I Teach at Capital – Part 1

I started teaching full time at Capital University Law School at the beginning of Fall Quarter of 1973. I was a brand new Assistant Professor, and pretty much scared to death. I was 28 years old and just three years out of law school. Many of my students, who had been in military service (this was the middle of the Vietnam war) or worked after obtaining their undergraduate degrees, were older than I was. I had never taught anything to anybody, and, like virtually all law school professors, I had no training as an educator at all.

Like so many significant events in my life, this one had started with a phone call. (Adventures in Family Law: Phone Call) Professor Roberta Mitchell, chair of the Faculty Recruitment Committee at CULS, called and asked if I was interested in a teaching position. I jumped at the chance. I had been very unhappy at the firm I joined right after law school. Firm practice was not for me; the prospect of teaching law was really attractive.

My first office at Capital was among the faculty offices that formed the perimeter of the Law School Administration Building, which also housed the school's library. The building was a converted car dealership, formerly Lex Mayer's Chevrolet, across Main Street from Capital's main campus in Bexley, Ohio. Adjacent to the building was a White Castle restaurant. When the breeze was right, the aroma of White Castle Sliders wafted into the library. Sometimes, we referred to the facility as the Lex Mayer's School of Law or the White Castle Library.

Law school classes were held across the street on the main campus, most in a building called the Learning Center. My first teaching assignments included teaching Family Law and, the real reason I was hired, the series of three courses based on the Uniform Commercial Code called Sales, Secured Transactions, and Negotiable Instruments. Keeping several pages ahead of the class, I started my teaching career.

From the very beginning, I loved teaching law. The students were bright, energetic, and ready to learn. The subject matter was, at least to me, fascinating. And my colleagues on the faculty were, for the most part, happy to be there, friendly, and supportive.

Capital University Law School had its origins in the YMCA law school movement of the early 20^th Century, which grew out of the philosophy that legal education should be available to all interested persons. In 1903, the Columbus Law School, one of 14 YMCA affiliated law schools, was formed to provide night classes in law. The classes were held in the YMCA building.

The Columbus Law School was recognized by the Ohio Supreme Court in 1906. However, World War I interrupted the program from 1913 until 1917. After reorganization, classes restarted in 1917, with 14 enrolled students. The first woman, Esther Brocker, graduated on June 9, 1926. According to the CULS website, “When a touchy subject came up during class, something they felt a woman should not hear, Esther was made to leave the classroom and the class would discuss it without her. Then afterwards, a classmate would have to explain to her what they talked about.”

In 1948, the name of the law school was changed to Franklin University Law School, and full accreditation by the American Bar Association was awarded in 1950. On September 1, 1965, the law school became a part of Capital University, and the first full-time day program was granted approval to start in the fall of 1969. The name was changed to Capital University Law School in 1972.

And, there I was in 1973.