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History of the College of Law
History of the College of Law
The University of Tulsa College of Law has been training students for 86 years. Founded in 1923 by a group of Tulsa Attorneys, the Tulsa Law School, as it was then known, was not affiliated with the university. The school was first located in downtown Tulsa in the old Central High School and later in an office building. Its law library was housed in the Tulsa County Courthouse, and faculty members were Tulsa attorneys who practiced during the day and taught students in the evening.
In 1943, the school joined The University of Tulsa, an affiliation established by John Rogers, pioneer Tulsa attorney, trustee of the university, and later, dean of the College of Law.
In 1949, the school moved into a downtown building, which it shared for a number of years with the evening division of the university. The 1950s and 1960s brought significant progress: the law library, classrooms, and faculty and administrative offices were brought together for the first time; the first full-time faculty members were hired; the full-time division was created; the school was accredited by the American Bar Association in 1953 and admitted to membership in the Association of American Law Schools in 1966; and the name of the institution was changed to the College of Law, reflecting its status within the university.
In 1973, the college moved to its current location on The University of Tulsa campus – John Rogers Hall. In 2000, the College of Law opened a new state-of-the-art law library known as the Mabee Legal Information Center, and in 2002, the College renovated and remodeled its Model Court Room, now known as the Price-Turpen Courtroom. Several additional renovations were completed in the summer of 2009 including a renovation of the pit which included two built-in 52" LCD digital signage units, and then a major renovation occured in the summer of 2011. This renovation included a complete transformation of the entire central portion of the building including the pit, front offices, and central classrooms. The renovated area received contemporary aesthetics and state-of-the-art technology.