College's History

Brief Timeline

October 1, 1891
Ohio State law school classes began in the Franklin County Courthouse with 32 male students and 1 female student. Supported solely by students, the school's tuition was $60 per year. Prominent lawyers provided instruction and Ohio Supreme Court Justice Marshall J. Williams served as the first dean.

1892
Rutherford B. Hayes, chairman of the OSU Board of Trustees and former U.S. President made a personal gift to the law school to encourage support.

1893
A full-time dean, William F. Hunter, is appointed and the University makes funding available.

1894
Classes were moved to Orton Hall on the main campus.

1896
Under the leadership of Dean William F. Hunter, the department became The College of Law.

1901
The college became a charter member of the Association of American Law Schools.

1903
Page Hall was constructed, thanks to a gift from Circleville lawyer Henry Folsom Page. It was the home of the College of Law for more than 50 Years.

1905
Joseph P. Outhwaite is named dean. He serves until 1907.

1908-09
George W. Rightmore serves as acting dean.

1909
John J. Adams is named dean. He serves until 1926.

1915
Ohio State Chapter of Order of the Coif is formed.

1926
Alonzo H. Tuttle is named dean. He serves until 1928. The Moot Court Program is established.

1935
Throughout the Depression years, students refused to let their initiatives decline. During this time, the Student Bar Association was formed, The Ohio State Law Journal was established, and the Legal clinic and moot court appellate advocacy programs were initiated. Under the leadership of Dean Herschel W. Arant, the League of Ohio Law Schools was formed and the OSU College of Law became a charter member.

1946-47
Harry W. Vannemen serves as acting dean.

1947
Jefferson B. Fordham is named dean. He serves until 1952.

Post World War II
The expansion of faculty, programs, student enrollments and alumni involvement led to the two-phase construction of the new law building under the leadership of Dean Frank R. Strong, who was named dean in 1952. He serves as dean until 1965.

1959
The current home of the College of Law, Drinko Hall, was completed. The Law Library collection then ranked seventh among the national law schools and the moot court program produced three national championship teams. An innovative and expanded clinical education program provided students with valuable legal skills training.

1965
The college took a leadership role in the recruitment of women and minority students. Alumni and friends initiated annual giving and endowments. The first endowed professorships recognized two distinguished alumni, U. S. Senator John W. Bricker and Ohio Supreme Court Justice C. William O'Neill. Ivan C. Rutledge is named dean. He serves until 1970.

1970
James C. Kirby, Jr., is named dean. He serves until 1974.

1974
L. Orin Slagle, Jr., '57 is named dean. He serves until 1978.

1978
The college is led by Dean James E. Meeks. He serves until 1985.

1984
The college switches from the quarter to the semester system.

1985
The Ohio State Journal on Dispute Resolution is formed.

1985-1991
Francis X. Beytagh is Dean. Courses in international law, interprofessional study, mediation, and health law were added to the curriculum. Joint degree programs, internships, and summer programs at Oxford University in England were first offered. At the end of the decade, the college concluded its Centennial Campaign, raising over $15 million. It was the most successful single campaign in American legal education. More than half the funds are committed to the $16 million Law Building Addition designed for the second century of the college.

1992
The Moritz Law Library is significantly expanded to accommodate the growing volume of holdings and the increasing student body.

1993
Gregory H. Williams is named dean. He serves until 2001.

1995
Drinko Hall, the current home of the college of law, is named for John Deaver Drinko, a Cleveland lawyer and businessman and a 1944 graduate of the college.

1996
Justice for Children Practicum begins, allowing students to represent children in a variety of legal proceedings.

2000
Legislation Clinic is formed. It allows students to work directly with legislative leaders and their staffs on matters pending or anticipated to rise before the Ohio House and Senate.

2001
Michael E. Moritz, '61, gives $30 million to be used for student scholarships, faculty chairs, and a wide range of academic programs. Nancy H. Rogers is named dean.

2003
The university approves the creation of a new Certificate in Children's Studies at the Moritz College of Law. Moritz Law is the only top-50 law school in the nation to offer a specialized certificate in this area. The Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law, a peer-reviewed journal, begins publishing.

2004
Moritz Law begins offering a Master in the Study of Law (M.S.L) degree, designed for those possessing or pursuing a Ph.D. in nonlaw fields who wish to expand their expertise in areas of law germane to their discipline. I/S: A Journal of Law and Policy for the Information Society is launched.

2005
The Entrepreneurial Business Law Journal is formed with Miranda J. Fields as its first editor.

2007
Moritz Law welcomed its first Master of Laws (LL.M.) class for international lawyers in Fall 2007. Offering foreign lawyers the opportunity to immerse themselves in a rigorous and expansive legal curriculum, the new LL.M. program also provides J.D. students with the opportunity to interact with practitioners from a wide and varied range of legal systems.

2008
Alan C. Michaels was named dean on Nov. 7. He succeeded Nancy H. Rogers, who stepped down to become Ohio's Attorney General.

Today

More than 2,000 students seek admission to the college each year with approximately 145 classes from which to choose annually. The Law Library has been provided with a new modernized and technologically advanced building addition.

Moritz Law alumni include nationally and internationally recognized leaders in every field. Distinguished alumni include Gov. George V. Voinovich, U.S. Sen. Howard M. Metzenbaum, and Ohio Supreme Court Justice Thomas J. Moyer.