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History

Oak Brook College of Law was started in 1994 by men and women who saw the need to influence our culture and who recognized the vital role that legal education plays in shaping the policies and laws of our society. Recognizing this key component, OBCL’s founders desired to provide a legal education consistent with Scriptural truth and this nation’s historical foundations, providing a cost-effective, flexible, and character-based education with high academic standards.

Our founders were convinced that there must be a better method of training attorneys than those offered by traditional law schools. They wished to create a model that was cost-effective and that facilitated professional, real-world experience alongside academic knowledge. More importantly, they wanted to create a model that provided students with a Biblical worldview and framework for their legal profession and their life. This vision was shared by a number of attorneys and counselors, and by working together, Oak Brook College of Law and Government Policy launched its inaugural class in 1995.

In an era where lawyers are frequently the brunt of jokes related to arrogance and corruption, the founders envisioned a different type of attorney: those who not only root their understanding of the law in objective truth, but who approach their profession with humility. 

Robert Barth, then the Assistant Dean for Academic and Student Affairs at Regent University, became a founding professor, dedicating much of his time to developing the Biblical and worldview aspects of the curriculum. Eric Rucker, Robert Caprera, Tracy Banks, and Russell Templeton, all successful attorneys in their various fields, formed the initial group of professors dedicated to seeing the vision of OBCL become a reality. 

More than 30 years later, the vision of Oak Brook has been realized repeatedly. The mission has been, from the very beginning, to train individuals who desire to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ through service as advocates of truth, counselors of reconciliation, and ministers of justice in the fields of law and government policy. 

After 15 years as a registered nurse, I became passionate to practice law.  Oak Brook was the answer to my prayers.  I was able to study law while building my relationship with Christ, working full time in the ICU, and raising 2 teenagers as a single mom.  On top of that, I graduated debt free!

– Jennifer A.