“When I first began looking into law schools, I was immediately drawn to Oklahoma City University because of its unique programs and the kindness and sincerity of everyone I met during the admissions process. The generous scholarship I received from OCU Law has been such an incredible blessing and has supported me through the process of law school. It has allowed me to focus fully on my legal education without the heavy weight of financial stress and has contributed immensely to my peace of mind in the already demanding environment of law school. I am deeply grateful for this opportunity and the generosity that made it possible, and I hope to honor it by using my education to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.”
Dubelza Galvan
Jacey Herrington
CLASS OF 2026
“I am grateful to OCU Law for giving me the chance to pursue my legal career. From the start, I was awarded a scholarship that made it possible for me to begin this journey. That support not only helped me financially but also showed me the school believed in my potential. My professors have guided me through their teaching and mentorship, and the Student Achievement and Student Success programs provided resources that kept me on track. Each step of the way, I have seen how OCU Law invests in its students. The scholarship I received gave me the opportunity to grow into someone capable of serving others through the law. I know firsthand how impactful this kind of support can be, and I carry that with me as I continue my path forward.”
Dubelza Galvan
CLASS OF 2026
CLASS OF 2027
“We are asking for your support.
I
think alumni give to OCU Law for two primary reasons:
The first reason is that your years at OCU Law (and possibly even scholarship dollars you received) have made your professional life possible. Sometimes the best way to show gratitude is to do for others what was done for you.
The second reason is that the value of your degree still has the potential to rise or fall, and the philanthropy we receive has a lot to do with that outcome. Right now, that value is rising, and resources and scholarships are what will make it possible for us to continue elevating the reputation of our school. That elevation benefits you.
Giving to OCU Law is a win-win that is good for your soul and good for the value of your degree.
Please consider a gift that is meaningful to you.
You may direct your gift to any program at the law school you choose or allow us to put it towards our greatest need.”
David Holt Dean and Professor of Law
At OCU Law, we recognize the importance of practical experience to succeed in the legal profession. That’s why we offer a variety of competition activities that allow students to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to real-world legal scenarios. These competitions not only provide an opportunity to develop essential practical skills but also allow students to network with legal professionals and fellow students from around the country and world. Each year we have as many as eight litigation and transactional competition teams representing OCU Law in competitions across the country. We can’t provide these opportunities to our students without your support.
A vital part of law school is building community with your future colleagues. OCU Law provides opportunities throughout the year for our students to build that community and to feel supported by their school through the often challenging years of their legal education. Events like the Back to School Bash, the Holiday Feast and Stress Relief Week are just a few of the events our students love that aren’t possible without the generous support of our alumni.
Dear Friend of OCU Law –
Welcome to the latest issue of 8th & Harvey! This annual magazine tells the story of OCU Law, a place very important to me, to you, and to the broader legal community in our city, state and region. And as the only law school in America’s 20th-largest city, OCU Law’s impact transcends the practice of law. Our graduates are a part of everything driving this dynamic, championship city forward.
I hope you’ll thumb through the pages of 8th & Harvey to catch up on the latest, from President Clinton’s visit to the launch of the Tribal Sovereignty Institute. We’re pretty proud of all the things we’re up to, and we’re also proud of this magazine (much gratitude to Destry Holzschuh, our director of marketing and communications, who does a terrific job with the magazine each year).
First of all, if you’ve reached this page, you’ve just visited our annual fundraising appeal on the two previous pages. I hope you will answer that appeal with a donation, of any size. We need your support to deliver the progress we know you like to see. In the rest of this message and throughout this magazine, you’ll see that this progress is well underway. I ask you to invest in it.
Now let’s talk about that progress. I came to this role a little over two years ago. I spoke often at that time about relentless incremental progress. Incremental progress is usually how people and entities improve. It’s incremental at first, but if it’s relentless, it looks revolutionary over the span of time.
I don’t know that we’ve reached
revolution status yet, but over the last two years, you can definitely see that we are building something special at 8th & Harvey. Our faculty, staff, alumni and supporters like you are pulling on the same rope and taking our law school to new heights. You don’t have to take my word for it; the statistics tell the tale. I pulled together some of the most important data points for you. Feel free to use them when you talk about OCU Law:
Our first-time Bar passage rate topped the ABA requirement on the first try – two years in a row –for the first time since 2017-2018 – The ABA requires 75% of a law school’s graduates who take the Bar to pass within two years of graduation. Though we have two years for that to occur, hitting the 75% threshold the first time a graduating class takes the Bar always makes for a celebratory summer. In July 2024, our firsttime Bar passage rate jumped 15 points from 2023 and OCU Law met the ABA threshold on the first try. And then this summer, we did it again, for the second year in a row. This means we achieved at least 75% on a graduating class’s first administration of the Bar two years in a row for the first time since 2017-2018.
We received the most applications since 2012 and have the lowest acceptance rate since 2011 – Our applications are up 22% from 2023 and with 717 applications received for this year’s 1L class, that was the highest number since 2012. That means our acceptance rate of 53.1% for this year’s 1L class was the lowest since 2011. The lower the acceptance rate, the higher likelihood you are creating a high-
ly-credentialed class, which brings us to the next point…
Our median LSAT scores for the 2024 and 2025 1L classes were the highest two years of scores in school history – The 2024 1L class came in with a median LSAT score so high that we had only achieved it three times before in school history – 1992, 1994 and 2011. To achieve this rarefied air, we led the nation in LSAT score increase from 2023 to 2024. Then the 2025 1L class reached that plateau again. That means that we have achieved a historically high 1L median LSAT score, two years in a row, for the first time in school history
The median GPA for the 2025 1L class was the highest in school history – The 2025 1L class median GPA of 3.56 is the highest in school history, breaking the record set the year before.
The 2025 1L class was the highest-credentialed since 1992 (for the second year in a row) – As explained above, in 2024, we welcomed a 1L class with the highest median GPA in school history and a median LSAT that had only been attained three times before and topped only in 1992. In 2025, we did the same thing again, which means that the 2025 1L class is the highest credentialed since 1992.
The lowest number of students have transferred in the last three years since at least 2012 - Once students come to OCU Law, they are staying. If a student transfers to another law school, they generally do so after their 1L year. The number of departures in 2023, 2024 and 2025 is the smallest number over a three-year period for as far back as we have data,
which means it is the lowest number of transfers over a three-year period since at least 2012.
The employment rate for Class of 2024 was the highest ever – The ABA measures what percentage of your graduates are employed within nine months. For the Class of 2024, that percentage was 95%, which is our highest rate in school history.
These are not obscure measurements of a law school’s success. Bar passage rates, applications, credentials, transfers and employment are definitional data points for a law school. And when you see so many of those statistics at their highest levels in many years – or in some cases, ever – you know you’re living through a special time in the life of an institution.
This year is the tenth anniversary of our relocation to 8th & Harvey in downtown Oklahoma City. For the success we are now enjoying, I give a lot of credit to the visionaries and supporters who made that relocation possible. Our location is a differentiator, and we are leveraging it. And of course, for our success, more than anything, I credit our faculty, our staff, and supporters like you. You give us the resources we need to succeed, and we appreciate you immensely.
Enjoy the rest of this issue of 8th & Harvey, and be proud of your support of OCU Law! It is making a difference!
All my best,
David Holt Dean & Professor of Law
DEAN
David Holt ’09
DEAN David Holt ’09
DEAN David Holt ’09
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Destry Holzschuh Director of Marketing and Communications
Destry Holzschuh
Tribal Sovereignty Institute
Sovereignty Institute
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Director of Marketing and Communications
Destry Holzschuh
Director of Marketing and Communications
Katherine Witzig Law Library Administrative Assistant
Katherine Witzig
CONTRIBUTORS
Law Library Administrative Assistant
Saige Culbertson ‘23
Nick Trougakos OCU Chief Marketing & Communications Officer
Nick Trougakos
Tia Ebarb Matt
OCU Chief Marketing & Communications Officer
Emily Eleftherakis ‘14
Jennifer Stevenson
Jennifer Stevenson
Dubelza Galvan ‘26
Assistant Dean for Advancement & External Relations
Assistant Dean for Advancement & External Relations
800 N. Harvey Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK 73102 • 405.208.6400 • law.okcu.edu
Admissions
law.okcu.edu
to editing and are used at the Editor-in-Chief’s discretion. 8th & Harvey Magazine is a copyrighted publication of Oklahoma City University School of Law.
All editorial contributions and submissions are welcome and are subject to editing and are used at the
EDITORIAL STAFF Learn about the latest OCU
EDITORIAL STAFF Learn
Sovereignty Symposium
Legal Briefs
Wrongful Conviction Day Dinner
The Pursuit of Truth
The Oklahoma Innocence Project at OCU Law (OKIP) hosted its annual dinner and celebration of Wrongful Conviction Day in October. Wrongful Conviction Day was created by the broader Innocence Network and is internationally celebrated each year on October 2. OKIP and OCU Law use the dinner as a chance to learn, connect and be inspired by those who have overcome incredible odds.
At the 2024 Wrongful Conviction Day Dinner, attendees heard from a panel of exonerees who spoke about their stories and the continued need for advocacy and reform. Their journeys from wrongful conviction to freedom are both heart-wrenching and inspiring and help shed light on the flaws within our justice system.
Jeff Williams, Malcolm Scott and Perry Lott made up the exoneree panel and bravely shared about their journeys from wrongful conviction to where they are now. Several other exonerees were in attendance, and it was a day of reflection, learning and hope, along with a celebration of exonerees and the work of OKIP.
NEWS IN & AROUND OCU LAW
Brennan Lecture
The Brennan Lecture is named in honor of the late United States Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan Jr. The lecture provides a forum for distinguished jurists and scholars to examine timely issues in the field of state constitutional law.
Brennan, Madison, and Religious Freedom
Presented by Michael Zuckert, Emeritus Nancy R. Dreux Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame
Zuckert has published extensively in both Political Theory and Constitutional Studies. His books include Natural Rights and the New Republicanism, the Natural Rights Republic, Launching Liberalism, and (with Catherine Zuckert) The Truth About Leo Strauss and Leo Strauss and the Problem of Political Philosophy, in addition to many articles. Zuckert taught graduate and undergraduate courses in Political Philosophy and Theory, American Political Thought, American Constitutional Law, American Constitutional History, Constitutional Theory, and Philosophy of Law at the University of Notre Dame.
“We were delighted to welcome Michael Zuckert, one of the nation’s most distinguished scholars of American political thought and constitutional law, to the law school,” said Andrew Spiropoulos, professor of Constitutional Law and director of the Center for the Study of State Constitutional Law and Government at OCU Law. “His reflections on the constitutional law and principles of religious freedom are sure to enlighten and inspire.”
Quinlan Lecture
The Quinlan Lecture is named for long-time Oklahoma City University law professor Wayne Quinlan. Professor Quinlan taught at Oklahoma City University from 1952 until his death in 1981 and served as a Special Justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court in 1966 and 1967. His love of constitutional law and American history inspired the faculty to name this annual lecture in his honor.
A Republic, If We Can Build It
Presented by Professor Jamal Greene, Dwight Professor of Law at Columbia Law School
“The Constitution of 1787, written and amended under conditions of mass political exclusion, presents a profound but largely unacknowledged challenge to republican governance. Multiple generations of Americans have been able to meet that challenge by enshrining their values and commitments into our higher law, not through adherence to the written Constitution, but by creating a new, unwritten one. Only by building on the work of these unheralded constitutional drafters can we create the republic the Founders’ Constitution promised but could not deliver.”
