Ohio State University Moritz College of Law


The Michael E. Moritz College of Law is a public law school founded in 1891 and located in Drinko Hall on the main campus of the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a charter member of the Association of American Law Schools.
The Moritz College of Law is ranked the 30th best law school in the United States and 1st in dispute resolution by U.S. News & World Report. In addition, Moritz is ranked the 18th best law school and 5th best public law school in the United States by Business Insider.
According to the Moritz College of Law's official 2016 ABA-required disclosures, 77% of the Class of 2016 obtained full-time, long-term, bar passage-required employment nine months after graduation, excluding solo-practitioners. This ranked Moritz 24th in the United States and 1st in Ohio for job placement of recent law graduates.

History

The board of trustees of the Ohio State University officially sanctioned a law school in June 1885 after approving a resolution introduced by trustee Peter H. Clark, an early African-American civil rights activist. However, it was not until October 1891 that the law school was formally opened to 33 students, including 1 woman, in the basement of the original Franklin County Courthouse. Marshall Jay Williams, a Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court served as the first dean of the law school and lectured for two years before resigning in 1893. In 1896, the University elevated the law school to its present-day College of Law status.
In 1903, the College of Law moved to Page Hall, its first permanent building on the main campus of the University, named in honor of Henry F. Page, a prominent Ohio attorney who had left his estate to the University. Over the next four decades, the College of Law experienced rapid growth under the successive leadership of deans William F. Hunter, Joseph H. Outhwaite, John Jay Adams and Herschel Arant. Today, the College of Law continues its growth in national stature under the successive leadership of deans Gregory H. Williams, Nancy H. Rogers and now Alan C. Michaels.
The modern-day building that now houses the Moritz College of Law since 1958, Drinko Hall, is named after internationally known attorney and College of Law benefactor John Deaver Drinko, former Managing Partner of BakerHostetler in Cleveland, Ohio. Drinko received his law degree from the College of Law in 1944 and received a Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1991. In 2001, the College of Law received a $30 million donation from benefactor Michael E. Moritz, former partner of BakerHostetler in Columbus, Ohio. Moritz received his undergraduate degree from the Ohio State University Fisher College of Business in 1941 and law degree from the College of Law in 1944, where he graduated at the top of his class. At the time, it was the largest single gift to the Ohio State University. The donation provided full-tuition grants with stipends to 30 law students, 4 endowed faculty chairs, 3 service awards for students, and a fund for use by the dean. The College of Law completed a supplemental campaign to raise an additional $30 million to match Moritz's gift and make further improvements.

Academic reputation

The Moritz College of Law has experienced a significant increase in its academic reputation over the past decade and is now consistently ranked among the top 30 law schools in America. Above the Law ranked the Moritz College of Law as the 26th best law school in America in 2019. Business Insider ranked the Moritz College of Law as the 18th best law school in America and the 5th best public law school in America in 2016. U.S. News & World Report ranked the Moritz College of Law full-time Juris Doctor program the 32nd best law school in America and 1st for dispute resolution in 2015.
Further adding to the growing national stature of the Moritz College of Law is the scholarly writings and activities of the Moritz faculty. According to professor Brian Leiter's "Scholarly Impact Score," the Moritz College of Law faculty ranks 19th amongst the top 40 law faculties in scholarly impact in 2015, as measured by the amount of law journal citations of Moritz faculty articles over the past five years. In particular, professors Michelle Alexander, noted civil rights activist, and Ruth Colker, the Distinguished University Professor and the Heck-Faust Memorial Chair in Constitutional Law, were amongst the most-cited critical theory law faculty between 2010 and 2014.

Journals

The Ohio State Moritz College of Law publishes five legal journals:
The Moot Court & Lawyering Skills Program at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law includes intramural competitions and inter-scholastic teams covering various areas of the law. The Moot Court and Lawyering Skills Governing Board is responsible for organizing and administering four intramural competitions: the Herman Moot Court Competition, Colley Trial Practice Competition, the Representation in Mediation Competition, and the Lawrence Negotiations Competition. The Moot Court Board is a student-run organization that oversees and assists various Moot Court teams that compete nationally against other schools.

Center for Interdisciplinary Law and Policy Studies

The Center for Interdisciplinary Law and Policy Studies offers students the opportunity to work closely with faculty members from both the College of Law and other disciplines on research dealing with critical contemporary policy issues. Three areas are of particular interest:
According to the College of Law's official 2016 ABA-required disclosures, 77% of the Class of 2016 obtained full-time, long-term, bar passage-required employment nine months after graduation, excluding solo-practitioners. Moritz College of Law ranked 24th out of 201 ABA-approved law schools in terms of the percentage of 2016 graduates with non-school-funded, full-time, long-term, bar passage required jobs nine months after graduation.
The College of Law's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 8.5%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2015 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation. 97% of the Class of 2015 was employed in some capacity while 1% were pursuing graduate degrees and 2% were unemployed nine months graduation.
Ohio was the main employment destination for 2015 Moritz College of Law graduates, with 77% of employed 2015 graduates working in the state.

Costs

The total cost of attendance at the College of Law for the 2014-2015 academic year is estimated at $49,496 for Ohio residents and $64,448 for non-residents. Moritz College of Law's in-state tuition and fees on average increased by 5.73% annually over the past five years while its non-resident tuition and fees on average increased by 3.55% over the past five years.
The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $185,780. The average indebtedness of the 87% of 2013 College of Law graduates who took out loans was $97,624.

Scholarships

Moritz Scholars

The Moritz Merit Scholarship Fund was established in 2001 by Michael E. Moritz '61. The Scholarship is designed to attract and train a select group of students with outstanding academic and personal histories who are dedicated to improving the lives of their clients, their communities, and the profession of law. Moritz Scholars receive mentorship from nationally recognized individuals chosen for their leadership in a wide variety of areas including academia, business, law, government, and public interest.

Barton Scholars

The Robert K. Barton Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in 1968 by golf legend and Ohio State University alumnus Jack Nicklaus. The Scholarship was established in memory of his good friend and Moritz College of Law alumnus Robert K. Barton '62, one of central Ohio's top amateur golfers and law partner of former Ohio Governor and fellow Moritz alumnus John W. Bricker. Barton, his wife Linda, and another couple were killed when their private plane crashed en route to watch Nicklaus play in the 1966 Masters Tournament.

Notable faculty

The Moritz College of Law has 80 faculty members. Notable current and former faculty members include:
The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law has approximately 10,000 alumni across the United States. Selected notable alumni distinguishing themselves include: