Our Inn of Court has been named in memory of Richard T. Oakes (1941-2002), Hamline Law School’s founding Dean, who embodied the ideals of the Inn thoughout his legal career and until his untimely death in 2002.
Born in Chicago, Dick Oakes attended St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota. He received his law degree from William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul in 1969 and had a private law practice until 1972. That same year, with about 30 students and two other faculty members, he established Midwestern School of Law, which formally merged with Hamline University in 1975. Among his many academic activities, Oakes was a Fulbright scholar and studied in Albania. He also was a legal expert called upon frequently by news media to provide analysis or perspectives on court cases or terrorist events.
Because he loved the freedom of motorcycle riding, he co-founded the Street Legal Motorcycle Club (R), a group of Twin Cities legal professionals, and led continuing-education classes at the annual biker convention in Sturgis, South Dakota. From 1998 to 2000, Oakes served as Associate Dean for Faculty Development, focusing his efforts on encouraging faculty scholarship. He was also a scholar in his own right, authoring more than fifteen law review articles, books and book chapters during his career. At the time of his sudden death in February 2002, Oakes, an avid learner, was completing a doctorate degree in public administration and was planning to apply for a second Fulbright award. Hamline University honored Oakes for his service by granting him an honorary degree in 1975. Throughout his career, he was known for his innovative ideas and dedication to the law school.
Dick Oakes passionately shared the ideals of senior members assisting young lawyers and law students to become more effective advocates and counselors with a keener ethical awareness. He devoted most of his professional life to improving legal education, believing that legal education must include practical experiences through clinical programs along with the guidance from experienced practitioners.
Hamline University Law School professor Larry Bakken attributed Dick's love of the British model of mentoring embodied by the American Inn of Courts to the standards of professional litigation that British courts offer, as well as the expertise of their barristers. “American Inns of Court are based in traditions of English law,” professor Bakken said, “naming an Inn of Court in his honor is very fitting.”
He embraced an egalitarian approach to students, a great passion for the law and its study, and good sense humor about himself and the legal profession. Like Dick, the Inn emphasizes humor, camaraderie, and passion among its members.