Jamal Greene is the Dwight Professor of Law at Columbia Law School, where he teaches courses in constitutional law, the law of the political process, and comparative constitutional law. He is the author of How Rights Went Wrong: Why Our Obsession With Rights Is Tearing America Apart, as well as numerous scholarly articles and book chapters on constitutional law and theory. From January 2023 to December 2024, he served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the DOJ Office of Legal Counsel. He served as a law clerk to the Hon. Guido Calabresi on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and to the Hon. John Paul Stevens on the U.S. Supreme Court. He earned his J.D. from Yale Law School and his A.B. from Harvard College.
Sovereignty Symposium XXXVII
In June, OCU Law hosted another record-breaking Sovereignty Symposium. More than 700 attendees gathered at the beautiful OKANA Resort for the 37th annual Symposium. OCU Law was honored to have former United States Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland as keynote speaker. Secretary Haaland was also bestowed with the Symposium’s highest award: Honored One.
After Secretary Haaland delivered her keynote remarks to a packed house at OKANA, she sat down for a fireside chat with Dean Holt. OCU Law then presented her with a shawl that was custom-made by Sharp’s Indian Store in Ponca City, and Choctaw Nation artist DG Smalling presented her with a custom piece of art.
To kick off the Symposium Opening Ceremony, the Kiowa Black Leggings Honor Guard escorted in the flags of the 39 tribes that call Oklahoma home. Southern Nation played memorial and honor songs for the processional, and Gordon Yellowman, Peace Chief of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Nation, led the Camp Call. David Wilson, Bishop of the Great Plains Conference of the United Methodist Church and the first Indigenous bishop in the history of the United Methodist church, commenced the ceremony with a prayer.
Also during the Opening Ceremony, the Sovereignty Symposium Award was presented to Justice Yvonne Kauger, Julie Rorie and Kyle Shifflett in recognition of the decades of leadership and service they have dedicated to Sovereignty Symposium.
Thank you to Brent Greenwood, who created the featured art for the 2025 Symposium.
Thank you to our sponsors!
Leadership sponsors: Oklahoma City Community Foundation, Visit OKC
Supporting and Co-Luncheon Sponsor: GableGotwals
Luncheon Sponsor: Miai, Inc.
Session Sponsor: Crowe Dunlevy
Break Sponsors: Devol and Associates, McAfee & Taft, OKC
Chief Justice John B. Doolin Student Writing Competition:
Isaac Santos, University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law (1st Place)
Madison Foster, University of Tulsa School of Law (2nd Place)
Bridget Grathwohl, University of North Dakota School of Law (3rd Place)
Kristina Pope, University of Wisconsin Law School (Honorable Mention)
Hulleah P. Wincle (Honorable Mention)
Hargrave Faculty Writing Competition:
Tana Fitzpatrick, Associate Vice President of Tribal Relations at the University of Oklahoma
Hager Prize:
Moon Hwan Lee
C. Blue Clark Memorial Poster Competition: Tanook Taylor Neal, University of Oklahoma
Deb Haaland
Secretary Haaland, an enrolled member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe, served as the 54th U.S. Secretary of the Interior from 2021 to 2025 and was the first Native American in the nation’s history to serve in a President’s Cabinet. Secretary Haaland served in Congress representing New Mexico before her appointment to the Cabinet. She’s a mom, ran her own business, and holds a J.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Law. “Secretary Haaland’s leadership has truly made history, and she has been an important champion for tribal communities everywhere,” said OCU Law Dean David Holt. “We were thrilled to welcome Secretary Haaland to Sovereignty Symposium, and I know our attendees greatly enjoyed this opportunity to hear from her.”
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit Oral Arguments
In February, OCU Law was honored to host oral arguments in six cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Students lined up at 7 a.m. to get a coveted seat in our Conger Courtroom. Hundreds of students witnessed the proceedings either in the courtroom or in an overflow room. Additionally, the three-judge panel took time to answer questions directly from students. OCU Law’s premier location in downtown Oklahoma City – America’s 20th largest city – provides our students with unique opportunities like this one.
OCU Law thanks Chief Judge Jerome Holmes, Judge Robert Bacharach and Judge Stephanie Seymour for their service and for their visit to OCU Law.
Student Awards
Outstanding Service Awards Oklahoma City University Law Alumni Award Jinah Jung Dean’s Service Award – Outstanding Service to the School of Law Alexis Hope Garner Outstanding Graduate Awards Judge Alfred P. Murrah Sr. Award – Outstanding Academic Performance Daniel Scott Gilliam and Lacy Colleen Kelly Oklahoma City University School of Law – Justice Yvonne Kauger Award Jessica Skye Bishoff Oklahoma City University School of Law – Jim Roth Award for Excellence in Law School Leadership Jasmine LaShon Dawkins Oklahoma City University School of Law
– Outstanding Graduate Award Jay Alan Hitt Oklahoma City University School of Law – J. William Conger Distinguished Student Award Emily Grace Hurt and Philip Joseph Novak Oklahoma Bar Association – Outstanding Law School Senior Student Caroline Elizabeth Rowland Academic Excellence Awards Oklahoma Bar Association
Bankruptcy Section – Excellence in Consumer Bankruptcy Lacy Colleen Kelly Oklahoma Bar Association Energy and Natural Resources Section – Excellence in Energy Law Mo Tero Oklahoma Bar Association Litigation Section – Excellence in Litigation Skills Dylan Mark Voorhis Oklahoma Bar Association Business/Corporate Law Section – Excellence in Corporation Law Spring 2025: Daniel Scott Gilliam, Fall 2024: Andrew Forest Oklahoma Bar Association Financial Institutions and Commercial Law Section – Excellence in Commercial Law Jerrell Bruce Harris II Oklahoma Bar Association – Outstanding Law School Senior Student Caroline Elizabeth Rowland Oklahoma Bar Foundation Chapman Rogers Scholarship: Kiyoshi Cruz Juarez Partners Scholarship: Brandon Jacobs Oklahoma City Real Property Lawyers Association – Excellence in Property Law Emily Grace Hurt C. Blue Clark Memorial Award – Excellence in Native American Law Shawna Renee Hudson Judge Dwain Box Memorial Award – Outstanding Appellate Advocate Alexis Hope Garner Professor Alvin C. Harrell Scholarship – Excellence in Commercial Law Jerrell Bruce Harris and Lacy Colleen Kelly T. Hurley Jordan Award – Excellence in Criminal Procedure Philip Joseph Novak III Oklahoma Association of Municipal Attorneys – Excellence in Municipal Law and Policy Natalie Grace Kinder Oklahoma Bar Association Indian Law Section – G. William Rice Memorial Scholarship Cheyanne Hill Charles Nesbitt Energy Law Award – Excellence in Energy Law Nicholas Malik Hines Law Review Awards Editor-in-Chief Award Caroline Tubbs Managing Editor Award Craig Slagle Excellence in Technical Editing Award Jay Alan Hitt Public Interest/Community Service Awards Pro Bono Award of Distinction (50 hours of service each year) Amber Alyssia L. A. Ferguson Access to Justice Foundation – Outstanding Pro Bono Service Kiyoshi Cruz Juarez Pro Bono Exceptional Service Awards (150 or more hours of service during law school) Amber Alyssia L. A. Ferguson, Kayla Marie Graves, Emily Elizabeth Howard, Emily Grace Hurt, Lacy Colleen Kelly, Michelle Riley May, Aspen Medley, Philip Joseph Novak III, Melody Parra, Candace Hope Shown, The Order of Barristers (Excellence in Trial or Appellate Advocacy Competitions) Alexis Hope Garner, Jay Allen Hitt, Haley Lauren Hostetler, Emily Grace Hurt, Alexis Conner Martin, Philip Joseph Novak III, Courtney Damon Pollins Jr., Caroline Elizabeth Rowland, Dylan Mark Voorhis
The City’s Law School
A quarter of a mile down the street from OCU Law, the Federal Courthouse sprawls across a full city block. OCU Law alumni walk the halls every day as litigators and law clerks. In the 2024 graduating class, two students accepted term clerk positions for federal judges in the Western District of Oklahoma. In the rooms where important decisions are being made, OCU Law alumni are well represented.
Legal Action PUBLICATIONS
LIST
Greg Eddington
Legal Research & Writing Professor Director of Legal Research & Writing Program
B.B.A., University of Oklahoma
J.D., University of Oklahoma
LL.M., New York University
Preliminary Injunctions and Sovereign Defendants: When Does Sovereign Immunity Render Economic Injury Irreparable?, 55 Cumb. L. Rev. 239 (2025).
Steven Foster
Instructor of Law
Director of Academic Achievement
B.A., University of Oklahoma
J.D., Oklahoma City University School of Law
Breaking the Cycle: Rethinking Bar Exam Scoring and Portability for NextGen Examinees, __ ON THE CUSP ONLINE L.J. __ (Spring 2025).
Questioning the Inevitability of the NextGen Bar Examination (July 25, 2024). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4905722 (with Nachman Gutowski, Ashley London, and Taylor Israel).
Lee F. Peoples
Associate Dean of Library and Technology
Frederick Charles Hicks Professor of Law
B.A., University of Oklahoma
J.D., University of Oklahoma
M.L.I.S., University of Oklahoma
Artificial Intelligence and Legal Analysis: Implications for Legal Education and the Profession, 117 LAW LIBRARY J. 52 (2025).
Timothy T. Hsieh
Associate Professor of Law
LL.M. (Law & Technology – IP), University of California Berkeley School of Law
LL.B., University of London
J.D., University of California Hastings College of the Law
M.S. Engr., Electrical Engineering, University of California Los Angeles
B.S., Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, University of California Berkeley
“The Past Is Never Dead, It’s Not Even a Trademark or Copyright:” The Intellectual Property of William Faulkner, Copymarks and Markrights, 58 CREIGHTON L. REV. __ (2025).
Response to Professor Cassandra Burke Robertson’s Litigating Partial Autonomy, 110 IOWA L. REV. ONLINE __ (2025).
The Evolution of Editorial Leadership at the Journal of the Patent and Trademark Office Society: A Century of Legal Thought, 105 J. PAT. & TRADEMARK OFF. SOC’Y __ (2025).
Refusal to Deal in Antitrust Law: Evolving Jurisprudence and Business Justifications in the Align Technology Case, __ CPI ANTITRUST CHRONICLE 2 (Sept. 2024).
A Legacy of Service: The Contributions of Oklahoma City University School of Law Alumni as Federal U.S. Magistrate Judges, 49 OKLA. CITY U. L. REV. ___ (2024). Available at https://papers.ssrn. com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4930606.
The Genome Defense: Inside the Epic Legal Battle to Determine Who Owns Your DNA, 12 THE IP LAW BOOK REVIEW 1 (2024) (reviewing JORGE CONTRERAS, THE GENOME DEFENSE: INSIDE THE EPIC LEGAL BATTLE TO DETERMINE WHO OWNS YOUR DNA (2021)).
D.A. Jeremy Telman Professor of Law
B.A., Columbia University
M.A., Cornell University
Ph.D., Cornell University
J.D., New York University School of Law
When Specific Performance of Personal Service Contracts Is the Right Remedy, 110 IOWA L. REV. ONLINE ___ (2025).
