Moritz College of Law
Encyclopedia
| The Ohio State University Mortiz College of Law |
|
| Established | 1891 |
|---|---|
| School type | Public university Public university A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions... |
| Dean | Alan C. Michaels |
| Location | Columbus Columbus, Ohio Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city... , Ohio Ohio Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus... , United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
| Enrollment | 723 |
| Faculty | 53 professors 35 adjunct faculty |
| USNWR ranking | 34 |
| Bar pass rate | 93% in OH |
| Annual tuition | $24,324 for Ohio residents (2010–2011) |
| Homepage | http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/ |
The Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
Moritz College of Law is a public law school and charter member of the Association of American Law Schools
Association of American Law Schools
The Association of American Law Schools is a non-profit organization of 170 law schools in the United States. Another 25 schools are "non-member fee paid" schools, which are not members but choose to pay AALS dues. Its purpose is to improve the legal profession through the improvement of legal...
. According to the 2010 U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
rankings, the Moritz College of Law is 35th in the nation overall and is in the top ten among public law schools. The specialty program in dispute resolution is ranked 5th in the nation. Founded in 1891 and elevated to college status in 1896, the College of Law has produced approximately 9,000 graduates.
The university has recognized the College of Law through its Selective Investment Grants as a unit worthy of funding for innovative programs and top faculty. Moritz's faculty have been awarded University-wide teaching, diversity, and scholarship awards.
Traditional fields, such a criminal law
Criminal law
Criminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...
, employment law, labor law, commercial law
Commercial law
Commercial law is the body of law that governs business and commercial transactions...
, and international law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
are available, as well as emerging areas, such as alternative dispute resolution
Alternative dispute resolution
Alternative Dispute Resolution includes dispute resolution processes and techniques that act as a means for disagreeing parties to come to an agreement short of litigation. ADR basically is an alternative to a formal court hearing or litigation...
and cyberlaw/intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
. The Moritz College of Law offers the fifth ranked alternative dispute resolution program, as well as an array of clinical programs. Dual degrees are sought by a number of students in the more than 100 master's programs and 90 Ph.D's offered by the university. Certificate programs are available to practicing attorneys and current students in international development and trade, dispute resolution, and children studies.
Students are encouraged to engage in public service through a number of activities, like Street Law
Street law
Street Law is an approach to teaching practical law to grassroots audiences using interactive teaching methodologies. Elements of practical law taught include awareness of human rights, democracy, consumer rights, and civil rights....
, an educational program for children; Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, a tax preparation clinic for the poor; and Pro Bono Research Group, a student led and staffed research program that aids legal aid and pro bono attorneys throughout Ohio. Financial assistance is available to reduce the strain of entering public service law through the Public Interest Law Foundation's Fellows Program.
During the summer, the Moritz College offers internships and classes in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, Columbus
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, and classes at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, United Kingdom.
Students can take advantage of over 40 student organizations. National figures routinely appear at the College through a number of lecture series and a variety of conferences and workshops. Leading scholars from around the world routinely converge on the College for conferences and symposia.
In 2001, the College of Law received a $30 million donation from Michael E. Moritz, a graduate of the Ohio State University and its law school. This remains the largest single gift to the university (not counting the $100 million donation from Les Wexner
Les Wexner
Leslie "Les" H. Wexner is an American businessman from Columbus, Ohio, and currently chairman and CEO of the Limited Brands corporation.-Professional:...
in 2011). It provides full tuitions and stipends to 30 law students, 4 endowed faculty chairs, 3 service awards for students, and a fund for use by the dean. The law school is currently campaigning to raise an additional $30 million to match Moritz's gift and make further improvements.
The College of Law is located in Drinko Hall at the corner of 12th Avenue and High Street at the South-East corner of the Columbus campus. It is the only college at The Ohio State University to operate on semesters (until June 2012).
Journals
Students have the opportunity to write and edit works published in a variety of peer-reviewed journals:- The Ohio State Law Journal is the oldest (founded in 1935) and most widely cited of the journals published by the Moritz College of Law. It is published six times a year and has many articles online.
- The Ohio State Journal on Dispute Resolution is an officially sponsored quarterly journal of the American Bar AssociationAmerican Bar AssociationThe American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
. The Ohio State Journal on Dispute Resolution is the leading academic journal in the field of alternative dispute resolution. It is in its 25th year of publication and has won numerous awards in alternative dispute resolution scholarship. Additionally, the journal sponsors the Schwartz Lecture on Dispute Resolution, as well as an annual symposium relating to issues in dispute resolution. - The Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law The Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law is a peer-evaluated, faculty-student cooperative venture published by the Michael E. Moritz College of Law at the Ohio State University. Published semi-annually, it is a forum for important scholarship written by academics and professionals in the criminal justice field. The Journal's purpose is to provide useful, interesting, and provocative commentary on critical issues of interest to the national, and even international, criminal justice community. Each issue includes solicited scholarly articles, in a symposium format with a Guest Editor, written by experts on the subject. Past topics have included policing corporate conduct, capital juries, and the criminal justice system post–September 11. Each issue contains a Commentary section with briefer essays. The journal publishes high-caliber student essays, reviews of books, empirical studies, criminal justice reports, and even reviews of movies and other media.
- I/S: A Journal of Law and Policy for the Information Society is a peer-reviewed journal on the intersection of law, policy, and information technology published jointly with Carnegie Mellon UniversityCarnegie Mellon UniversityCarnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
since 2005. - The Entrepreneurial Business Law Journal is a semi-annual journal on issues affecting small businesses and entrepreneurship.
Moot Court & Lawyering Skills Program
The Moot Court & Lawyering Skills Program at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law includes intramural competitions and inter-scholastic teams covering various areas of the law. The Moot Court and Lawyering Skills Governing Board is responsible for organizing and administering four intramural competitions: the Herman Moot Court Competition, Colley Trial Practice Competition, the Representation in Mediation Competition, and the Lawrence Negotiations Competition.The Moot Court Board also oversees the 15 Moot Court teams that compete nationally against other schools, and assists them in their preparation for competition. The teams include: Two teams who compete in the ABA Moot Court Competition, Two teams who compete in the Nationals Moot Court Competition, Two Civil Rights teams, a team who competes in the Jessup International Law competition, and teams in Corporate Law, Constitutional Law, Criminal Procedure, Evidence, Juvenile Law and Labor Law. In addition, the winners from the Lawrence Negotiations and Representation in Mediation intramural competitions move on to an inter-scholastic regional round.
The Moot Court and Lawyering Skills Governing Board consists of a Chief Justice, four Executive Justices and seven Associate Justices, all of whom are second- and third-year students. The Board has established standing committees to oversee each major competition, and every Associate Justice is assigned as chairperson of a standing committee.
Library
The library at the Moritz College houses the 14th largest law school library collection in the United States and is part of the College's new wireless network. A donation in 1891 started the collection which has grown to 750,000 volumes today. The library is a member of OhioLINK and has access to LexisNexisLexisNexis
LexisNexis Group is a company providing computer-assisted legal research services. In 2006 it had the world's largest electronic database for legal and public-records related information...
, WestLaw
Westlaw
Westlaw is one of the primary online legal research services for lawyers and legal professionals in the United States and is a part of West. In addition, it provides proprietary database services...
, and HeinOnline
HeinOnline
HeinOnline, sometimes spelled Hein Online, is an internet service launched in 2000 that is a source of legal information, much like Westlaw and LexisNexis. Like those services, use of HeinOnline requires a subscription, although most law schools provide access to students for free. It is published...
, among others. The public is welcome to use the library as it is the largest law library in the state of Ohio.
Clinics and centers
Moritz houses several legal clinicLegal clinic
The phrase legal clinic may refer to any private, nonprofit law practice serving the public interest. In the academic context, these law school clinics provide hands-on experience to law school students and services to various clients. Academic Clinics are usually directed by clinical professors...
s and centers that focus on a variety of legal, business, and political issues.
Center for Interdisciplinary Law and Policy Studies
The Center for Interdisciplinary Law and Policy StudiesCenter for Interdisciplinary Law and Policy Studies
The Center for Interdisciplinary Law and Policy Studies at the Ohio State University's Moritz College of Law is committed to the promotion of interdisciplinary research, teaching, and public outreach designed to shed light on the nature and operation of law and legal institutions, as well as the...
offers students the opportunity to work closely with faculty members from both the College of Law and other disciplines on research dealing with critical contemporary policy issues. Three areas are of particular interest:
- Law and humanities, focusing on legal history and culture.
- Law, policy, and social sciences, focusing on empirical research, judicial behavior, and policy influences.
- Law and the information society, focusing on privacy, security, E-government, and E-democracy.
The I/S: A Journal of Law and Policy for the Information Society
I/S: A Journal of Law and Policy for the Information Society
I/S: A Journal of Law and Policy for the Information Society is a law journal covering the intersection of law, policy, and information technology. The journal is published as a partnership between the Moritz College of Law and the Heinz College . It was established in 2005 and publishes three...
is a publication of the Center for Interdisciplinary Law and Policy Studies.
Justice for Children
Ensuring that children and their rights are taken seriously, the Justice for Children Practicum provides students with the opportunity to represent children in a variety of legal proceedings. The cases may include abuse and neglect, delinquency, status offense, custody, and termination of parental rights cases pending in various courtsStudent Housing Legal Clinic
Student Housing Legal Clinic (SHLC) was established in 1999 to provide free legal advice and representation to OSU students with landlord-tenant concerns.The Clinic, an academic partnership between the Office of Student Affairs and the Moritz College of Law, recognizes that housing issues can affect the academic success, wellness, retention, and recruitment of students, as well as the relationship of the University to the community.
The purpose of the Clinic is to work with students, landlords, community organizations, and city officials to improve housing conditions and safety in the University District and surrounding areas, while providing a unique educational opportunity for law students to gain practical experience.
The Clinic offers the full continuum of legal services ranging from counsel and advice to long-term representation.
