The University of Oklahoma College of Law boasts a world-class faculty committed to advancing the legal profession through scholarly pursuits, teaching, and professional service. Whether through publications, interviews, online outlets, or pro bono service, our faculty are respected scholars who often lead national and international discussion of the critical law issues of our time. This carefully selected faculty will inspire you, collaborate with you, and challenge you to think deeply about the impacts of law and your role moving forward.
Inside and out of the classroom, our faculty is dedicated to scholarship, teaching, and service, aiming to inspire and prepare students for success. Our professors approach instruction innovatively, with a constant eye toward encouraging student understanding and proficiency on both pragmatic and theoretical fronts.
Our faculty is committed to furthering the study beyond the traditional classroom experience. The OU College of Law is home to a range of centers focused on facilitating further study and appreciation of key strategic academic areas.
Our supportive faculty are here to mentor as much as they are here to teach and offer plenty of opportunities to engage with our online students. Plus, students will have access to clinical, internship, externship, and employment opportunities in select fields.
Dr. Amy Cerato is a geotechnical engineer and a Rapp Foundation Presidential Professor at the Gallogly College of Engineering. Her research interests include foundation design for alternative energy and predicting expansive soil behavior using microscale properties. Among her many accomplishments, Dr. Cerato is the recipient of the Gallogly College of Engineering Felgar Society Pursuit of Excellence Award and the Shamsher Prakash Prize for Excellence in Teaching of Geotechnical Engineering. Dr. Cerato has authored more than 60 technical papers and was featured on the “Yes! Science!” series, a show dedicated to profiling women and minority individuals in STEM fields.
Dr. Amy Cerato is a geotechnical engineer and a Rapp Foundation Presidential Professor at the Gallogly College of Engineering. Her research interests include foundation design for alternative energy and predicting expansive soil behavior using microscale properties. Among her many accomplishments, Dr. Cerato is the recipient of the Gallogly College of Engineering Felgar Society Pursuit of Excellence Award and the Shamsher Prakash Prize for Excellence in Teaching of Geotechnical Engineering. Dr.
Dr. Amy Cerato is a geotechnical engineer and a Rapp Foundation Presidential Professor at the Gallogly College of Engineering. Her research interests include foundation design for alternative energy and predicting expansive soil behavior using microscale properties. Among her many accomplishments, Dr. Cerato is the recipient of the Gallogly College of Engineering Felgar Society Pursuit of Excellence Award and the Shamsher Prakash Prize for Excellence in Teaching of Geotechnical Engineering. Dr. Cerato has authored more than 60 technical papers and was featured on the
Dr. Robyn M. Powell is a leading expert in disability rights and one of the country’s foremost authorities on the rights of parents with disabilities. As a disabled woman, she has dedicated her career to advancing the rights of people with disabilities and in 2016 was invited to speak at the White House Forum on Civil Rights of Parents with Disabilities. Dr. Powell has also served as an Attorney-Advisor at the National Council on Disability. A long-time educator, Powell has previously taught at Stetson University College of Law and Boston University School of Law, now lending her expertise as a faculty member of OU Law.
Dr. Stacey Ann Tovino’s expertise has long been sought after across the globe having been invited to guest lecture and present papers on a range of topics including health law, bioethics, and medical humanities, among many others. Her interdisciplinary research has been published in textbooks, casebooks, encyclopedias, law reviews, and journals. Dr. Tovino is also an elected member of the American Law Institute and an invited fellow of the American Bar Foundation. She has earned multiple law school teaching awards including an OU College of Law Institutional Impact Award in 2021.
After receiving his J.D. from Washington University in St. Louis, Zachary Schmook became the Deputy Director and Managing Attorney for the Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing and Opportunity Council (EHOC). Prior to joining OU Law, he also taught Mediation and Legal Writing at the Washington University College of Law and served as a Clinical Supervisor for the Civil Rights and Community Justice Clinic. In addition to his work as an educator, Schmook serves as a Medical Operations Officer for the US Army Reserve.
