Faculty
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Glen Blake
glen-blake@utulsa.edu
Deputy Chief Public Defender and Director of the Public Defender’s Clinic
Blake is the deputy chief public defender at the Tulsa County Public Defender’s Office and focuses the majority of his time on creating systemic changes to improve the criminal justice system in Tulsa County and statewide. Glen is a founder and current advisory board member of Project Commutation, which began in 2018. In this role, he has worked with hundreds of incarcerated individuals in pursuing commutations of unjust and excessive prison sentences, as well as paroles. He is also an adjunct professor at The University of Tulsa College of Law, where he directs the Public Defender Clinic. Glen is a graduate of UTulsa and UTulsa Law.
Alex Gavern
alex-gavern@utulsa.edu
Assistant Clinical Professor of Law
Alex Gavern is the assistant clinical professor for the Buck Colbert Franklin Legal Clinic. Professor Gavern’s advocacy focuses on community focused legal services, immigration, criminal, and family law. From 2021 to 2024 Professor Gavern was the Director of Legal Services at YWCA Tulsa. Prior to moving to Oklahoma, Gavern worked in private practice as an associate at Kolko & Casey PC in Denver, Colorado. He started his legal career the pro-bono coordinator and staff attorney for the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and earned his Juris Doctor from Michigan State University College of Law.
Staff Attorneys
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Kaitlyn Mortazavi
krs6570@utulsa.edu
Schusterman Staff Attorney
Mortazavi is the Schusterman staff attorney at the UTulsa Legal Clinic. As a student, she completed two semesters at the UTulsa Legal Clinic, where she developed a passion for assisting the underserved communities in Tulsa with their legal needs. After graduating from The University of Tulsa College of Law with the highest honors and passing the Oklahoma Bar Exam in September 2021, she joined the clinic’s legal team as the Tulsa Immigrant Resource Network (TIRN) legal fellow. During that time, she worked on family law cases for immigrant families with children under age 8. In 2023, Mortazavi accepted the position of Schusterman staff attorney and now focuses on assisting immigrant families.
Courtney Nelbach
cnn127@utulsa.edu
B.C. Franklin Legal Clinic Staff Attorney
Courtney Nelbach is the staff attorney for the Buck Colbert Franklin Legal Clinic. She grew up in Arizona before moving to Tulsa in 2015. She graduated from The University of Tulsa College of Law with honors in 2018. Since that time, Courtney has mainly focused her practice in public interest with particular advocacy focuses on children’s rights and family law.
Sean Fitzgerald
scf9250@utulsa.edu
Terry West Clinic Staff Attorney
Sean Fitzgerald is a staff attorney for the Terry West Civil Legal Clinic. Prior to joining the University of Tulsa College of Law, Sean Fitzgerald worked as a Staff Attorney at Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma. He received his undergraduate from the University of Miami and earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Tulsa College of Law.
Elijah Johnson
ejj9293@utulsa.edu
Director of Tulsa Immigrant Resource Network
Elijah Johnson is the director of the Tulsa Immigrant Resource Network (TIRN). He grew up doing manual labor in the heat and cold, depressed by the wages but blessed by the richness of perspective and hardworking skill of his immigrant companions in the car wash, the packing plant and the orchard. Exposure to immigrant stories of struggle, sacrifice, and striving under terrible pressure cracked his heart. From the fissure grew his interest in immigration law. Johnson, his partner and their children have been setting down roots in Tulsa since 2017. He has the privilege of directing TIRN, which creates greater access to legal and nonlegal processes and benefits for noncitizens, through direct legal representation and community outreach, education and organizing.
Paula Rodriguez
mar3864@utulsa.edu
Clinic Coordinator
Paula Rodriguez is the legal clinic coordinator at The University of Tulsa College of Law. With a strong background in legal operations and administrative support, Rodriguez brings significant experience in legal processes. Rodriguez has extensive experience and bilingual communication skills underscore her commitment to providing high-quality support to students and staff alike, driving departmental operational efficiency, and facilitating effective communication across diverse legal fields.