INAUGURAL CLINTONKEATING LECTURE BRINGS PRESIDENT & GOVERNOR TO OCU LAW
OCU Law has long been known for producing public servants. OCU Law graduates have become elected officials, judges, prosecutors and public defenders. They hold leadership positions in government agencies, nonprofits and advocacy groups.
Dean David Holt, a 2009 OCU Law graduate, is himself an example of this ethos, having served as an Oklahoma Senator and currently as Mayor of Oklahoma City. Since taking his position at OCU Law in 2023, Dean Holt has emphasized the school’s identity as a place that produces lawyers with a heart for service.
As a representation of this, Dean Holt now displays a portrait in his office of OCU Law alumnus Rick Rescorla, who gave his life on September 11, 2001, to save thousands of people at the World Trade Center in New York. The walls of Dean Holt’s office also display many Oklahoma City institutions where students may serve, such as the State Capitol, the Oklahoma Supreme Court and City Hall. Dean Holt has also pursued programming to further engage students with career options in public service. The upcoming launch of the Inasmuch Center for Public Service is one example.
Another example is the launch of the Clinton-Keating Lecture earlier this year, which is intended to join the Quinlan and Brennan lectures as annual events at OCU Law. The Clinton-Keating Lecture will annually feature lawyers in public service.
The Clinton-Keating Lecture is named for former U.S. President Bill Clinton, who received his J.D. from Yale University; and former Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating, who received his J.D. from the University of Oklahoma. Though the two represented different political parties, President Clinton and Governor Keating worked together in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City Bomb -
ing, which occurred in 1995 two blocks away from OCU Law’s current home.
Fittingly, the inaugural Clinton-Keating Lecture on April 19, 2025, featured its namesakes. That afternoon, OCU Law was deeply honored to host President Clinton and Governor Keating for a fireside chat in McLaughlin Hall. It was the first time a U.S. President had ever visited OCU Law.
Dean Holt moderated an hourlong conversation with President Clinton and Governor Keating for approximately 500 students, faculty, staff and other friends of OCU Law. Three students were also invited to ask questions: SBA President Alexis Garner; Murrah Student Association President Emily Hurt; and Sumners Scholar Rilee Sloan, in collaboration with fellow Sumners Scholars Jay Hitt and Natalie Kinder.
“It was an incredible day for our school, and we were so grateful that President Clinton and Governor Keating would share their valuable time with our students,” said Dean Holt. “I have no doubt that the experience will serve to inspire our students to consider the ways that lawyers can serve the public.”
A DECADE AT 8TH AND HARVEY
A decade ago, OCU Law welcomed students for the first time to the newly renovated historic downtown building at 8th and Harvey for the spring 2015 semester. The school had been operating on OCU’s main campus on 23rd street since the late 1950s, but the move represented a return to the school’s roots in downtown OKC. The building, designed by noted local architect Solomon Andrew Layton, was originally established to serve as one of Oklahoma’s first high schools. That school educated the city’s future leaders and was the first school in the city to be racially integrated. OCU Law is proud to call this beautiful building home and to carry on its historic legacy of graduating the leaders of tomorrow.
Since the first classes in 2015, nearly 1,500 students have attended class in this building, OCU Law has hosted leaders in education and public service (even a president!), and the school has welcomed its highest-credentialed classes in more than 30 years. Being located in the heart of a thriving downtown has positioned OCU Law students for success more than ever, and the school’s future is incredibly bright. 13% of OCU Law’s history has been in this building 17% of all OCU Law students attended school in the 8th & Harvey building
70 The 8th & Harvey building has spent: years as a high school or junior high
28 years as corporate offices
10 years (and counting) as OCU Law
30 YEARS LATER
In 1995, OCU Law was not yet at its 8th & Harvey home. But, like every Oklahoma City institution, the school and its family were among those lost, those who survived, and those changed forever by the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.
April 19, 2025, marked 30 years since the attack. During the landmark remembrance ceremony at the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, OCU Law Dean and OKC Mayor David Holt, speaking alongside President Bill Clinton and former Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating, observed the way the city has changed in those three decades. Survivors and family read the names of the 168 people killed in the bombing. Among the names were two OCU Law alumni: Jules Valdez and Michael Weaver.
At 9:02 a.m. on April 19, 1995, a truck bomb ripped through the Murrah building and shattered the peace and security that the city took for granted. 168 people, including 19 children, were killed. It remains
BY DESTRY HOLZSCHUH DIRECTOR of MARKETING and COMMS
the deadliest act of homegrown terrorism in American history. Timothy McVeigh was later convicted and executed by the United States for the bombing.
A few blocks away, the building at 8th & Harvey was rocked by the blast. Windows were shattered, and the impact of the bombing was felt by those working inside. The building was home to Southwestern Bell Telephone’s (SWBT) Oklahoma headquarters at the time, with hundreds of employees working in cubicles scattered across several floors. One employee grabbed a first aid kit and ran outside to provide assistance to injured people on the street. Another who was walking from a worksite a couple of streets over ran to the federal building to try to help.
Donna Weaver worked for SWBT on the third floor of the north side of their office building. On the day of the bombing, she felt the building shake and heard the raining glass of the shattered skylights falling over the cubicles. On a normal day, Donna would
often walk down to the YMCA across the street from the Federal Building and wave to her husband Michael as she passed his office there. On the day of the bombing, she left her office and ran toward the Federal Building to find that the part of the building where Michael’s office had been was gone. Immediately after the blast, SWBT made its building and parking lots available to the U.S. Marshal’s office, the National Guard, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Oklahoma City police and fire departments, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and many other first responder agencies. The first night, more than 200 firefighters from California and Arizona slept in the office cubicles. The 8th & Harvey building became a nerve center for federal investigators, forensic experts, emergency coordinators, and search
and rescue experts, and it served as a place to rest for exhausted first responders.
In a SWBT newsletter published in May of 1995, SWBT Oklahoma President Dave Lopez said, “We knew right after the blast that our buildings, just because of their location in downtown Oklahoma City, would be of key importance to authorities. We told them we would provide them with whatever they needed, from a place to work, to phone service, to places for search crews to sleep and shower...For our company it’s been a rough week. But what kind of week we’ve had doesn’t matter. What matters is that a lot of sons and daughters and husbands and wives and mothers and fathers are hurting, and we need to be of help any way we can.”
The day after the bombing, the SBC Foundation – the philanthropic arm of SWBT parent company SBC Communications – contributed $1 million to area relief organizations. SWBT crews worked around the clock for days to restore and add phone lines.
Though Donna Weaver didn’t learn about all her company had done to support the relief efforts until much later, she was proud of SWBT’s response and the company’s support for both her and the community.
“It meant a lot,” Donna said. “They were just amazingly kind to me.”
In 2025, OCU Law Associate Dean of Library and Technology Lee Peoples led an effort to refresh the museum room at the law school, and in that process added a display case honoring the two OCU Law alumni who were killed and recognizing the response from SWBT and the role the 8th & Harvey building played in the aftermath of the bombing.
JULES A. VALDEZ
was killed in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995.
Jules grew up in Texas, part of a family of eight. He served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps as a sharp shooter from 1962-1965 before studying at the University of Texas in Austin. In 1970, he became the first person in his family to graduate college when he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology. That same year, Jules married Virginia and moved to Illinois to work for the Department of Defense.
A few years later, Jules and Virginia moved to Okla homa. Jules went to work for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as a program manager in the Indian Affairs Division. He went on to further his education with a Master of Arts in urban studies from the University of Central Oklahoma and then a law degree from Oklahoma City University School of Law.
named its social service building in White Eagle, Oklahoma, the Jules Valdez Social Service Center. The Comanche Nation dedicated the “Yuhuh-Muku Kahni” Building, its multi-purpose building in Lawton, Oklahoma, to Jules’s memory in recognition of his influence and valuable contributions.
“He was always learning new things and enjoyed going to law school at night after his day job at HUD,” Virginia recalled. “He had a special bond with his fellow students.”
After moving to Oklahoma, Jules and Virginia welcomed their daughter, Marisa.
“She has always been his pride and joy,” Virginia said. Jules volunteered much of his spare time for the many organizations he was a part of, particularly the Edmond Central Rotary Club, where he served as a director, secretary and treasurer. Other organizations included Big Brothers, Legal Aid, Edmond Chamber of Commerce, Edmond Certified Cities Taskforce, and Leadership Edmond. He also served as an adjunct professor at UCO and ran for Edmond City Council in 1991. He was a member of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Edmond. Jules spent
In June of 1995, Jules and Virginia would have celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. He is very missed by many, especially his wife and daughter.
Virginia shared the following poem, written for Jules after his death, by Steve Pensoneau:
You have come to the end of your travail here, Your long tribal service has been true.
We shall miss you and your helpful ways.
May Wacondah smile as He welcomes you.
The time has come now to say so long, Anchors away – all’s well.
We shall see you on the other shore.
It’s not good-bye, just BON VOYAGE, Farewell.
Thank you to Virginia Valdez for sharing her and Jules’s story with OCU Law.
Jules A. Valdez (‘86) was born on December 27, 1943, in San Antonio, Texas. He
MICHAEL WEAVER
Michael Weaver (‘74) was born on Jan. 6, 1950, in Blackwell, Oklahoma. He was killed in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995.
Michael attended college at the University of Oklahoma, where he met his wife of 21 years Donna. He graduated in 1972 with a B.B.A. in finance and immediately went on to attend law school at Oklahoma City University School of Law. He finished law school in just two years, graduating in 1974.
“He liked the idea of finishing in two years,” Donna said. “It was pretty grueling though.”
While Michael went to law school, Donna worked toward a graduate degree at OU. Donna looks back on that time as difficult and demanding, but she says they were still able to occasionally get away from their studies to do some of their favorite things like going skiing and attending the OU/Texas football game.
“Michael worked hard at law school,” Donna said. “It wasn’t easy, but he was glad to do it.”
After graduating from OCU Law, Michael went on to work for a small oil company in Oklahoma City for a few months before joining the General Services Administration office in Fort Worth, Texas. In 1990, Donna’s job at Southwestern Bell Telephone brought the Weavers back to Oklahoma, and Michael started his job at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Michael was well-suited for government work and enjoyed doing research and finding answers for people. Donna says Michael was very smart but “a little on the shyer side.” He wasn’t a big fan of arguing in a courtroom, but he loved helping people and giving advice.
Outside of work, Michael loved coaching his two sons, Jeff and Tim, in baseball, basketball and soccer. He was very supportive of youth sports, and he often showed up to coach still in his suit and tie from work.
“He would take off his coat, take off his tie, and he would coach in his suit pants and shirt,” Donna recalled. “Because they were important to him.”
On the morning of the bombing, Michael was at the desk of a coworker who also coached his sons’ baseball team, chatting about the approaching start of the season. Donna was in her office two blocks north of the federal building in the building that is now home to OCU Law.
Michael is deeply missed by his wife, sons, and many others who knew and loved him, as well as his five grandchildren who never got to meet him. From his 1995 obituary: “The Weavers are a loving, joyous family, and Mike’s laughter, dry sense of humor and role of the ‘straight man’ will always be remembered. And as we know, Mike loved many, as he sang often and poorly, ‘I’ve got friends in low places...and I’ll be okay.’”
Thank you to Donna Weaver McGinty for sharing her and Michael’s story with OCU Law.
EMILY ELEFTHERAKIS
TRIBAL SOVEREIGNTY INSTITUTE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
In June 2025, OCU Law named Emily Eleftherakis as the inaugural executive director of the Tribal Sovereignty Institute. Eleftherakis was selected through a national search and started in her new role in July. Her commencement officially launched the Institute, which will provide teaching, scholarship and training around the vital legal issues of tribal sovereignty.
Eleftherakis is a 2014 graduate of OCU Law and a member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians and the Cherokee Nation. She has served as an adjunct clinical professor of law teaching in the American Indian Wills Clinic at OCU Law since 2017.
In addition to teaching, Eleftherakis has worked in private practice at Krahl Goerke Meyer and Behenna, providing clients with family and small business succession planning, real estate advice, and business development
support. She has experience in general civil litigation, including real property and energy litigation, appellate practice, and trust and estate litigation, as well as estate planning, wealth management, and trust and estate administration.
The addition of a full-time professor at the law school who will teach, create accessible scholarship on the topic of sovereignty, especially for policymakers, and build up the Institute to help support tribal governments and sovereignty completes the plan for the first phase of the Institute. The primary goals moving forward will be to educate future lawyers, train current lawyers to practice in tribal legal systems, produce scholarship accessible to policymakers and the public, and advocate publicly for heightened awareness of tribal sovereignty.
“I’m incredibly honored to be named as the inaugural executive director of OCU’s Tribal Sovereignty Institute. As a practitioner, I was always looking for ways to be active and provide services in Indian Country. With this opportunity, I will be fortunate to work in the epicenter of Indian law, promoting tribal sovereignty and legal advocacy in Indian Country. OCU Law has always had a unique voice in Indian law issues, with the American Indian Law and Sovereignty Center and the American Indian Wills Clinic. The Institute will continue that work and serve as a home base for accessible, factual, and independent discourse on sovereignty. The Institute will create pathways into American Indian law and will provide access and placement of more Native American students into the legal community, whether in private practice, as policymakers, or in the judiciary.”
Emily Eleftherakis Executive Director
OCU Law Tribal Sovereignty Institute
“We are thrilled to launch this Institute and welcome Emily into this new role. We are already ranked the No. 4 law school in the country for Native American students, and we offer a broad spectrum of programming. This Institute and Emily’s work will elevate our institution and provide an important service to tribal communities and policymakers.”
David Holt
Star Awards
STAR AWARD FOR SERVICE EXCELLENCE
Each year, OCU bestows Star Awards on deserving faculty and staff members. In 2025, OCU Law’s Kelly Monroe was the recipient of the Star Award for Service Excellence! The service excellence award is a university-wide award that’s given just once a year. It is given to a staff member who contributes to team effectiveness by providing encouragement and support, helping others overcome obstacles, and successfully accomplish goals; is an honest and dependable team player who contributes
to group collaboration and consensual decision-making and shows empathy and respect for others, and who builds and maintains good working relationships. Kelly is a treasured member of the law school staff. She has served as administrative assistant to the academic dean for more than a decade. We are so proud of Kelly and incredibly grateful for her dedication to OCU Law!
STAR AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING –ADJUNCT FACULTY
Congratulations to OCU Law Adjunct Professor Homer Pointer, who received the 2024-25 Award for Excellence in Teaching – Adjunct Faculty at the University Annual Awards Luncheon! This award honors an adjunct faculty member whose teaching is deemed to be exemplary and who demonstrates a mastery of the subject matter and how students learn. We are so grateful for Adjunct Professor Pointer’s years of service to OCU Law!
2025 Graduation
“This education has equipped us to do more than just practice law— it has prepared us to carry the weight of justice. To protect what is right, to challenge what is wrong, and to serve those whose voices are too often overlooked.”
Kaden Peebles Class of 2025 Class President Commencement Address
“Now we stand on the other side, not just as graduates, but as people who know what it means to endure. To question. To think. To speak. To serve.”
Alexis Garner President of the Student Bar Association Commencement Address
Photography by Oklahoma City University
class notes (July 2024-June 2025)
2020s
Justin Cajindos ‘24 and Sam Holzschuh ‘24 joined the McAfee & Taft law firm.
Trace Justiss ‘24 was named assistant director of research and regulatory affairs for Oklahoma Farm Bureau.
Tyler Thompson ’24 joined the Kuiper law firm as an associate.
Paige Kemper ’22 joined the Rose Law Group, Arizona’s largest woman-founded law firm, as an associate attorney in its litigation and equine practices.
Jonna Vanderslice ’22 joined McAfee & Taft as a corporate attorney in the Energy and Natural Resources Group.
Kyle Ashpole ‘22 joined the Hall Estill law firm.
HelenMarie Edem ’22 joined Goolsby Proctor as an associate attorney.
Maria G. Escobar ‘22 joined the Dallas office of Ogletree Deakins as counsel with a focus on employment law.
Max G. West ’21 joined the Phillips Murrah firm as a litigation attorney.
Christian Rinehart ‘21 was named deputy general counsel and Megan Buchanan ‘23 as associate general counsel for the Oklahoma Municipal League.
Hannah Hale Fields ’20 shared her experience as an Ulrich Fellow for the late Sen. James Inhofe for an Ada News tribute story.
R. Baxter Lewallen ’20 joined McAfee & Taft as an associate in its Litigation Group.
Trial lawyer Miranda Harrison ’20, formerly of the boutique commercial law firm of Blaney Tipton Hiersche & Odom, joined McAfee & Taft as a result of the combination of the two firms on Oct. 1.
2010s
Montrel Preston ‘19 joined Steptoe & Johnson PLLC’s Oklahoma City office as an associate in the firm’s litigation department.
Christine Bird ‘16 was part of the American Political Science Association’s Learn More About series on women’s reproductive healthcare.
Major Sean McDivitt ‘15, chief of force management for the U.S. Air Force JAG Corps, was an honoree on New America’s 2024 Out Leaders List of LGBTQIA+ experts in U.S. national security and foreign policy.
Mark Auten ’14 joined the Clark Hill firm in Frisco, Texas.
Amanda Lilley ‘14 was awarded as the 2024 Outstanding Young Lawyer by the Oklahoma Bar Association.
Emily Eleftherakis ‘14 appeared on KOCO to promote the American Indian Wills Clinic and its grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Elhrick Cerdan ’13 became an assistant special agent for Homeland Security Investigations in the Omaha, Nebraska, field office.
Jennifer Surmacz ’13, founder of Posterity Legal, was a guest on Business Innovators Radio to discuss estate planning.
Elizabeth E.L. Isaac ‘13 joined the Spencer Fane LLP firm
as counsel attorney in the intellectual property practice group.
John Raines ‘13 was promoted to senior vice president of E&P asset management for Devon Energy.
Attorney at Law magazine ran a feature story about Russell Button ’12
Brett Butner ’11 was appointed as judge for the Oklahoma 22nd Judicial District.
Lorenzo Banks ‘11 was appointed as a new municipal judge for Midwest City.
Ashley Warshell ‘11 joined Hall Estill Attorneys at Law as special counsel in the firm’s Oklahoma City office.
Greg Steward ‘11 was appointed as a circuit court judge for Wyoming.
Oklahoma Bar Association Executive Director Janet Johnson ’10 was honored with an Oklahoma Bar Association President’s Award.
2000s
Briggitte Biffle ’09 was appointed chief public defender of Oklahoma County. Biffle was appointed to the post to succeed Bob Ravitz ‘76, who died last year. The Oklahoman ran a front-page feature story about Biffle after her appointment.
Dean David Holt ‘09 began his term as President of the United States Conference of Mayors.
Sean Spivey ‘09 joined the Washington, DC, law firm Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP as a partner.
Daniel T. Shackle ’08 joined Frost Brown Todd as counsel in the firm’s Indianapolis office.
Calvert County in Maryland appointed Jason Brinkley ‘08 to lead their planning and zoning department.
John Cunningham ’07 was appointed to a State Court of Coweta County (Georgia) judge seat.
Hollye Hunt ‘07 was appointed as the University of Oklahoma’s new vice president of executive affairs and chief of staff.
State Rep. Anthony Moore (R-Clinton) ‘07 was elected as speaker protempore for the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
Christopher Anderson ‘07 was appointed as associate district judge of Seminole County.
Missouri Lawyers included Lori Rook ‘06 in its “2024 Women Led Law Firms” list.
Kelli J. Stump ‘06 was one of the expert presenters for an American Immigration Lawyers Association webinar titled “2024 Post-Election Guidance: The Practice of U.S. Immigration Law in 2025 and Beyond.”
Andrew Ihrig ‘06 joined the Truity Credit Union board of directors.
Renée Metcalf ‘06 joined Steptoe & Johnson PLLC as counsel in the energy and natural resources department in the Oklahoma City Office.
in memoriam
Harry H. Goldman (‘77) of Seattle, WA
Patricia Johnson (‘76) of Bethany, OK
Patricia MacGuigan (‘75) of Oklahoma City
Richard Winzeler (‘65) of Edmond, OK
Marvin York (‘63) of Norman, OK
Gregg Renegar (‘75) of Oklahoma City
Patricia Carroll (‘56) of Mesquite, TX
Kirstie Simon (‘20) of Ardmore, OK
Kelly Kress (‘11) of Oklahoma City
Duchess Bartmess (‘66) of Oklahoma City
Daniel Webber (‘79) of Yukon, OK
Gary Hunt (‘93) of Norman, OK
Michael Thompson (‘90) of Colby, KS
Roger Jones (‘86) of Springfield, MO
Gary Bachman (‘70) of Midwest City, OK
Jimmy Kutch (‘69) of Aptos, CA
Mark Caraway (‘90) of Topeka, KS
Timothy Larason (‘68) of Oklahoma City
Wayne Gosney (‘78) of Yukon, OK
Carol Nagel (‘02) of Colorado Springs, CO
Daniel Hodgins (‘81) of Magnolia, DE
Jimmie Hurley (‘66) of Oklahoma City
Von Elkins (‘77) of Pauls Valley, OK
Sara Boeckman (‘87) of Yukon, OK
Ray Potts (‘65) of Oklahoma City
Edd Pritchett (‘67) of Cashion, OK
Donald Ferrell (‘72) of Chandler, OK
LeBron Free (‘74) of Palm Harbor, FL
Colleen Farrell Foulke (‘94) of Clifton Park, NY
Brandon Long ’04 of McAfee & Taft was one of nine attorneys nationwide to be inducted as a fellow of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel.
T.W. Shannon ‘04 was appointed to serve as senior advisor for Rural Prosperity for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Rick Rose ’03 was appointed director of Oklahoma’s Office of Management and Enterprise Services.
Shannon Ferrell ‘03, an agricultural economics professor, was a speaker at CattleCon 2025 in San Antonio.
Hiram Sasser ‘02, law professor and executive general counsel for First Liberty Institute, was the keynote speaker for the Trinity Legal 18th anniversary breakfast.
The Oklahoman published a guest submission by Oklahoma County District Judge Cindy H. Truong ‘01 about her personal story of coming to the U.S. from Vietnam as a young child after the war and later pursuing a career in law.
Ryan Jackson ‘01, vice president of federal affairs for the American Chemistry Council, was included in Washingtonian Media’s “Washington, D.C.’s, 500 Most Influential People of 2025” list.
1990s
The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education elected Courtney Warmington ’99 as vice chair.
John E. Barbush ‘99 was honored with an Oklahoma Bar Association President’s Award.
Mick McCarthy ‘99 joined the Lai & Turner Law Firm.
Jennifer Austin ’98 was appointed as the next district attorney for District 21, which includes Cleveland, Garvin and McClain counties.
Michael D. McClintock ’98 joined the Spencer Fane law firm’s Oklahoma City office as a partner in the litigation and dispute resolution practice group.
Jason Kaff ’97 became assistant superintendent of business for the Carpinteria Unified School District in California.
LP Gas magazine ran a profile story on Sarah Miller ’97, president and CEO of GPA Midstream.
Jacques deMoss ‘97 was named deputy executive director for the US Chess Federation, the official governing body and nonprofit organization for chess players and chess supporters in the United States.
Donna Lynn Dirickson ‘96 was appointed as the district judge for Oklahoma’s Second Judicial District.
Gilbert K. Squires ‘93 joined Miami-based JAMS, the largest private provider of alternative dispute resolution services.
Dean Emeritus Jim Roth ‘93 was interviewed for an OK Energy Today story about a bill dealing with competitive bidding for electrical transmission.
class notes
John Menchaca ’92 was named a partner at the Michael Best law firm in Austin, Texas.
Oklahoma City Presiding Municipal Judge Philippa C. James ‘92 retired after 28 years of service with Oklahoma City Municipal Court.
Scott Brown ‘91, chief of the Iowa Attorney General office’s Statewide Prosecutions Section,was named prosecutor for the office’s new cold case unit.
J. Kevin Gray ‘91 was included on the LMG Life Sciences shortlist for Patent Strategy Attorney of the Year – South.
Rebecca Thompson ‘90 was the chief referee for the 2025 USRowing RowFest National Championships in Michigan.
1980s
Sherry Wallace DeBord ‘87 was honored with a proclamation from the City of Perry for dedicated service
upon her retirement as a municipal judge.
Kerrianne Kelly ’86, major crime bureau chief for Suffolk County in New York, received the 2024 Prosecutor of the Year Award for Trial Advocacy at the District Attorneys Association of New York’s annual summer conference.
Tony Mastin ’86 was elected as a shareholder for the McAfee & Taft law firm.
Alan Perta ’85 was a co-host on the “Talk of the Town” radio show on WUTQ in New York.
Nikki Leach ‘85, associate district judge for Noble County, was the featured speaker at a Rotary Club of Perry meeting
Canadian County court officials and staff honored Barbara Hatfield ‘84 or 13 years of service as special judge during a retirement reception.
Janie Simms Hipp ’84, president and CEO of Native Agriculture Financial Services,
REMEMBERING DON NEW
In early 2025, longtime OCU Law facilities manager Don New passed away. Don was a beloved member of the OCU Law staff for more than seven years. In that time, Don diligently cared for our law school campus. He enjoyed beautifying the campus any chance he got, including planting the trees and flowers that continue to grow today. Don never met a stranger in the halls of OCU and always shared a smile and a kind word with anyone he passed, and he is deeply missed at the law school.
Law school faculty and staff members contributed to the pictured memorial bench and plaque honoring Don outside the building.
was appointed to the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Community Development Advisory Board. Hipp was also named the 2025 Chickasaw Nation Dynamic Woman of the Year.
Fox 23 in Tulsa ran a feature story about Debbie Barnes ‘83, an Oklahoma Court of CivilAppeals judge.
1970s
Historian Bob Burke ‘79 was named chair of the day and moderator for the July 8 meeting of the Rotary Club of Oklahoma City.
Banking attorney Kevin Blaney ’77, formerly of the boutique commercial law firm of Blaney Tipton Hiersche & Odom, joined McAfee & Taft as a result of the combination of the two firms on Oct. 1.
Gary Pitchlynn ‘77, author of “The Usual Suspect,” was interviewed for a Native News Online story about his book.
The Oklahoman ran a guest column written by the sons of Phil Busey Sr. ‘77, founder and chairman of the Delaware Resource Group, as a Father’s Day tribute.
Oklahoma Energy Today ran a tribute for Patricia Alice Dougherty MacGuigan ’75, former administrative law judge at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.
1950s
The Cherokee Phoenix ran a feature story about Andy Payne ‘54, who became famous after winning the 1928 International TransContinental Footrace across America.
Please email your news to lawnews@ okcu.edu with “Class Note” in the subject line. Be sure to include your graduation year. We welcome photos (high resolution) but due to space cannot guarantee publication.
In September, Dean Holt, who is also Mayor Holt and president of the nation’s mayors, hosted nearly 50 mayors from cities across the country in Oklahoma City for the Fall Leadership Meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Two of the mayors, who are also lawyers, stopped by OCU Law to visit with students. OCU Law is proud of our affinity for producing public servants, so it was great to have Arlington, TX, Mayor Jim Ross and Hartford, CT, Mayor Arunan Arulampalam drop by and share some words of wisdom!
INTRODUCING THE TENANT RIGHTS CLINIC
The OCU Law HELP Clinic is now the Tenant Rights Clinic! Under the leadership of its new director Jenna Pilcher, the TRC provides the same great services as HELP, now under a new name. The TRC provides pro bono legal assistance for all tenants in Oklahoma County facing lease disputes or eviction by informing them of
their procedural and substantive rights. Director Pilcher and staff attorney Victoria Wilson supervise OCU Law students recruited to help these families while gaining experience with basic legal skills.
Learn more about the TRC at law.okcu.edu/trc
Alumni Gala
OKLAHOMA CITY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL of LAW
alumni awards
Honoring OCU Law alumni and their many contributions within the legal community. We believe these award winners will continue the legacy of excellence in their legal communities and beyond.
DistinguishedLaw
LawFirm of Distinction White and
Award
MarianOpala Lifetime
Bob Burke Achievement inLawAward
Collin Walke – Distinguished Law Alumnus Award Collin is a distinguished partner at Hall Estill, where he leads the Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Practice Group, exemplifying leadership and dedication. Graduating magna cum laude from the Oklahoma City University School of Law in 2008, he pursued knowledge with passion. His journey began with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Oklahoma State University in 2005, and he continued to expand his expertise by completing Harvard University’s Business Analytics Program in 2022, earning a nomination for distinction in programming and data systems.
Collin’s impact extended beyond the legal realm as he served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 2016 to 2022, where he took on the role of vice chair of the Native American Caucus from 2018 to 2020, advocating for important causes. He has exhibited outstanding public service. He shares his life with the Rev. Dr. Lori Walke, the love of his life, together inspiring those around them.
Caitlin Lambros – Outstanding
Young Alumna Award Caitlin Irwin Lambros serves as an Immigration Judge at the Dallas Immigration Court, a role she officially began in May 2024. With a strong educational foundation, she earned her Juris Doctor from Oklahoma City University School of Law in 2014.
Before her current appointment, Judge Lambros made a significant impact as an Assistant Chief Counsel at the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, part of the Department of Homeland Security, in San Antonio from 2022 to 2024, navigating the complexities of immigration law with dedication and expertise.
Judge Lambros embodies the values of integrity and excellence and exemplifies a young alumna’s exceptional achievement in the practice of law. Her journey in the legal field began as an Assistant District Criminal Attorney, where she passionately advocated for justice between 2014 and 2022, serving in Bexar County, Texas,
from 2016 to 2022, and in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, from 2014 to 2016. Each chapter of her career has further shaped her understanding of the law and commitment to serving others.
White and Weddle, P.C. – Law Firm of Distinction Award White and Weddle, P.C. proudly embraces the honor of being recognized as an honoree of the prestigious Law Firm of Distinction Award. This accolade symbolizes their steadfast commitment to excellence in legal representation and their unwavering dedication to serving clients with integrity and skill.
Founded by esteemed trial attorneys Joe E. White, Jr. and Charles C. Weddle III, the firm boasts over 90 years of combined experience in the legal realm. Both partners have forged a remarkable reputation for their tenacity in the courtroom and their relentless pursuit of justice for their clients. They have impressive accolades in legal expertise and professionalism.
At White and Weddle, P.C., they
Collin Walke
Alumnus Outstanding Young Caitlin Lambros Alumna
Weddle, P.C.
believe in the transformative power of accessibility, fostering trust and deepening client relationships. As contingent fee attorneys, they uphold the principle that clients should not carry the burden of upfront costs; they succeed only when they achieve justice. Their unwavering dedication to righting wrongs and securing the best possible outcomes shines through.
This recognition as a Law Firm of Distinction reaffirms its pledge to provide outstanding legal services, empowering individuals and families to rise above their challenges. As one of the leading law firms, they remain resolutely committed to upholding the highest standards of professional excellence.
Bob Burke – Marian Opala Lifetime Achievement in Law Award Bob Burke has made an indelible mark on the legal community through his tireless advocacy, distinguished career, and profound contributions to both Oklahoma City University School of Law and society at large. A driving force behind the constitutional challenge to the 2013 Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Law—the Administrative Workers’ Compensation Act (AWCA)—Burke fought against the establishment of the lowest benefits for injured workers in the nation. His leadership has resulted in the Oklahoma Supreme Court deeming 68 provisions of the
AWCA unconstitutional, with Burke successfully advocating for the removal of an additional 10 provisions in the state legislature.
Burke’s efforts in raising awareness about the detrimental impact of the “OPT OUT” scheme on injured workers led to its constitutional invalidation in Oklahoma and deterred similar attempts in several Southern states.
Burke is also a prolific author. His dedication to preserving and sharing Oklahoma’s rich history has garnered him numerous accolades, including the Oklahoma Book Award for his biographies of Wiley Post and Bryce Harlow.
Beyond his advocacy and writing, Burke’s community service reflects a deep commitment to excellence and leadership. He has served on various boards, while also contributing to the academic community as an adjunct professor. His remarkable contributions have been recognized through various honors. In 2011, he received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Oklahoma City University, reaffirming his status as a pillar of the legal community.
Burke’s lifelong dedication to justice, education, and community service exemplifies the spirit of the Marian P. Opala Lifetime Achievement Award, and his legacy continues to inspire future generations of legal professionals and advocates.
McIntyre Law, P.C. – Community/ Public Service Award McIntyre Law, P.C. is a dedicated legal service provider within the Oklahoma community, known for its commitment to public service and local initiatives. The firm has a strong tradition of hiring Oklahoma City University (OCU) Law alumni, fostering local talent and supporting future legal advocates.
With more than $1.25 million raised for community initiatives and over 1,120 volunteer hours dedicated to local events, McIntyre Law has made a significant impact. Its Annual Day of Kindness has delivered over 58,000 free Thanksgiving turkeys to families in need, becoming a beloved community event.
Additionally, the firm sponsors “A Noble Cause,” led by Senior Partner Noble McIntyre, which honors outstanding young Oklahomans for their community service. This program promotes a culture of kindness and civic engagement among youth.
Through its support of education and community upliftment, McIntyre Law remains a strong and compassionate presence, making it a worthy candidate for the Outstanding Community/Public Service Award at Oklahoma City University.
McIntyre Law, P.C.
Directors, CLE Series
2024-2025 Alumni Association Board of Directors
Travis Weedn (Chair)
Lindsey Pever (Immediate Past Chair)
Katherine Mazaheri (Chair Elect)
Chance Deaton
Ben Grubb
Justin Meek
Abi Ray
Erin O’Roke Oakley
Kendall Sykes
Emma Payne
Naureen Hubbard
Kari Hawthorne
Lauren Mass
Danielle Fielding
2024-2025
CLE Highlights
Artificial Intelligence - Real Ethics: How to Use AI Ethically and Responsibly, presented by Kayla M. Kuri
Anticipating the Unforeseen: Strategic Planning for Legal Practices, presented by Justin Meek & Benjamin Grubb
Secret Sauce for a Successful Mediation, presented by Danielle Fielding & The Honorable Linda Morrissey
Beware: AI, presented by Dr. Cathy O’Neil and Collin Walke
Alumni Association
Dear OCU Law Friends,
Your Alumni Association is gearing up for another academic year, and we’re taking a moment to reflect on an incredibly successful year. We created opportunities to connect you with each other and with the current student body, and to support and engage with faculty, administration, and the greater alumni community that spans the globe. You showed support in many ways, and we hope you found value in your experience and know that you made a difference.
