The American Indian Wills Clinic (AIWC) at Oklahoma City University School of Law is celebrating its fifteen-year anniversary in 2024.
The AIWC provides wills and estate planning services to Native American tribal communities owning trust or restricted property in Oklahoma at no cost to the tribal members. OCU Law students are primarily responsible for all case-related work, including fact gathering, developing legal theories, and initial document drafting, under the supervision of a licensed attorney faculty clinician.
Since opening in 2008, the AIWC has provided estate planning services to 29 of the 39 Oklahoma tribes and 12 tribes outside the state of Oklahoma. The Clinic has served more than 1,300 clients and has executed 1,051 wills, 193 powers of attorney, 184 medical advance directives, and 46 Transfer on Death Deeds for non-Indian property.
“I am very proud of the work the interns have done and the services that the Clinic provides, especially with so many of our clients being elderly,” Lori Harless, assistant director of OCU’s American Indian Law & Sovereignty Center said. “OCU Law consistently ranks in the top three law schools in the country for American Indian and Alaska Native enrollment, and with Oklahoma being home to 39 tribal communities, I cannot think of a better place than OCU to house the American Indian Wills Clinic.”
In its lifetime, the Clinic has also provided a training ground for dozens of fledgling attorneys. OCU Law student volunteers have committed thousands of pro bono hours to the Clinic. Aside from invaluable practical experience for their young careers, students also acquire soft skills that better prepare them for a life of service to their clients.
“I loved the entire experience, from expanding my knowledge on Tribal Law to building relationships with clients to drafting a document with the purpose of serving a person’s hopes and interests beyond this life,” former AIWC intern and OCU Law graduate Jordan Langston said. “Overall, the Wills Clinic was one of the most impactful experiences that I had over my entire law school career, and I know that I will be a better attorney and am a better person because of it.”