Claude W. Pettit College of Law

Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law
Parent school	Ohio Northern University
Established	1885
School type	Private
Dean	Richard Bales
Location	Ada, Ohio, USA 40°46′02″N 83°49′31″W / 40.767259°N 83.825281°WCoordinates: 40°46′02″N 83°49′31″W / 40.767259°N 83.825281°W
Enrollment	290
Faculty	62
Website	www.law.onu.edu
Taggart Law Library

Claude W. Pettit College of Law,^[1] commonly referred to as ONU Law, is a private, non-profit law school located in Ada, Ohio. Also known as the Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law or ONU College of Law, it is the law school of Ohio Northern University, founded in 1871.

The college is centered in newly renovated Tilton Hall, a modern building that houses all law classes and the Taggart Law Library. The College of Law lies at the center of the tree-lined Ohio Northern University campus.

History

View of Tilton Hall to the West

Founded in 1885, the Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law is the second oldest of the nine Ohio law schools and a founding member of the Ohio League of Law Schools. As such, it is one of the oldest law schools in the United States. Prior to 1973, the law school was known as the Warren G. Harding College of Law.^[2] It was renamed in honor of Claude W. Pettit, a judge and former dean of the college.^[3]

Academics

Entrance to Tilton Hall (ONU College of Law) at night

The ONU College of Law is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools.^[4][5]

Ranking

U.S. News & World Report is perhaps the most well-known publisher of unofficial law school rankings. U.S. News listed Ohio Northern's full-time Juris Doctor program as #145 in 2015 .^[6] The ABA ranked the law school 85th out of 197 schools for bar admission employment prospects.^[7] The law school research website Admissions Dean uses a comprehensive Poll of Polls Ranking system that listed Ohio Northern a rank of 140.^[8] Ohio Northern law was ranked 9th in the nation for Government and Public Interest job placement.^[9]

Democratic Governance and Rule of Law LL.M.

ONU Law is home to the Democratic Governance and Rule of Law LL.M. program. The program, founded in 2006, is a subsidized one-year program of study designed for lawyers practicing in the public or non-profit sector. It is open to those whose first law degree was earned from a law school outside the U.S.^[10] as well as American lawyers interested in pursuing careers in the international development field. Upon completion of the LL.M., foreign students are required to commit to 2 years further public service upon return to their home countries. The unique curricular scope of the program covers topics relevant to lawyers, judges and public officials in transitioning states, including a strong focus on rule of law reforms.^[11]

Post-graduation employment

According to ONU Law's official 2013 ABA-required disclosures, 59.4% of the Class of 2013 obtained full-time, long-term, bar passage-required employment nine months after graduation, excluding solo-practitioners.^[12] ONU Law ranked 39th out of 201 ABA-approved law schools in terms of the percentage of 2013 graduates with non-school-funded, full-time, long-term, bar passage required jobs nine months after graduation.^[13]

ONU Law's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 24%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2013 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.^[14] 81.3% of the Class of 2013 was employed in some capacity while 2.1% were pursuing graduate degrees and 15.6% were unemployed nine months graduation.^[12]

The main employment destinations for 2013 ONU Law graduates were Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania.^[12]

Costs

The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at ONU Law for the 2014-2015 academic year is $44,893.^[15] ONU's tuition and fees on average increased by 3.9% annually over the past five years^[16] and the school lowered tuition for the 2014-2015 school year.^[17]

The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $199,684.^[16] The average indebtedness of the 94% of 2013 ONU Law graduates who took out loans was $103,031.^[18]

Notable alumni

ONU Law student studying in Taggart Law Library

ONU Law alumni have gone on to become judges in 15 states and serve in the United States Senate and a Presidential cabinet. Notable alumni include:

