E. E. “Tom” Thompson Courtroom

As a teaching facility and setting for actual judicial proceedings, the E. E. (Tom) Thompson Courtroom is peerless. It is an ideal location for litigation training and observation.

Impact

Improvements in technology, observation, design and décor make the Courtroom a suitable setting for trials to be held. As a jury trial takes place in the courtroom, students and faculty can gather in the observation room to watch and study what is occurring

Fast Facts

• Courtroom named in honor of E. E. (Tom) Thompson, a prominent local trial attorney who graduated from the School of Law in 1925.
• Real-time transcripts can be produced, creating an immediate record for the lawyers and judges present.
• Video-taped evidence, real or simulated, can be broadcast. Any electronic document can be displayed overhead or on screens at the judge’s bench, the witness stand and the jury box.
• F. L. (Tom) Thompson was a major contributor to the courtroom project that bears his father’s name.
• Law professor Bob Downs, a master craftsman, built a grandfather clock (his 10th) from wood he salvaged from the old courtroom. Downs worked in Celtic knots to honor his friend and retiring colleague Ed Hood. The clock stands in the new courtroom foyer.