| Ohio State University Moritz College of Law | |
| Parent: | Ohio State University |
| Type: | Public law school |
| Parent Endowment: | $7.4 billion |
| Dean: | L. Camille Hébert (acting) |
| City: | Columbus |
| State: | Ohio |
| Country: | United States |
| Coordinates: | 39.9961°N -83.0081°W |
| Students: | 532 |
| Faculty: | 80 |
| Ranking: | 26th (tie) (2024)[1] |
| Bar Pass Rate: | 89.89% (2022 first-time takers) |
| Website: | moritzlaw.osu.edu |
| Aba Profile: | officialguide.lsac.org |
The Michael E. Moritz College of Law is the law school of Ohio State University, a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. Founded in 1891, the school is located in Drinko Hall on the main campus of the Ohio State University in Columbus. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and is a charter member of the Association of American Law Schools.
According to the college's official 2022 ABA-required disclosures, 83.51% of the Class of 2022 obtained full-time, long-term, and bar passage-required employment nine months after graduation, excluding solo-practitioners. This ranked Moritz first in Ohio for job placement of recent law graduates.[2]
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.[3] 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 second Franklin County Courthouse.[3] 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.[3] 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 (now home to the John Glenn College of Public Affairs), named in honor of Henry F. Page, a prominent Ohio attorney who had left his estate to the University.[3] 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 W. Arant.[3] The College of Law continued under the successive leadership of deans Gregory H. Williams, Nancy H. Rogers, Alan C. Michaels, and Lincoln L. Davies.
The modern-day building that now houses the Moritz College of Law since 1958, Drinko Hall, is named after attorney and College of Law benefactor John Deaver Drinko, former Managing Partner of BakerHostetler in Cleveland, Ohio. Drinko graduated 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 (in 2011, the University received a $100 million gift from Les Wexner). 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.[4] The College of Law completed a supplemental campaign to raise an additional $30 million to match Moritz's gift and make further improvements.[5]
For the class entering in 2023, Moritz College of Law accepted 33.08% of applicants, with 26.33% of those accepted enrolling. The average enrollee had a 165 LSAT score and 3.83 undergraduate GPA.[6]
Above the Law ranked the Moritz College of Law as the 40th best law school in America in 2023.[7] U.S. News & World Report ranked the Moritz College of Law's full-time Juris Doctor program tied for the 26th best law school in America in 2024 (down from 22nd in 2023).[8]
According to professor Brian Leiter's "Scholarly Impact Score" that is based on about 500 participants and nearly 70,000 votes on paired comparisons, the Moritz College of Law faculty ranked tied for 32nd in scholarly impact in 2022.[9] Specifically, professor and Heck-Faust Memorial Chair in Constitutional Law, Ruth Colker, was 18th of the top 20 most-cited legal scholars between 2016 and 2020 for critical theory in focusing on society and culture to attempt to reveal, critique, and challenge power structures.[10]
The Ohio State Moritz College of Law publishes five legal journals:[11]
The Moot Court & Lawyering Skills Program 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.[17]
The Drug Enforcement and Policy Center examines the impact of modern drug laws, policies and enforcement on personal freedoms and human well-being, giving sustained attention to analyzing the rapid evolution of marijuana laws and the impacts of reform efforts. The center focuses on promoting and supporting interdisciplinary, evidence-based research, scholarship, education, community outreach and public engagement on the myriad issues and societal impacts surrounding the reform of criminal and civil laws prohibiting or regulating the use and distribution of traditionally illicit drugs.
The center was founded in 2017 following a $4.5 million gift from the Koch Foundation.[18] The center also received a $5 million gift from John Menard Jr.
In 2022, the overall bar examination passage rate for Moritz College of Law first-time examination takers was 89.89%. The Ultimate Bar Pass Rate, which the ABA defines as the passage rate for graduates who sat for bar examinations within two years of graduating, was 97% for the class of 2020.[19]
According to the College of Law's official 2022 ABA-required disclosures, 83.51% of the Class of 2022 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.[20]
The College of Law's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 3.4%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2021 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.[21]
Ohio was the main employment destination for 2021 Moritz College of Law graduates, with 66% of employed 2021 graduates working in the state.
The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at the College of Law for the 2022–2023 academic year is estimated at $53,849 for Ohio residents and $69,101 for non-residents.[22] Moritz College of Law's in-state tuition and fees on average increased by 2.27% annually over the past five years while its non-resident tuition and fees on average increased by 1.67% over the past five years.
The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $194,717. The average indebtedness of the 67% of 2021 College of Law graduates who took out loans was $83,831.
As of 2022, 33.9% of student receive a full-tuition scholarship, the highest percentage among all American law schools.[23]
The Moritz Merit Scholarship Fund was established in 2001 by Michael E. Moritz '61. The Fund provides for 30 annual full tuition plus stipend scholarships. The scholarships are designed to attract and train a select group of students with outstanding academic and personal histories in a variety of areas including academia, business, law, government, and public interest. In recent years, the Moritz family has criticized Ohio State for not providing the full 30 scholarships, mismanaging the investments and using the scholarship fund to pay for university operating expenses in violation of the endowment agreement.[24]
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.[25]
| Deans of Moritz College of Law | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Tenure | |
| 2024–present | ||
| L. Camille Hébert (acting) | 2024 | |
| 2019–2024 | ||
| 2008–2019 | ||
| 2001–2008 | ||
| 1993–2001 | ||
| 1985–1991 | ||
| 1978–1985 | ||
| 1974–1978 | ||
| 1970–1974 | ||
| 1965–1970 | ||
| 1952–1965 | ||
| 1947–1952 | ||
| Harry W. Vannemen (acting) | 1946–1947 | |
| 1940–1946 | ||
| 1928–1939 | ||
| Alonzo H. Tuttle (acting) | 1926–1928 | |
| 1909–1926 | ||
| George W. Rightmore (acting) | 1908–1909 | |
| 1905–1907 | ||
| 1893–1905 | ||
| 1891–1893 | ||
See main article: List of Ohio State University Moritz College of Law alumni.
The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law has approximately 10,000 alumni across the United States. Selected notable alumni include: