Oklahoma City University School of Law
Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma City University School of Law
2501 North Blackwelder
Oklahoma City, OK 73106
www.okcu.edu/law
Law School Pro Bono Programs
Contact Information
Laurie W. Jones
Legal Research and Writing Professor
Pro Bono and Public Interest Coordinator
ljones@okcu.edu
(405) 208-5965
Category Type
Formal Voluntary Pro Bono Program Characterized by a Referral System with Coordinator
Description of Program
Pro bono service is promoted by and information on opportunities (local and other) is provided through the Professional Career and Development Center. The Professional Career and Development Center, in conjunction with local attorneys and associations, as well as PSLawNet and the Equal Justice Works organization, sponsors training and speakers on pro bono service. OCU LAW is a member of NALP, which now hosts the PSLawNet volunteer opportunity database, and is a member of Equal Justice Works, which holds an annual national pro bono and public interest career fair.
Location of Program
Professional Career and Development Center - http://www.okcu.edu/law/PCDC/students/pbpi/
Staffing/Management/Oversight
The Pro Bono and Public Interest Coordinator along with student organization representatives combine efforts to coordinate various aspects of formal and informal opportunities for students to pursue. The Professional Career and Development Center tracks student volunteer activity and is the repository for disseminating information about pro bono and public interest opportunities. Student participation is non-paid.
Funding
Law School operating budget.
Student Run Pro Bono Groups/Specialized Law Education Projects
Public Interest Law Group-This student organization sponsors fundraising activities for outreach projects in the community, for student attendance at the Equal Justice Works annual career fair, and for summer fellowships for pro bono and public interest law service. The organization also sponsors legal service and outreach projects in the community.
Restorative Justice/Project Re-entry---Students are involved in researching criminal and civil records during pre-release procedures for inmates. Outstanding warrants or legal obligations are identified and either referred to counsel for disposition or negotiated under the supervision of participating attorneys.
Federal Bar Association Research Project--- Students research and assist attorneys appointed by federal judges to represent indigent criminal defendants in the federal system.
Corporate Law/Non-Profits Collaborative---Students develop materials for non-profit and grassroots organizations in collaboration with the Oklahoma Center for Non-Profits. The materials include incorporation documents, bylaws, policies and procedures. Students have the opportunity to meet with of
ficers and board members of the organizations and to attend meetings and functions of the organizations.Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma and Probono.net---Students assist lawyers in all aspects of legal representation for qualified clients. Students interview clients, draft pleadings, letters, and documents, research legal issues, and attend and participate in discovery procedures and court hearings. For Probono.net, students develop web content and research for the online website resource for Legal Aid lawyers, volunteers, and clients.
Oklahoma Lawyers for Children-This organization provides legal representation by volunteer attorneys, along with Oklahoma public defenders, for children who have been removed from their homes due to severe abuse and/or neglect. Students are trained and then volunteer to interview the children placed in emergency shelters and provide that information to assist the lawyer who will represent the child at the show cause hearing. Recently, the Initial Kinship Evaluation Program has been added to the services provided in order to meet the need to expedite foster care placements. Students are trained to do home assessments of potential foster placements which means quicker placements from the shelter.
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance---The Texas Legal Society student members provide information about income tax preparation with the assistance of lawyers in the community.
Faculty and Administrative Pro Bono
OCU LAW faculty are not required to perform pro bono activities, but pro bono service is considered for promotion and tenure decisions.
Awards/Recognition
OCU recognizes students receiving the Dean's Summer Pro Bono and Public Interest Law Fellowships at an annual awards ceremony in the spring. The Public Interest Law Group recognizes a faculty member for pro bono service at the same awards ceremony.
Community Service
Integris Hospital/Oklahoma City Public Schools Mentoring Project--- Law students are paired with an elementary school student to help with the younger student's academic and social skills and to provide guidance and role modeling to the student.
Habitat for Humanity---The Public Interest Law Group, Phi Alpha Delta legal fraternity, and the Corporate Law Association team up to sponsor this community building project.
Various Service Projects---Student organizations sponsor community service projects on a regular basis.
Law School Public Interest Programs
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Contact Information
Laurie W. JonesLegal Research and Writing Professor
Pro Bono and Public Interest Coordinator
ljones@okcu.edu
(405) 208-5965
Certificate/Curriculum Programs
Certificate in Public Law--As the relationship between law and public policy becomes more complex and the role of attorneys in government agencies increases, there is a great need for attorneys with both an excellent grounding in the theory of law and political science and a well-rounded exposure to the doctrines of public law in diverse areas such as Environmental Law, Securities Regulation, and Federal Criminal Law. The Certificate in Public Law enables students, through a well-planned series of courses, extensive writing, and opportunities to do an externship in the field, to acquire excellent training in public law that will make them attractive not only to government employers, but to any employer who deals with public law issues.
The faculty of the School of Law modified the Certificate in Public Law designed and administered by the Center for the Study of State Constitutional Law and Government in order to facilitate satisfaction of the certificate requirements. This program enables students who excel in a sufficient number of public law courses, write a publishable paper in public law, and complete additional requirements including additional writing or completing an externship in government to receive a special certificate.
