O. W. Coburn School of Law

The O. W. Coburn School of Law was the law school of Oral Roberts University. The school was named after donor Orin Wesley Coburn, the founder of Coburn Optical Industries and the father of future US politician Tom Coburn.

The school opened in 1979. Its founding dean was Charles Kothe, a Tulsa, Oklahoma, labor attorney.[1] Other professors included Anita Hill, John Eidsmoe, Gary Lane, Herb Titus, and Rutherford Institute founder John W. Whitehead.[2]

In 1986, the school closed, with its 190,000 volume law library, as well as 5 professors and 23 students, moving to CBN University (now Regent University).[3][4] Since the new CBN law school would not initially be accredited (and in fact did not receive provisional accreditation until 1989), students graduating in spring 1987 were allowed to state they graduated from Coburn, in order to be listed as graduating from an accredited school.[5]

U.S. Representative Michele Bachmann began attending Coburn the first year it opened, and graduated as part of its last class.[2]

  1. ^ Julie DelCour (1979-09-20). "ORU law school dedicated". Tulsa World. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
  2. ^ a b Erin McPike (2011-07-05). "As Law Student, Bachmann Recalled as Smart, Conservative-Minded". RealClearPolitics. Retrieved 2011-08-13.
  3. ^ Gary Percefull (1985-11-02). "ORU transfers law school to Virginia". Tulsa World. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
  4. ^ Trimble, Marsha (2000). "Academic Law Libraries". In William Harrison Bryson (ed.). Virginia Law Books: Essays and Bibliographies. American Philosophical Society. p. 421. ISBN 0-87169-239-2. Retrieved 2011-09-04.
  5. ^ In the Matter of Michael J. Tocci, 413 Mass. 542 (Suffolk County September 9, 1992 - October 8, 1992).