Legislation Clinic
The Moritz Legislation Clinic provides a front-row view of the legislative process in the Buckeye State as students work directly with legislative leaders and their staffs on matters pending or anticipated to arise before the Ohio House and Senate.Team-taught by two members of the clinic faculty, the course meets twice a week. The classroom component focuses on the Ohio legislative process and on state constitutional law as it affects the relationship between Ohio courts and the legislature.
Clinical placements (as well as class sessions) teach students how to research and analyze current and potential legislative issues, expose them to the challenges of information sharing in a partisan context, and develop their negotiation and consensus building skills.
Alumni
Some of the college's notable alumni include:- Howard M. Metzenbaum, former United States Senator from Ohio (1941)
- C. William O'Neill, Speaker of the Ohio House of RepresentativesOhio House of RepresentativesThe Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate....
, Ohio Attorney GeneralOhio Attorney GeneralThe Ohio Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of Ohio in the United States. The office is filled by general election, held every four years. The Ohio Attorney General is Mike DeWine.-History:...
, Ohio Governor, and Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice (1942) - William B. Saxbe, former United States Attorney GeneralUnited States Attorney GeneralThe United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The attorney general is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government...
and Ambassador to India (1945) - Robert Duncan, former justice on the Ohio Supreme Court, former judge on the United States Court of Military Appeals, former judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of OhioUnited States District Court for the Southern District of OhioThe United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio is one of two United States district courts in Ohio and includes forty-eight of the state's eighty-eight counties. Appeals from the court are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit at Cincinnati The...
Judge (1952) - Wade L. HoppingWade L. HoppingWade L. Hopping was a justice of the Florida Supreme Court from 1968 to 1969. Appointed by Governor Claude Kirk at the age of 37, Wade was the youngest justice to be appointed to the Court. He was defeated in an election for the seat the following year.Born in Dayton, Ohio, Hopping received a B.A...
, justice of the Florida Supreme CourtFlorida Supreme CourtThe Supreme Court of the State of Florida is the highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. The Supreme Court consists of seven judges: the Chief Justice and six Justices who are appointed by the Governor to 6-year terms and remain in office if retained in a general election near the end of each...
(1955) - David A. Katz, United States District Court for the Northern District of OhioUnited States District Court for the Northern District of OhioThe U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio is the federal trial court for the northern half of Ohio...
Judge (1957) - John (Jack) Creighton, former president & CEO of WeyerhaeuserWeyerhaeuserWeyerhaeuser is one of the largest pulp and paper companies in the world. It is the world's largest private sector owner of softwood timberland; and the second largest owner of United States timberland, behind Plum Creek Timber...
Co. and chairman and CEO of UAL Corp. (United Airlines) (1957) - Robert E. Holmes, former justice Ohio Supreme Court (1959)
- George V. Voinovich, United States SenatorUnited States SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
(1961) - David L. Hobson, United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
(1963) - Gregory Lockhart - U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of OhioUnited States District Court for the Southern District of OhioThe United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio is one of two United States district courts in Ohio and includes forty-eight of the state's eighty-eight counties. Appeals from the court are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit at Cincinnati The...
. - Thomas J. Moyer, Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice (1964)
- Paul E. Pfeifer, Ohio Supreme Court Justice (1966)
- Michael G. Oxley, United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
(1969) - John Garland, president of Central State UniversityCentral State UniversityCentral State University, commonly referred to as "C-State", is a historically black university located in Wilberforce, Ohio, United States. It is the only public HBCU in Ohio.-History:...
(1974) - Erin MoriartyErin MoriartyErin F. Moriarty is an American television news reporter and correspondent.Moriarty attended Upper Arlington High School in Columbus, Ohio, and is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Ohio State University...
, CBS NewsCBS NewsCBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
/48 Hours48 Hours (TV series)48 Hours is a documentary and news program broadcast on the CBS television network since January 19, 1988. The program originally presented documentaries of various events related to a particular subject occurring within a 48-hour period, and is credited as one of the first to air a "reality show"...
reporter (1977) - Evelyn Lundberg Stratton, Ohio Supreme Court Justice (1978)
- Zack Space, United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
(1986) - Linda L. Ammons, dean of the Widener University School of LawWidener University School of LawWidener University School of Law is the ABA accredited law school of Widener University. The school, founded in 1971 as the Delaware Law School, operates on two of Widener's campuses, one in Wilmington, Delaware, and the other in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania....
(1987) - Sara Lioi, United States District Court for the Northern District of OhioUnited States District Court for the Northern District of OhioThe U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio is the federal trial court for the northern half of Ohio...
Judge (1987) - Brian Sandoval, former United States District Court for the District of NevadaUnited States District Court for the District of NevadaThe United States District Court for the District of Nevada is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Nevada. The court has locations in Las Vegas and Reno....
Judge (1989) - Jeffrey S. Sutton, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the Sixth CircuitThe United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* Eastern District of Kentucky* Western District of Kentucky...
Judge (1990) - Mark D. Wagoner, Ohio State SenatorOhio SenateThe Ohio State Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly, the legislative body for the U.S. state of Ohio. There are 33 State Senators. The state legislature meets in the state capital, Columbus. The President of the Senate presides over the body when in session, and is currently Tom...
(1997)