I’ve had the honor to lead your Alumni Association for the past two years, and I’m particularly proud of what our team accomplished this year. The Board worked together to enhance our programs and refine processes. The result was a stronger, more robust Association that served our OCU Law community like never before. Here are a few highlights:
- The annual Alumni Awards Gala was a sold-out event! The Cirque De Soleilinspired gala was a fun environment to celebrate our alma mater and recognize exceptional leaders. Stay tuned for more information about the 2026 gala and consider nominating a deserving alum for an award by visiting the OCU Law website.
- The Mentorship Committee matched dozens of ambitious students with generous mentors willing to guide them through their law school experience and shepherd them into our profession. We’ve received positive feedback from mentors and mentees alike, both extracting valuable experiences from the mentoring relationship.
- The Association provided relevant, interesting CLEs touching on a variety of topics hosted by alums who are experts in their fields. The CLEs are free to members and create another avenue to connect and learn.
These events, and many more, were possible because of our dedicated Board which includes Immediate Past Board Chair and Development Committee Chair Lindsey Pever; Board Chair-Elect Katherine Mazaheri; Special Events Committee Chair Kendal Sykes; Student Engagement Committee Chair Danielle Fielding; Mentorship Committee Chair Abi Ray; CLE Committee Chair Ben Grubb; Justin Meek; Kari Hawthorne; Emma Payne; Erin O’Roke; Naureen Hubbard; and student member, Kaden Peebles. These devoted volunteers share their time, treasure, and talents to ensure your Association thrives. Thank You!
Thanks to Dean Holt, Jennifer Stevenson, and Andrea Moore. The support from OCU Law administration is invaluable.
If you are interested in joining the Alumni Association or serving as a Board member, I encourage you to explore those opportunities. This work is so rewarding and an important part of our OCU Law community.
As my tenure as Chair draws to a close, I want to express my appreciation for this wonderful leadership experience and for the many relationships I’ve come to cherish. I continue to be inspired by you, our talented alumni, who make a difference and use your legal education to strengthen your communities wherever you are. Keep shining bright!
Travis N. Weedn (’14)
2024-2025 Chair, Oklahoma City University School of Law Alumni Association Senior Manager for Government and Regulatory Affairs, Oklahoma Corporation Commission
The City’s Law School
Oklahoma City is the 20th largest city in the United States and was recently named the Best Big City to Live by the U.S. News & World Report. A few streetcar stops down Robinson Avenue from OCU Law, the sprawling downtown Scissortail Park sits in the shadow of the Devon Tower. This city provides a beautiful backdrop for OCU Law students and alumni to work, play, and live, and at this point in OKC’s story, the opportunities are limitless.
ALUMNI IN CLERKSHIPS
OKLAHOMA SUPREME COURT
SAIGE CULBERTSON
Saige Culbertson is a graduate of the OCU Law Class of 2023. After graduation, Saige accepted a term clerk position with then-Vice Chief (now Chief) Justice Dustin Rowe at the Oklahoma Supreme Court.
Before law school Saige, originally from Lawton, Oklahoma, earned an undergraduate degree in history (with a minor in government) from the University of Texas at Austin. She then spent a season as a park ranger in Moab, Utah, before working for a spinal implant company back in Austin.
At OCU Law Saige got involved with the Innocence Project and the Fighting for Innocence Through Exoneration Club. She served as an Academic Fellow in both Contracts and Property, along with being a member of the Law Review Editorial Board and a Research Fellow. Outside of the law school, she worked at the legal, regulatory, and policy consulting firm A New Energy, LLC.
Saige credits her externship with Judge Sheila Stinson for inspiring her to pursue a judicial clerkship after law school, despite not initially being on her radar. She says Judge Stinson was a phenomenal mentor who opened her eyes to how meaningful a clerkship could be.
During her clerkship, Saige conducted legal research, reviewed briefs and motions, prepared bench memoranda, drafted opinions and orders, and helped manage the flow of cases through the Court. She says OCU Law’s judicial externship program and her Law Review Note were especially helpful in preparing her for day-to-day clerkship work and learning how to research and write efficiently gave her a strong foundation.
Saige moved to Vermont after finishing her clerkship and is now an attorney for the Agency of Natural Resources. She says her best advice for law students is to keep an open mind, don’t compare yourselves too much to your classmates, and don’t be afraid to ask questions and seek opportunities.
“OCU was absolutely integral to my clerkship...The support and guidance I received from both faculty and staff gave me the confidence and preparation I needed.”
Saige Culbertson ‘23
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS
PJ NOVAK
After graduating from OCU Law in May of 2025, PJ Novak accepted a term clerk position under Judge Ronald C. Griffin in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas in Midland, Texas.
Prior to law school, PJ attended Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School and earned an undergraduate degree in political science (with a minor in history) from the University of Oklahoma. While at OCU Law, he served as president of the Federal Bar Association student division, was a member of the Law Review editorial board, and competed on the Jessup International Moot Court Team. PJ worked at the U.S. Attorney’s Office and as a summer associate at McAfee & Taft during law school. PJ says hearing high praise about judicial clerkships from attorneys at the U.S. Attorney’s Office inspired him to pursue a clerkship himself. And at McAfee & Taft, he noticed that the attorneys who had clerked demonstrated a deep understanding of the federal judicial system, which solidified his decision.
Looking forward to his legal career, PJ knew he wanted to develop that same understanding before entering practice. He also found that a
judicial clerkship was in alignment with his interest in legal analysis and writing. PJ says his involvement in federal practice through organizations like FBA and law school courses like Federal Courts made him feel well-prepared for his clerkship. During his clerkship PJ is most excited to “continue refining the ability to think about the law from an objective perspective, moving beyond advocacy to view issues as the court does.”
After his clerkship ends, PJ plans to return to Oklahoma City and start work at McAfee & Taft as an associate.
“It has truly been the best job I could imagine. Every day offers an opportunity to engage deeply with the law and see firsthand how decisions are made in federal court.”
PJ Novak ‘25
ALUMNI IN CONGRESS
MISSOURI’S 8TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT IN THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JASON SMITH
Congressman Jason Smith (‘04) has served in the United States House of Representatives since 2013. He is a 7th generation Missourian and represents Missouri’s 8th congressional district. Smith currently serves as Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, a position he has held since 2023, and is one of the youngest congressmen to have served in that role. Smith is from Salem, Missouri, and earned undergraduate degrees in Agricultural Eco -
OKLAHOMA’S 5TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT IN THE
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES (1977-1993)
MICKEY EDWARDS
nomics and Business Administration from the University of Missouri-Columbia before graduating from OCU Law in 2004. He served four full terms and one partial term in the Missouri House of Representatives, including time as majority whip and speaker pro tempore, before being elected to Congress.
Former Congressman Mickey Edwards (‘70) represented Oklahoma’s 5th congressional district in the United State House of Representatives from 1977-1993. Since leaving Congress, Edwards has taught courses in law, politics, and national security at Harvard, Georgetown, The George Washington University, the University of Pennsylvania and (currently) Princeton. Edwards has authored numerous books and articles, has spoken on many college campuses, is a regular political commentator on NPR, and is frequently published in major newspapers across the country.
NORTH CAROLINA’S 14TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT IN THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
TIM MOORE
Congressman Tim Moore (‘95) represents North Carolina’s 14th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he has served since January 2025. In Congress, Moore was appointed to a board by President Trump to review the FEMA response to Hurricane Helene and is a member of the House Committees on Financial Services and the Budget. Before being elected to Congress, Moore served as Speaker of the North Carolina House
of Representatives for a decade. He was first elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives in 2003.
Moore earned his B.A. in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and went on to graduate from OCU Law in 1995. He has practiced law in or around his hometown of Kings Mountain, North Carolina, since then.
OKLAHOMA’S 5TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT IN THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES (1993-2007)
ERNEST ISTOOK
Former Congressman Ernest Istook (‘77) represented Oklahoma’s 5th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1993-2007. After serving in Congress, Istook launched his radio show “Istook Live!” and has been a Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, the Heritage Foundation, and the Frontiers of Freedom Foundation. He has been a columnist for The Washington Post, contributed to many other major publications, and appeared frequently on national talk radio and TV news programs. He currently practices law at Howard, Lewis & Petersen in Utah and teaches classes in history and political science at Utah Valley University and Brigham Young University.
ALUMNI PROFILES
FIRST FEMALE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE OKLAHOMA BAR ASSOCIATION
JANET JOHNSON
Janet Johnson (‘10) became the first female executive director of the Oklahoma Bar Association in January 2023, after being selected by a unanimous vote of the Oklahoma Bar Association Board of Governors the prior October. Johnson has been at the OBA since 2020, previously as the director of educational programs. She started her legal career in private practice before realizing she was called to a service role. She then worked as a state’s attorney for the Department of Human Services
Child Support Services until taking her first role at the OBA.
Since taking over as executive director at the OBA, Johnson has been named one of 405 Business Magazine’s Metro’s Most Influential, and was honored with the Oklahoma Bar Association President’s Award for lawyers who work diligently every day to make a profound, positive impact on their communities, our state and the legal profession.
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, GENERAL COUNSEL, AND CORPORATE SECRETARY FOR ARAMCO
NABEEL A. AL MANSOUR
Nabeel A. Al Mansour (‘99) is the executive vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary for Aramco in Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s largest integrated energy and chemicals companies. Al Mansour started his career with Aramco in 1988 and was selected for the company’s Out-of-Kingdom Law Degree Program in 1996, which led him to OCU Law. After the bar exam, Al Mansour worked briefly for a law firm in New York before returning to Saudi Arabia to join the Aramco legal team.
Al Mansour has held several high-level positions at Aramco in the past 20 years. As general counsel at Aramco, he oversees a team of more than 200 lawyers spread out across the globe and manages compliance in more than 60 jurisdictions. He oversees multiple legal practice areas, including litigation, international trade, and project development and finance.
FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE TO BE SWORN IN AS A COMMISSIONER IN OKLAHOMA COUNTY
JASON LOWE
In April 2025, Jason Lowe (‘02) made history as the first African American male to be sworn in as a commissioner in Oklahoma County – he won the special election with more than 85% of the vote. Lowe served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives for nine years before becoming county commissioner. In addition to his public service roles, Lowe practices law at the criminal defense firm that he founded in 2009. Lowe is very active in the community. He founded “Know Your Rights,” a forum that educates Oklahomans on legal matters and obtains feed-
CHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER FOR THE DALLAS COWBOYS
HEIDI WEINGARTNER
back on important issues facing the community, and the Triple E Youth Initiative, a program that provides funds to various local youth departments. His law firm also hosts “Family Fun Day” each year, a free event that provides families with free school supplies, health screenings, and haircuts. In recognition of his community service, Lowe has been the recipient of the Oklahoma City Association of Black Lawyers John Green Community Service Award and the Oklahoma Bar Association Outstanding Service to the Public Award.
Heidi Weingartner (‘94) is the Chief Human Resources Officer for the Dallas Cowboys. She has been working in that role since 2008. The Dallas Cowboys organization employs nearly 500 people and is the highest valued sports franchise in the world (according to Forbes). Prior to her position at the Cowboys, Weingartner worked as Vice President of Human Resources at PepsiCo for several years. Weingartner was named the 2024 Woman of Inspiration WISE DFW, she serves on the National Advisory Council for Women Leaders in Sports, and she is a founding member of Pro Sports Assembly. Weingartner has also been a speaker for many events and organizations, including Bloombase’s Advanced Women Leaders program.
ALUMNI PROFILES
OKLAHOMA COUNTY’S FIRST FEMALE DISTRICT ATTORNEY
VICKI BEHENNA
In January 2023, Vicki Behenna (‘94) took office as Oklahoma County’s first female district attorney. Before running for office, Behenna served as the executive director of the Oklahoma Innocence Project at OCU Law for seven years. Behenna transitioned to working in private practice as a defense attorney in 2014, but before that she spent more than 25 years as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Oklahoma, where she tried fraud cases and was responsible for the prosecution of complex public corruption cases. During her time at the U.S. Attorney’s
Office, Behenna helped secure the conviction of Timothy McVeigh following the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.
Behenna has accumulated many accolades during her career, including the Distinguished Service Award by U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, recognition by the Western District of Oklahoma as an Outstanding Assistant U.S. Attorney, and the OCU Law Distinguished Law Alumna Award. In addition to her work with OKIP, she has served at OCU Law as an adjunct professor.
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF OKLAHOMA
ROBERT TROESTER
Robert Troester (‘87) has been serving as the United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma since March 2021. As U.S. Attorney, Troester is the chief federal law enforcement officer responsible for all federal criminal prosecutions and civil litigation involving the United States in the Western District of Oklahoma, an area covering 40 counties that also includes 21 federally recognized Indian tribes. Troester first joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 1995, and he has served in various leadership roles since, in Oklahoma, Washington, D.C., and overseas.
Among the many committees and commissions Troester has served on in the past 30 years, in 2020 he chaired the Victim Services Working Group for President Trump’s Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice. Troester previously worked in law enforcement and private practice before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The City’s Law School
The Oklahoma County Courthouse – a bustling hub of attorneys from across the state just seven blocks from the OCU Law building at 8th and Harvey. Hundreds of OCU Law alumni practice in this building every day. Since 2011, more than 50 OCU Law students have participated in externships in the courthouse under judges, prosecutors and other public officials. OCU Law alumni are often called to public service, and many fulfill that service in this very building.
thank you
for giving
(July 2024-June 2025)
Dean’s Cabinet
$100,000+
The Chickasaw Nation
Oklahoma Bar Foundation, Inc.
Dean’s Council
$10.000+
Kirkpatrick Foundation
Tom Quinn and Tommy F. Thompson
The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel
The Sumners Foundation
Oklahoma City Community Foundation
Frank S. and Julia
M. Ladner Family Foundation, Inc.
Hudson Family Fund
Partners
$1,000+
White & Weddle
George Kaiser Family Foundation
KC
DeWitt, Paruolo & Meek, PLLC
Whitten & Burrage
Bob Burke
Conklin Family Foundation
Crowe Dunlevy
GableGotwals
James Beers
Paul Doolittle
Salazar Roofing
The McCune-Katigan Family Fund
William Buckles
Joe Homsey, Jr.
John Hudson
Eric Huddleston
McAfee & Taft
Phillips Murrah, PC
James Acres
The Professional Basketball Club, LLC
El Dorado Corporation
Mary Ann Corum
Oklahoma County Bar Foundation
Rose Rock Financial
Team Griffin Basketball Association
James Roth
Ralph Thomas, Jr.
Isai Molina
Deborah Barnes
Noma Gurich
Jodi Cole
Mary Gilmore Caffrey
A New Energy, LLC
Ashley Murphy
Brett Behenna
Clinton Family Giving Fund
David Aelvoet
Devol and Associates
Dewberry & Hubbard Fellers, Snider, Blankenship, Bailey & Tippens, PC
Gary B. Homsey
Investments LLC
Hall Booth Smith P.C.
Hall Estill Attorneys at Law
Hartzog Conger Cason LLP
Hornbeek Vitali & Braun
Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.
Altschler
Robert Haupt
Arnold Battise
Jerry Bass
Westwin Elements
Valerie Couch
Gary Homsey
Katherine Mazaheri
Ball Morse Lowe PLLC
Chapel Hill United Methodist Church
Paul McLaughlin
George Proctor, Jr.
Mid-America Law
Library Consortium
Nick Harroz, III
The Jacobson Law Group
WCM Investment Company
William Shdeed
David and Rachel Holt
Danielle Fielding
Lawrence Hellman
Jennifer Finley
John Coyle, III
Sara Barry
AccessLex Institute
Regan Beatty
Jo Anne Eason
Heidi Weingartner
Linda Byford
Maria Kolar
Patricia Demps
David Beal
Eric Laity
Jettie Person
Edward Goldman
Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund
First Presbyterian Church
Jennifer Dutton
Joseph Leszczynski
Lathrop GPM
LegalShield
Nike, Inc.
ONEOK Foundation, Inc.
Patrick Layden
Paula Dalley
Ralph Sallusti
Stanley Basler
Robert Abernathy
Robert Margo
Robinson, Hoover & Fudge
Timothy Foley
William Ackerman
Counselors
$500+
James Biscone
Destry and Samuel Holzschuh
Jennifer Stevenson
Alexa Smart
Timothy Gatton
Nicole Wayne
Nicholas Porter
Michael Decker
Xiaoxue Wang
Hannah Whitten
Casey Ross
David Lopez
Jim Priest
Mazaheri Law Firm
Oklahoma City Indian Clinic
Don Andrews
Christin Mugg
Abigail, LLC
Kari Hawthorne
Charles Weddle, III
Danielle Schinzing
Shannon Pearson
George Bradley
Janie Simms Hipp
Johnson & Biscone
Stride Bank, NA
Benjamin Grubb
Kate White
Justin and Beckey Meek
Tia Ebarb Matt
Rose Barber
Sheryl Young
Barry Stafford
Billy May Enterprises, Inc
Brad Madore
Cathy Christensen
Cindy Crittenden
Crowe & Dunlevy Foundation, Inc.
Gold Plated Food
Hamden Baskin, III
Innocence Project, Inc.
John Kempf, Jr.
Karl Hirsch
Laura Corbin
Native American Journalists
Assoc
Ree Drummond
Robert Kemps
Roland Schafer
Stephanie Liebl Huber
Reta Strubhar
United Way of North Central
New Mexico
William & Lauren Custom
Clothier
Lindsey Pever
Supporters
$250+
Elaine Turner
Public Strategies
Robert Nguyen
Kara Smith
Suzanne Pointer
Alana House
E. Christine Reid
Scott Webb
The Capital Grille
Matthew Craig
Lauren Mass
Lydia Green
Andrea Moore
Randall Fudge
Britan Mills Robertson
Rita Ortloff
Jamie Nickels
Cheryl Burns
Jana Knott
Janet New
Mary Miller
Joseph C. Biscone II
Ted Knight
Nicole Snapp-Holloway
Michael Wolf
Adam Miller
Audra Heasley
Blair Naifeh
Brian Hobbs
C. Sean Spivey
Chris Tumminia
Collin Walke
Donald Hoeft
Jerome Carlson
Joyce Ann Michael
Law Office of Terry A. Iles
Art LeFrancois
Red Carpet Car Wash
Renaissance Charitable Foundation
William Wantland
Robert Strunin
Rotary Club of Oklahoma City
Stephen Bracken
Charlotte Berry
Thomas McCoy
Travis Weedn
Trevor Pemberton
Friends
Jordan Klinger
Brian Phillips
Peter Wright
Glenn Brown
Susanna Stefanek
Kristin Siegel
Caitlin Porterfield
Debra Davis
Martha Tehan
C. William Lange
Christopher Garinger
Daniel Defilippi
Jaleesa Watson
Leonard Pataki
Patrick Wells
Daniel Morgan
Roberta Matt
Sharon Varnum
Soleil Airbrush Tanning
The Social Order - Jones
Assembly
Kacey Butcher
Allison McGrew
Cole Dotson
David Telman
Abby Allford
Jan Meadows
Michael Vernon
Shawnae Robey
Douglas Golden
Thomas Jones
Udander
Katy Lane
Ashley McCord
David Morse
Matthew Lynam
Nancy Cain
Justin Cajindos
Karen Berry
Lori Walke
Teresa Rose
Tosha Birmingham
Milissa Tipton-Dunkins
Lynann Sterk-Brooks
Nikki Kirkpatrick
Ross Branton
Sarah Jernigan McGovern
Scott Laverty
Alexis Sadeghy
Becki Anders
Jahni Tapley Bachman
Kelly Monroe
Luciana Perez
Mary Jackson
Dana Jim
David Livingston
Harrison Burton
Kristan Bolding
Samantha Wolf
Barbara Hatfield
Joe Spears
Micah Sartin
Full Circle Bookstore
Hay Charitable Fund
Braxton Coil
Diane Lewis
Emily Carmichael
Emma Payne
Ewomazino Magbegor
Faustine Curry
Heather Glaze
Janet Beard
Kathryn Nelson
Kendall Sykes
Leslie Wileman
Ramona Freels
Sajani Zachariah
Sophia Smith
Adam Christensen
Amy Ellingson
Andrew Schroeder
Austin Caldwell
Balliet’s
Britni Cobb
Chicken N Pickle
Chris Alexander
Cynthia Sparling
Daniel Whitmarsh
Derek Ensminger
Bernie Patterson
Drybar
Eric Brauer
Heather Bahnmaier
J. Bradley Klepper
James Kleinbaum
Janis Love
Jay G. Israel, P.C.
Jeffrey Sabin
Jeriah Steward
Jim Klepper
Joe Wheeler, Jr.
John Myers
Joseph Biscone, II
Joseph Kovash
Justin Davis
Lezel Safi
Lorenzo Banks
Maribeth Snapp
Marlo Lyons
Martin Lopez, III
Michael Kaplan
Michael Neely
Miranda Harrison
Native Plants Nursery
P. Scott Buhlinger
Richard Bragga
Robert Gipson-Black
Robert Lewis
Ruey Newsom, II
Shane McLaury
Shannon Purnell
Steven McConnell
Taylor Robertson
Ted Kavrukov
Tony Foss Flowers
Victor Gorin
Yovana Lopez Medina
Katherine Bushnell
Kory Kile
Ronica Roberts
Erin Reynolds
Robert Varnum
Zach Ball
Robyn Holmes
Mercedes Charles
Juri Ortiz
Brandy Salazar
Harmonniey Kinchion
Paulette Schroeder
Saige Culbertson
Alexandra Ah
Aliyah Payne
Andrea Painter
Boonrugsa Pinwattana
Gretta Sloane
John Settle
Kimberly Chandler
Lauryn Cottrell
Leslie Mount
Liquor Bin
Marla Harrington
Michael Smith
Milo and Lily
Parker Leland
Patricia Gerrity Clingman
Andrew Spiropoulos
Karen Eby
Richard Cochran, Jr.
