College of Law

The University of Tulsa College of Law is ranked as a top 100 law school in the nation by U.S. News and World Report 2014 Best Graduate Schools rankings. As one of the smallest law schools in the country, the College of Law offers six degree programs: the Juris Doctorate; an LL.M. degree in American Indian and Indigenous Law; an LL.M. degree in American Law for Foreign Lawyers; an L.L.M. in Energy and Natural Resources Law; an online Master of Jurisprudence in Indian Law; and an online Master of Jurisprudence in Energy Law. In partnership with the Graduate School, the College of Law offers 10 joint J.D./master degrees, including J.D./M.A. degrees in anthropology, clinical psychology, computer Science, English, history and industrial psychology; J.D./M.B.A; and J.D./M.S. degrees in biological sciences, finance, and geosciences.

The College of Law’s J.D. program is comprehensive with a broad-based curriculum but also offers specialization opportunities in sustainable energy and resource law; Native American law; and health law. Students have opportunities to develop the professional skills needed for transitioning into the practice of law through the Boesche Legal Clinic’s Immigrant Rights Project and Family Advocacy Clinic, the Legal Externship Program, the Judicial Externship Program, and the many career-building programs offered by the Professional Development Office. The Tulsa Law Review and the Energy Law Journal provide students with opportunities to publish articles demonstrating their legal reasoning and writing skills.

With an enrollment of about 320 students, the College of Law offers students opportunities for small class sizes, one-on-one interactions with professors, and individualized career counseling. Professors and students enjoy newly-renovated facilities that include state-of-the-art electronic classroom technology. Academic life is enriched by the College of Law’s many lectures, conferences, and programs which are open to the entire Tulsa community.

Mabee Legal Information Center (MLIC). The Mabee Legal Information Center (MLIC) holds more than 430,000 volumes and features a solid general legal collection as well as specialized collections in energy and environmental law and Native American law. All MLIC users have access to a vast number of law-related electronic resources, including LEXIS and WESTLAW. In addition, the MLIC houses two student journal offices, the Board of Advocates, and the Public Interest Board. The Utsey Family Native American Law Center is a beautiful and inviting reading room featuring Native American rare and primary resources and artwork representing all the Oklahoma tribes.

Boesche Legal Clinic. The Boesche Legal Clinic, through the Immigrant Rights Project and the Lobeck Taylor Family Advocacy Clinic, operates as a law firm. Students gain experience interviewing and counseling clients, negotiating with attorneys, planning cases, conducting factual investigations, drafting documents, examining and preparing witnesses, working with federal, state, and local government agencies, and providing written and oral advocacy and community education workshops.

The faculty and students of the Immigrant Rights Project represent non-citizens in immigration matters. Clients primarily include persons seeking asylum in the United States as a result of persecution or a fear of persecution in their home countries. The clinic may also represent non-citizen victims of domestic violence, unaccompanied non-citizen minors, or other non-citizens subject to removal and immigration detention.

In the Lobeck Taylor Family Advocacy Clinic, students serve the Tulsa community by providing representation that increases access to justice for low-income individuals and families. Clinic cases may involve legal issues related to domestic violence, housing, public benefits, consumer debt, or collateral challenges that stem from clients’ involvement in the criminal justice system.

Price and Turpen Courtroom. The Price and Turpen Courtroom, designed for the future of legal instruction, includes a state-of-the art sound system, broadcast and recording capabilities, videoconferencing technology, and wireless network access. The room is a working courtroom and the venue for several Oklahoma civil and criminal cases each year.

Externships. The externship program offers 2L and 3L students the opportunity to earn academic credit while gaining practical client experience in the field. Students work in a legal setting under the direct supervision of a licensed attorney or judge while also taking a contemporaneous academic course which provides the opportunity for reflection and additional substantive knowledge. Externships provide students the opportunity to move from thinking like a lawyer in the classroom to thinking like a lawyer in a practice setting through work on real cases and legal issues. Opportunities exist in a broad range of civil and criminal litigation as well as transactional law. Placements include courts, law firms, government agencies, non-profit organizations and corporate legal departments. Full semester out-of-state placements are available during the summers and/or the last semester of the 3L year.

Sustainable Energy and Resources Law (SERL) Program. The SERL Program has three principal objectives: 1) offer comprehensive training in the fields of energy, environmental, and natural resources law; 2) produce nationally and internationally recognized scholarship and research that contributes to the public policy debate; and 3) facilitate communication among the many individuals, companies, organizations, and public bodies interested in energy, environmental and natural resources, with the expectation that such communication will lead to more enlightened national and international laws and policies.

SERL accomplishes its objectives through an advanced curriculum; the scholarship and public presentations of the SERL faculty and members of the SERL Board of Visitors; publication of the Energy Law Journal in conjunction with the Energy Bar Association; publication of the Environment, Energy, and Resources Law: The Year in Review in  conjunction with the ABA Section of Environment, Energy and Resources; and student-centered co-curricular activities in conjunction with the student-led Resources, Energy, and Environmental Law Society (REELS). SERL’s curricular offerings include a Sustainable Energy and Resources Law Certificate for J.D. students, an LL.M. for Foreign Graduates, and an online Master of Jurisprudence in Energy Law designed primarily for non-lawyers. SERL’s co-curricular activities include opportunities to work and network with members of its partner organizations, including the Energy Bar Association; the ABA Section of Environment, Energy and Resources; REELS; and the SERL Board of Visitors, which is comprised of energy, environmental and natural resources professionals in the midst of prestigious careers. For more information, visit the SERL website at www.utulsa.edu/serl.

Native American Law Center (NALC). The College of Law is located in Indian Country, within the original borders of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. The Native American Law Center is the umbrella organization overseeing various aspects of TU’s Indian law programs. The College of Law boasts several full-time faculty specializing in Indian law and offers a significant number of specialized Indian law courses including a certificate in Indian law. In addition, it has an LL.M. (Masters in Law) in American Indian and Indigenous Law and a Master of Jurisprudence in Indian Law for non-lawyers offered completely online. For more information, visit the NALC website at www.utulsa.edu/nalc. An active Native American Law Students’ Association, as well as a variety of externship opportunities with local tribes, provides opportunities for student activities and interaction with the Indian community.