A graduate of the University of Tulsa College of Law and Yale Law School, Taiwagi Helton began his legal career as a clerk for the Honorable Robert H. Henry, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. In 2001, Helton joined the faculty of OU’s College of Law specializing in issues relating to Native Americans teaching Indian law, environmental law, and property law. Helton also previously served as a Special Justice for the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes Supreme Court and as a member of the Board of Directors of Oklahoma Indian Legal Services.
After obtaining his law degree from the University of California, Berkley – School of Law, M. Alexander Pearl returned to Oklahoma where he clerked for the Honorable William J. Holloway Jr., U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Prior to joining the faculty of OU Law, Pearl represented Indian tribes and individuals as an associate at Kilpatrick Townsend in Washington, D.C., and served as a faculty member at Texas Tech University School of Law. He is an enrolled citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and a nationally recognized scholar in Indigenous legal/social issues, among other areas.
Lindsay Robertson has had a long and illustrious career as an expert in the area of Native American and Indigenous People’s Law. In the past, he has worked with the Department of State as well as served as an advisor on indigenous people’s law to the Chair of the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. He serves as a justice on the Supreme court of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes and has spoken widely on international and comparative indigenous people’s law issues across the globe.
A graduate of OU Law, Professor J. David Hampton founded Hampton and Milligan, a firm specializing in oil and gas law, estate administration, environmental law, wills, trusts, and real estate title examination. An expert in his field, Professor Hampton also lectures for the American Association of Petroleum Landmen (AAPL), and the Oklahoma City Association of Petroleum Landmen (OCAPL), among others. Among his many accomplishments, Professor Hampton was awarded the William M. Majors, Jr., CPL Distinguished Service Award by the OCAPL for his dedication to the oil and gas industry of Oklahoma.
After obtaining his law degree from the University of California, Berkley – School of Law, M. Alexander Pearl returned to Oklahoma, where he clerked for the Honorable William J. Holloway Jr., U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Before joining the faculty of OU Law, Professor Pearl served as a faculty member at Texas Tech University School of Law and as affiliate faculty with the Texas Tech Climate Science Center, working with others to address climate change issues. Professor Pearl is a nationally recognized scholar in statutory interpretation, water law, climate change law and policy, and Indigenous legal/social issues.
Professor Donald K. Shandy has focused his legal career on the environmental and energy areas, representing a number of industry sectors, including exploration and production, midstream transmission, and refining. He is a director at Crow & Dunlevy in Oklahoma City, and in the past, has worked with numerous state and federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Justice. A highly sought-after expert in various energy and environmental issues, Professor Shandy frequently writes and lectures throughout the United States.
Before joining the faculty of OU Law, Professor Brian McCall worked as an attorney and later as a partner at Dechert LLP, an international law firm, advising high-profile clients such as The London Stock Exchange, JP Morgan, and Citigroup. In 2013, he was selected to hold the Orpha Maurice Merrill Endowed Professorship of Law. Professor McCall has authored several books and articles on legal philosophy, commercial law, and corporate governance law. As a subject matter expert, he is sought-after to speak at conferences on the topics of consumer finance, corporate governance, and more.
Professor Evelyn Aswad is an esteemed scholar of public international law and a sought-after speaker. She served nearly 14 years as an attorney in the Legal Bureau at the U.S. Department of State, including as the Director of the Office of Human Rights and Refugees. Professor Aswad has also served as a legal adviser for numerous U.S. delegations, including the UN Commission on the Status of Women, the UN Human Rights Council, and the delegation presenting the first U.S. Universal Periodic Review report to the UN. In 2021 she was nominated by the U.S. Government to be the U.S. candidate for the International Law Commission.
Before joining the faculty of OU Law, Professor Thomas Heinemann practiced law in the U.S. Department of State’s legal office handling international law enforcement and intelligence issues. During his time at the State Department, he also served as the office’s Assistant Legal Adviser and as a member of the Senior Executive Service until 2020. Among his many distinguished career accomplishments, Professor Heinemann worked as part of the U.S. delegation that negotiated the UN Convention Against Corruption which plays a key role in the legal framework governing corruption issues affecting international business.