Robert Mitchell
Ryan Brown
Skydance Brewing
Sparrow Modern Italian
Stephen Butler
Tony Mastin
Top Golf
Wayne Allison
Ying Zhou
Preston Nicholson
Fit Report OKC
Oklahoma City Ballet
Riversport OKC
Rumble Boxing
Kristi Wheeler
Sandra Williams
CycleBar OKC
Ilya Morrison
Madeline Wells
Steven Foster
Cullen Sweeney
Ariel Torres
Cecilia Cole
Debra McKinney
Jessica Duncan
Shawna Cruz
Shawna Hudson
Abigail Borunda
Alyssa Abraham
Ana Mitchell
Andrew Jackson
Anna Whatley
Anne-Claire Weaver
Bailey Del Toro
Beverly Palmer
Braedon Stone
Chloe Frame
Chris Purget
Cierra Martin
Crystal Macias
David Knox
Destiny Reyes
Elizabeth Nelson
Gareth Morton
Gloria Lee
Isabelle Luu
Isma’il Calhoun
Jacob Beckham
Jaqueline Ruiz
Kaden Peebles
Laura Youngblood
Mackenzie Gibson
Mahrle Angel
Megan Neaves
Melanie Shelley
Nathan Ogden
Phillip Tate
Rebecca Gracey
Regi Pasby
Ricky Dority
Sam Alawar
Sarah Zakaria
Sophia Rega
Cassandra Williams
Vivian Eldrige
Zetta Cannedy
Redmond Wortham
David Scott
Melissa Handke
Stephanie Garinger
Cynthia Ngo
Dalton Funkhouser
Gilbert Magdaleno
Hilary Miller
Isabella York
Deanna Amidon
Cindy Elbah
Tracy Neel
Bryan Baxter
Jude Prilliman
Julia Draelos
Leo Prilliman
Robert Whittaker
Victoria Wilson
Make an investment that endures for generations to come...
Sustaining the legacy of OCU Law for current and future OCU Law students requires the support of our alumni and friends. Your investment is critical to the longevity and health of our law school. There are many ways to invest in OCU Law both now and for future generations of law students.
Gifts such as stock transfers, IRA charitable deductions, or legacy gifts donated as part of a will or trust are valued contributions to the OCU Law community. Ensure a brighter tomorrow for our students by giving through a bequest, life insurance policy, IRA, charitable annuity, charitable remainder trust or a retained life estate.
If you would like more information about planned giving, please visit oculegacy.org or contact Law Advancement at lawadvancement@okcu.edu or (405) 208-7102.
On June 22, 2025, Oklahoma City finally became a Championship City when the OKC Thunder beat the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. What’s on everyone’s mind the morning after their team wins a championship? The parade, of course! Thousands gathered along the parade route on a hot Oklahoma summer day to share in the championship glory with the city’s team. And Oklahoma City’s law school was ready to meet the moment. The parade started at 10th and Harvey, marched right past the crowd gathered around the law school, and ended at Scissortail Park with Dean (and Mayor) Holt holding the iconic Larry O’Brien Trophy onstage with the NBA champions – a day to remember in OKC. Same time next year?
“As a lifelong Thunder fan, experiencing firsthand the team’s first championship as a rookie Storm Chaser—celebrating with fans and representing the best organization in sports—made it an unforgettable rookie year. It was truly a storybook season.”
Patrick Wells is the office manager for the Oklahoma Innocence Project at OCU Law. The OKC Thunder’s championship season also happened to be his first year as a Storm Chaser for the Thunder. Storm Chasers are part of the Thunder Entertainment team, and they spend home games hyping up the crowd in Paycom Arena.
Thunder
Internship
“This past spring semester, I had the honor of interning with Hakeem Onafowokan, the vice president of Corporate Legal for the Oklahoma City Thunder. As a Corporate Legal intern, I assisted Hakeem on various contract, trademark, and employment law matters. My key responsibilities involved drafting, reviewing, and editing various contracts, performing legal research, and assisting in enforcing the organization’s intellectual property rights. With Hakeem’s guidance and support, I enhanced my legal writing skills and gained confidence in myself as both a student and a professional. I would not be where I am today without the unwavering support of such an incredible mentor. Therefore, it is no surprise that the entire organization is dedicated to excellence and community enhancement. The Thunder’s strong commitment to community involvement was what initially inspired me to apply for the position. I saw it as a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the sports and entertainment industry, while contributing to an organization whose values aligned with my own. Even then, I never anticipated how transformative the experience would be. I was continually impressed by how welcoming, supportive, and generous everyone was with their time and guidance. Their kindness and eagerness to help truly made the entire internship experience unforgettable. It was the dedication and the steadfast commitment to the organization’s success by every single person that made me most excited for the team to bring home the 2025 NBA Championship. There was no other team and city more deserving of the win than the Oklahoma City Thunder. I will be eternally grateful for the opportunity I had with the Thunder during such a historical moment. It truly was an honor of a lifetime. Always and forever, Thunder Up!”
Ariel Torres
OCU Law Class of 2025
Breaking the Cycle: OCU Law’s HEROES Clinic Empowers Second Chances
Launched in January 2025 under the direction of Judge Lorenzo Banks (‘11), the Helping to Eliminate Re-Entry Obstacles for Enhancing Stability (HEROES) Clinic at Oklahoma City University School of Law has already made a remarkable impact. In partnership with Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma and other local agencies, the clinic empowers students to advocate for Oklahomans trapped in cycles of fines, fees, and financial incarceration and to restore opportunity through criminal-record expungement. Working across Cleveland, Pottawatomie, Oklahoma, and Canadian Counties, students provide direct representation that helps clients clear burdensome court debt and, when eligible, clear their records to rebuild their lives.
At cost dockets throughout the region, HEROES students work alongside Legal Aid attorneys and clinic faculty to assist individuals appearing pro se to explain why they cannot pay outstanding fines and fees. Students conduct critical client intake, completing hardship questionnaires and conducting focused interviews, often in under 10 minutes, to understand each client’s financial situation and identify viable legal arguments. Students then formulate persuasive arguments for fee waivers, which they present to the supervising Legal Aid attorney or clinic professor for courtroom advocacy. Licensed student interns take this work a step further: after obtaining informed client consent and conferring with the Legal Aid attorney, they present arguments directly to the court, advocating for relief in hearings that may last only 5 minutes yet can resolve debt that has burdened clients for decades.
Students also handle expungement cases, where they conduct comprehensive legal research to determine eligibility under Oklahoma’s complex expungement statutes. They analyze clients’ criminal histories, calculate waiting periods, and assess whether arrests,
charges, or convictions qualify for expungement or sealing. Students draft detailed petitions and supporting documentation, often navigating multi-jurisdictional records and working with court clerks to obtain necessary case information. For many clients, expungement represents the final barrier to moving forward to clearing records that prevent them from securing employment, professional licenses, housing, or educational opportunities. Students guide clients through each step of this often-lengthy process, from initial eligibility assessment through final court orders.
In just its first three months, student advocates secured over $470,000 in waived court debt for nearly one hundred clients and helped multiple clients achieve expungements. By embedding this work into the law school curriculum, the HEROES Clinic ensures consistent service to the community while preparing the next generation of lawyers to pursue justice with both skill and compassion.
The clinic’s excellence was recognized nationally when its inaugural student team received the Clinical Legal Education Association (CLEA) Student Team Award, honoring their collaboration, professionalism, and transformative results. Their success has set the standard for what experiential education can accomplish when academic rigor meets real-world need.
In the words of Director Judge Lorenzo Banks, “I wanted this clinic and the work that we do in it to hit to the core of what I believe lawyers are supposed to exhibit: competent professionalism in the community, while bearing the responsibility of servant leadership. I wholeheartedly believe that this is implicit in the duties of all lawyers. We are building the next generation of great lawyers who will understand how important it is for them to use their knowledge to better society.”
OCU Law is the city’s law school. Oklahoma City is fast-growing, is the capital city, the nation’s 20th-largest city, and is the home of NBA Champions and 2028 Olympic events. OCU Law is the only law school in the city limits of this dynamic city, and our beautiful, historic and inspiring home in downtown is walking distance from every conceivable professional and cultural opportunity.
Though the city is our clinic and we have nearly 100 established externship relationships, we also offer a wide range of experiential opportunities and centers of excellence at the law school. These include:
• Oklahoma Innocence Project
• OCU Tribal Sovereignty Institute
• American Indian Wills Clinic
• The Collaborative: Law Clinic for Business & Innovation
• Tenant Rights Clinic
#7 for Non-Traditional Students
• Norick Municipal Law Research Clinic
• Immigration Clinic
• HEROES Clinic
#27 for Best Professors
OCU Law is the only law school in the city limits of America’s 20th-largest city and the only law school in our state’s capital city. Our beautiful historic home in downtown Oklahoma City places us at the heart of a dynamic city, walking distance from unique professional and cultural opportunities.
• Center for the Study of State Constitutional Law & Government
• Inasmuch Center for Public Service
Clinton-Keating Lecture, which debuted in 2025 with remarks by President Bill Clinton and Governor Frank Keating.
Though the city is our clinic and we have nearly 100 established externship relationships, we also o er a growing number of experiential opportunities and centers of excellence inside the building.
These include:
Our students are taught by 26 fulltime professors and dozens of adjunct faculty, including many sitting judges and prominent practitioners. Princeton Review recently named OCU Law a top 30 law school for teaching.
• Oklahoma Innocence Project
• American Indian Wills Clinic
Our students are taught by 24 full-time professors and dozens of adjunct faculty that includes many sitting judges and other accomplished practicing lawyers. Princeton Review recently named us a top 50 law school for teaching.
The ABA judges a law school’s Bar passage rate by the percentage of students who take and pass the test within two years of graduation. This is known as the “ultimate Bar passage rate.” OCU Law’s average ultimate Bar passage rate since 2015 is 87 percent.
Our approximately 430 students are among the most diverse in the country, and PreLaw Magazine recently named OCU Law one of the top 50 schools in the nation for diversity.
• American Indian Law & Sovereignty Center / OCU Tribal Sovereignty Institute
• The Collaborative: Law Clinic for Business & Innovation
Our approximately 430 students are among the most diverse in the country, and PreLaw Magazine recently named OCU Law the No. 20 law school in the nation for diversity. PreLaw also ranked OCU Law the No. 4 best law school for Native American students, and one out of every ten students is a tribal member.
• Housing Eviction Legal Assistance Program (HELP)
Our most recent graduating class was employed within nine months at a rate of 95 percent, our highest rate at OCU Law since record-keeping began.
PreLaw also ranked OCU Law the #4 best law school for Native American students. One out of every ten students is a tribal member. OCU Law and OCU are hosts of the Sovereignty Symposium.
In 2025, OCU Law received the highest number of applications since 2012, and for the second year in a row we have welcomed the highest-credentialed 1L class since 1992.
• Norick Municipal Law Research Clinic
• Immigration Clinic
• Center for the Study of State Constitutional Law & Government
• Inasmuch Center for Public Service
OCU Law and OCU are the hosts of the Sovereignty Symposium, which will stage its 38th annual event in 2026. The 2025 Sovereignty Symposium broke the attendance record, attracting over 700 participants, and hosted a keynote from former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. OCU Law is also home to the Brennan Lecture, Quinlan Lecture and the
Our 7,000 living alumni practice around the nation and around the world. We have successful alumni practicing in every conceivable field.
This is OCU Law.
The ABA judges a law school’s Bar passage rate by the percentage of students who take and pass the test within two years of graduation. This is known as the “ultimate Bar passage rate.” OCU Law’s average since 2015 is 87 percent.
