About OU Law
The University of Oklahoma Law Center is the parent entity of the College of Law. The two names are often used interchangeably, although the Law Center also includes the Donald E. Pray Law Library, the OU Legal Clinic, and the Department of Legal Assistant Education, as well as the Oklahoma Law Review and American Indian Law Review.
The College of Law is currently the academic home of over 500 students enrolled in the full-time Juris Doctor program, as well as many students enrolled in the University's joint degree programs (the College currently does not offer a part-time program aside from the joint degree programs). The College of Law is the largest law school in Oklahoma; it is the only public law school in the state; and its Donald E. Pray Law Library (which is open to the public) boasts the largest law collection, public or private, in the state.
Then. . .
The College of Law has progressed quite a bit since The Dean, Julien C. Monnet, founded it in 1909. From its humble beginnings of Dean Monnet, two faculty members, and 47 students, the College of Law has grown to become the preeminent legal institution in the state. In 1914, thanks to the incessant lobbying of state legislators by law students for funding its construction, the College moved into its first permanent home, Monnet Hall.
The 47,000 square foot Law Barn, as it was affectionately known, was home to the College for some 62 years. As the home of the College of Law, it was witness to many events in Oklahoma (and American) history, including the admission of then-future OU Regent Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher, the first black woman admitted to the College of Law, in 1948. It also produced former US Senator and current OU President David Boren; Oklahoma's current Governor, Brad Henry, as well as his predecessor, Frank Keating; and the Law Center's Dean and Director, former Oklahoma County District Attorney and Mayor of Oklahoma City, Andrew M. Coats.
. . .and Now
Despite the additional square footage built onto the rear of Monnet Hall, the newly-formed Law Center outgrew the building, forcing a relocation to its current home on Timberdell Road in 1976. But it didn't end there. Adding the American Indian Law Review to complement the established Oklahoma Law Review, expanding clinical legal education, and generally striving to meet the increasing demands of legal education in the late 20th century caused the Law Center to once again outgrow its facilities.
The Law Center recently finished a construction and renovation project that broke ground on the College's 90th Anniversary in October, 1999. The cornerstones of the project are the new 58,000 square foot Donald E. Pray Law Library and the 250-seat Dick Bell Courtroom. The new Library features the Chapman Reading room, modeled after the reading room in the College's previous home, Monnett Hall, with a parquet floor reminiscent of the floors in the Louvre.
The Dick Bell Courtroom is one of the largest and most technologically advanced courtrooms in the region, if not the nation, and hosts live trials from the various courts in central Oklahoma. The Bell Courtroom has hosted appellate cases from both the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals (including a death penalty appeal) and the US Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, as well as civil trials from the US District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. In March, 2005, the Bell Courtroom hosted an unprecedented hearing presided over by 12 Judges of the US 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Take a Virtual Tour of the courtroom.
The Law Center's Location
The Law Center is located approximately one mile south of OU's Main Campus. To the north, across Timberdell Road, is the Oklahoma Center for Continuing Education (OCCE) and on-campus housing. To the west is the new home of the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History. To the east are University tennis courts and the OU Women's Softball team's new stadium. To the south are L. Dale Mitchell Park, home of the Men's Baseball team, and the Lloyd Noble Center, home of the Sooner basketball teams and host to numerous concerts and other events. Click here for a map.