Certificate of Client Representation in Alternative Dispute Resolution--- A student shall receive a Certification in Client Representation in Alternative Dispute Resolution upon completion of all requirements for the Juris Doctor degree and successful completion of the following courses:(1) The Law of Alternative Dispute Resolution;(2) Client Representation in Arbitration;(3) Client Representation in Mediation; and(4) Client Representation in Negotiation.
Public Interest Centers
Center on Alternative Dispute Resolution
The Center on Alternative Dispute Resolution provides coherence and structure for the varied activities of OCU School of Law in the areas of negotiation, mediation, and arbitration. The Center assures that all ADR programs operated under its auspices meet the dual obligations of public service and pedagogy. Research is an integral part of the Center's activities, in order to improve continually the quality of service provided to the justice system.
Specifically, the Center focuses on ethics in ADR and identifying the variables that help courts and practitioners to "match the fuss to the forum."
Center for the Study of State Constitutional Law & Government
The Center for the Study of State Constitutional Law and Government was founded to develop and implement programs dedicated to the improvement of state constitutions and state governance. By sponsoring workshops, scholarly writing, and public lectures, the Center promotes scholarship and discussion on important issues relating to state government.
Native American Legal Resource Center
The Native American Legal Resource Center provides capacity building services to tribal communities and creates opportunities for students, faculty, staff and the broader University Community to utilize knowledge and resources to serve the needs of Indian Country in a culturally appropriate and efficient manner for a maximum positive impact.
Within the Oklahoma City University School of Law, the Native American Legal Resource Center is an academic center that encourages scholarship in the area of Indian Law and Policy. The NALRC also provides various services to the Tribal Governments in the State of Oklahoma, as well as Tribal Governments across the United States.
The NALRC has several successful working relationships and projects that serve various needs in Indian Country. Funding for these initiatives comes from grants and sub-contracts awarded to the NALRC for the provision of specific services.
Public Interest Clinics
Immigration Law Clinic---Housed in the offices of Catholic Charities, the clinic teaches basic lawyering skills such as interviewing, counseling, negotiation, and trial advocacy, as well as problem-solving, judgment, communication, and decision-making. Supervised by a clinical instructor, students assist in the representation of clients with a wide range of immigration issues, with political asylum issues a focus of the clinic.
Externships/Internships
OCU law students have opportunities to serve the community and add to their professional resumes while they are still in school. They serve as legal interns for judges of the United States Court of Appeals and the Federal District Court for Western Oklahoma through the Judicial Externship Program; they participate in actual cases in supervised settings through the Litigation Practice Externship Program, where they work in the Oklahoma County District Attorney's Office; the Oklahoma County Public Defender's Office; and Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma.
Students are also placed with governmental agencies such as the Oklahoma Corporation Commission; Oklahoma Department of Human Services and the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Government Practice Externship. Additionally, students selecting the Native American Externship can be placed at Oklahoma Indian Legal Services, U.S. Attorney's Office and with Professor Kelly Stoner working at the Apache Tribal Complex on Domestic Violence Issues.
Licensed Legal Intern Program: Oklahoma's Licensed Legal Intern Program is designed to provide supervised practical skills training in trial advocacy and professional ethics to law students who have registered with the Oklahoma Board of Bar Examiners and graduates who have applied to take the first Oklahoma bar examination after graduation.
Upon completion of 50 Juris Doctor credit hours, students may obtain a limited license to practice law in the state of Oklahoma. After being sworn in, they are allowed to work on actual court cases under the supervision of licensed attorneys.
Classes with a Public Service Component
Public Interest Journals
Public Interest Career Assistance
The Professional Career Development Center collects and disseminates information regarding employment opportunities and assists students and graduates with the development of strategies to secure employment. Services provided include resource materials, general counseling and on-campus interviewing opportunities, participation and sponsorship of specialized job fairs, mentor programs, individualized public interest career counseling and public interest panels or networking events.
The office funds annual memberships to NALP, PSLawNet, and Equal Justice Works.
Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAP)
Post-Graduate Fellowships/Awards
Law School Funded:
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Sources:
Term Time Fellowships/Scholarships
Law School Funded:
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Sources:
Summer Fellowships
Law School Funded:
The Dean's Summer Pro Bono and Public Interest Law Fellowships are annually funded and awarded to students who secure pro bono and public interest law positions that otherwise would not be funded or would receive modest wages. Recent fellows worked at the Apache Tribe of Oklahoma, the Missouri State Public Defender's Trial Division, the Osage County DA's Office, the Roger Mills and Ellis County DA's Office, the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Environment, Transportation and Public Works, Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, the Native American Domestic Violence Program, Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, Catholic Charities, the Colorado Springs Public Defender's Office, the Oklahoma County Public Defender's Office, and the New York Legal Assistance Group.
The Professional Career and Development Center coordinates the application process and monitors progress reports of participating students.
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Sources:
The Public Interest Law Group funds summer fellowships to students who secure pro bono or public interest law positions.
Extracurricular and Co-Curricular Programs
- Annual Pro Bono and Public Interest Law Career Fair
- Periodic speakers on public interest and pro bono issues (school and student sponsored)
Student Public Interest Groups
Public Interest Law Group
Last updated: 4/4/2007