• Warren Ballentine (b. 1973), Chicago-based motivational speaker, attorney, political activist, radio talk show host who was convicted of bank, mail, and wire fraud in 2014 ^[19][20]
• Benjamin Brafman (b. 1948), Class of 1974; criminal defense attorney, attorney for former International Monetary Fund Head Dominique Strauss-Kahn.^[21]
• William J. Brown (b. 1940), youngest Attorney General in Ohio.^[22]
• Anthony J. Celebrezze (1910–1998), State Senate, Ohio; Mayor, Cleveland; Secretary of U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare in the Kennedy and Johnson Administrations.^[23]
• Ralph D. Cole (1873–1932), U.S. Representative from Ohio, brother of Raymond Clinton Cole.^[24]
• Raymond Clinton Cole (1870-1957), Republican politician who became a U.S. Representative from Ohio and was the brother of Ralph Cole.^[25]
• Mike Crites (b. 1948), Republican politician and former United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio.^[26]
• Robert R. Cupp (b. 1950), Justice, Ohio Supreme Court; Judge, Ohio Court of Appeals, 3rd Appellate District; State Senate, Ohio.
• Michael DeWine (b. 1947), U.S. Senate, Ohio from 1995 to 2007; current Attorney General of the State of Ohio.^[27]
• Jane M. Earll (b. 1958), Republican member of the Pennsylvania State Senate who has represented the 49th District since 1997.^[28]
• James Espaldon (b. 1956), Guamanian politician and 2010 candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Guam.^[29]
• Simeon D. Fess (1861–1936), class of 1894; dean of ONU Law from 1896–1900; served as a U.S. Representative from Ohio and in the U.S. Senate from Ohio for twelve years.^[30]
• Gregory L. Frost (b. 1949), federal judge, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio.^[31]
• Robert Franklin Jones (1907–1968), class of 1929; a U.S. Representative from Ohio.^[32]
• Arthur W. Overmyer (1879–1952), a U.S. Representative from Ohio, and a judge on the Ohio Court of Appeals.^[33]
• Homer A. Ramey (1891–1960), a U.S. Representative from Ohio.^[34]
• Tom Reed (b. 1971); a U.S. Representative from New York; former mayor of Corning, New York.^[35]
• Scott Rolle (b. 1961), class of 1986; State's Attorney for Frederick County, Maryland from 1995 to 2007.^[36]

References

1. "About the College of Law". Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
2. "Ohio Northern University at universities.com". Retrieved August 21, 2006.
3. "History of the ONU Pettit College of Law". Archived from the original on September 2, 2006. Retrieved August 21, 2006.
4. http://www.americanbar.org/groups/legal_education/resources/aba_approved_law_schools/by_year_approved.html
5. http://www.aals.org/about_memberschools.php
6. http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/ohio-northern-university-pettit-03125
7. http://www.thefacultylounge.org/2013/03/-full-rankings-bar-admission-required-full-time-long-term.html#more
8. http://www.admissionsdean.com/law_schools/ohio-northern-university-claude-w-pettit-college-of-law
9. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202595078977&slreturn=20130704013520
10. "LL.M. Program". Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
11. "Ohio Northern University - Pettit College of Law". LLM GUIDE. Pritzwalks. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
12. "Section of Legal Education - Employment Summary Report". American Bar Association. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
13. Leichter, Matt. "Class of 2013 Employment Report". The Law School Tuition Bubble. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
14. "Ohio Northern University Profile". Law School Transparency. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
15. "Financial Aid Information for Law Students (2014-2015)" (PDF). Ohio Northern University. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
16. "Ohio Northern University Profile, Costs". Law School Transparency. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
17. "Ohio Northern lowers tuition; New England dean lowers his salary". The National Jurist. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
18. "Which law school graduates have the most debt?". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
19. "Warren Ballentine". 2013 Zoom Information, Inc. . Retrieved 21 March 2013.
20. "Warren Ballentine".
21. "Benjamin Brafman". Ohio Northern University, Claude W. Pettit College of Law. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
22. http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19991104&id=xQ0wAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3wMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3755,816504
23. "Anthony J. Celebrezze". Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
24. "Ralph D. Cole". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
25. "R. Clint Cole". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
26. "Mike Crites". 2013 National Law Forum, LLC. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
27. "Michael DeWine". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
28. "Jane Earll". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
29. "Calvo, Cruz take stances on issues: Lt. Gov. Mike Cruz and Sen. James Espaldon". Pacific Daily News. July 23, 2010. Archived from the original on August 22, 2010. Retrieved September 1, 2010.
30. "Simeon D. Fess". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
31. "Gregory L. Frost". Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
32. "Robert Franklin Jones". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
33. "Arthur W. Overmyer". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
34. "Homer A. Ramey". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
35. "Tom Reed". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
36. "Scott Rolle". 2013 Maryland State Archives. Retrieved 21 March 2013.

External links

• Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law