Film Festival, Paseo Arts Festival, Red Earth Festival, Fiestas de las Americas, Juneteenth festivals and more
100 miles OF MULTI-USE TRAILS
#1 City for Affordable Rent [2023 REALTOR.COM]
HOME OF THE OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER AND THE WOMEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES
Best top 50 cities to live for families [FORTUNE] #3
RANKED THE BEST SPOT IN AMERICA FOR LAUNCHING A SMALL BUSINESS
300 days of Sunshine Per Year
Eat, drink, live and play in one of 15+ diverse and thriving districts, each with a distinct feel and personality - from Bricktown, Midtown, the Plaza District, West Village and Uptown 23rd to the Paseo Arts District, Asian District and NW 39th Street’s LGBTQIA+ District
TASTEATLAS RANKS OKLAHOMA CITY AS THE 87TH-BEST CITY IN THE WORLD TO try
Myriad Botanical Gardens and Scissortail Park
HOME TO FARMERS MARKETS, CULTURAL EVENTS AND OUTDOOR FUN
Our students are service-minded and are known in the community to give of themselves.
From supporting survivors of domestic violence to helping those experiencing homelessness, law students can find any number of ways to put their hearts and souls into making this city and the world a better place.
PRO BONO AND PUBLIC INTEREST FELLOWSHIPS
Fellowships are awarded to qualified students to work at legal service organizations around the world. This is a unique opportunity to spend a summer honing your legal skills in an area of public service that interests you, and the law school will provide a stipend to cover your living expenses.
HOUSING EVICTION LEGAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (HELP)
In an effort to combat homelessness, HELP was created to provide assistance to those facing eviction by informing them about their procedural and substantive rights, and with the goal of detouring them from facing the consequences of eviction.
OCU Law student welcoming client to the American Indian Wills Clinic
OUR PROGRAMS
Our degree programs equip the next generation of lawyers with solid, doctrinal teaching coupled with real-world experience.
Here you can concentrate on your J.D. or participate in a variety of joint J.D. programs.
• J.D.
• J.D./MPA
• J.D./MBA
• J.D./M.A. in Nonprofit Organizations and Leadership
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
We offer robust opportunities for students to work on real-world cases. Explore the possibilities.
• American Indian Wills Clinic
• Norick Municipal Law Research Clinic
• Oklahoma Innocence Project Clinic
• The Collaborative: Law Clinic for Business and Innovation
• Pro Bono Housing Eviction Legal Assistance Program (HELP) Clinic
• Bail and Bond Reform Clinic
SKILLS INTEGRATION
Skills integration courses are mixed with traditional doctrinal teaching for a learning experience that is unique to Oklahoma City University School of Law.
• First year Civil Procedure classes are co-taught by full-time faculty and practicing lawyers
• Family Law and Bankruptcy classes incorporate pro bono service on behalf of actual clients
Skills Courses include:
• Forensic Evidence in the Courtroom
• American Indian Wills Clinic
• Client Representation in Arbitration
• Client Representation in Mediation
• Client Representation in Negotiation
• Contract Drafting
• Judicial Externship
• Litigation Practice Externship
• Native American Externship
• Oklahoma Innocence Project
• Pretrial Litigation
• Trial Practice
• Corporate Counsel Externship
• Government Practice Externship
• Interdisciplinary Training Program in Child Abuse and Neglect
Dual degree program has separate requirements, which can be found along with course descriptions at law.okcu.edu
COMPETITIONS
Our law school regularly supports the participation of one or more student teams in various skills competitions including:
• American Bar Association Arbitration
• American Bar Association Client Counseling
• American Bar Association Mediation
• American Bar Association National Appellate Advocacy
• American Bar Association Negotiation
• American College of Trial Lawyers National Trial
• NBLSA Constance Baker Motley Mock Trial
• National Native American Law Students Association Moot Court
• Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court
REQUIRED COURSES
J.D. students must complete 90 credit hours, which include the following required courses:
• Civil Practice and Procedure I and II
• Constitutional Law I and II
• Contracts I and II
• Corporations
• Criminal Law
• Evidence
• Legal Analysis
• Legal Profession
• Legal Research and Writing I and II
• Legislation and Regulation
• Property
• Torts .
SUMMER START
You don’t have to wait!
Our Summer Start Program enables students to begin their legal education in late May, rather than waiting for the fall semester after admission. Students get a head start on their legal studies and begin making professional connections that will assist with their development as lawyers.
For more information about the Summer Start Program, email lawadmit@okcu.edu or call (405) 208-5354.
FUNDING YOUR LEGAL EDUCATION
Your legal education is a significant investment in your future and we’re here to help.
Financial Aid
After submitting your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), you will receive a Financial Aid Award Notification via Oklahoma City University student email. If you have questions about financial aid, please contact finaid@okcu.edu or call 405-208-5211.
Scholarships
Each year, OCU Law awards more than $1 million in scholarships to admitted students. All applicants are automatically considered for merit scholarships. No separate application is required. Learn more at law.okcu.edu/admissions/scholarships.
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
Be Who You Are.
Diverse. Bright. Motivated. Oklahoma City University School of Law supports who you are when you arrive on campus, while helping you discover exactly who you want to be.
Where better to connect with fellow students and gain well-rounded experiences than one of OCU Law’s student organizations. Students increase their knowledge in specific areas of law, gain leadership experience and work closely with fellow students, faculty, alumni and other legal professionals with similar passions.
• Agricultural and Environmental Law Association
• Alternative Dispute Resolution Group
• American Bar Association, Law Student Division
• American Constitution Society
• Animal Law Group
• Antitrust & Competition Law Society
• Asian Pacific American Law Students Association
• Cannabis Legal Society
• Catholic Law Student Association
• Christian Legal Society
• Corporate Law Association
• Criminal Law Association
• Energy Law Association
• Family Law Association
• Federal Bar Association, OCU Chapter
• Federalist Society, OCU Chapter
• Fighting for Innocence Through Exoneration
• John E. Green Black Law Students Association
• Future Lawyers for Children
• Health Law Association
• Hispanic Law Student Association
• Immigration Legal Society
• Intellectual Property Law Society
• International Law Society
• Murrah Student Association
• Native American Law Students Association
• Organization for the Advancement of Women in the Law
• OUTLaws
• Parents Attending Law School (PALS)
• Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity
• Phi Delta Phi International Legal Honor Society
• Poverty Law Group
• Public Interest Law Group
• Second Amendment Society
• Sports, Property & Entertainment Law Association
• Student Animal Legal Defense Fund
• Student Bar Association Executive Board
• Texas Legal Society
We offer an innovative curriculum, opportunities to gain hands-on experience and top-notch employment services all with you in mind.
EMPLOYMENT RATE
Oklahoma City University has been named in the top 25% of all law schools nationwide based on the ability of our graduates to gain employment in J.D. or J.D. advantage jobs. Consistently, our graduate employment rate exceeds the national average.
SKILLS INTEGRATION
Our skills integration courses are mixed with traditional doctrinal teaching for an educational experience that uniquely blends theory with real-world experience.
PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE
We offer more than 100 externship placement sites in the areas of government practice, litigation practice, judicial clerkships and Native American law. And we are adding more every day.
We prepare you to practice law.
CONQUER THE BAR
Most students seek a career as an attorney, and passing the bar is a necessary step to achieve that goal. At OCU Law, bar preparation begins the first day of law school. The J.D. program will incorporate Academic Fellows, Skills Workshops and for-credit classes beginning your first semester to ensure students graduate with the necessary skills to succeed on the bar exam.
The 3L year includes a dedicated bar preparation program, Conquer the Bar. This robust preparatory program will help students pass the bar in any state and includes:
• A year-long sequence of for-credit courses
• Essay writing preparation
• Multiple-choice testing strategies
• Lectures
• Practice tests
Conquer the Bar doesn’t end at graduation.
We partner with the leading bar review company, BARBRI, to provide each student a supplemental bar review course after graduation. From mid-May until the end of July, graduates work diligently with BARBRI and our program to memorize legal principles and practice exam questions. Graduates who fully participate in this rigorous program do indeed Conquer the Bar!
STUDENT SUCCESS
Every student has different needs and we want to ensure that you have the tools to be successful. In partnership with Student Services, each student will create an individualized Student Success Plan, a collaborative holistic effort tailored to help you meet your academic, professional and personal needs and interests.
