Oklahoma County Chief Public Defender passes away
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – The State of Oklahoma and its communities are mourning the sudden loss of trailblazing lawyer and Oklahoma County Chief Public Defender, Robert A. Ravitz.
Robert “Bob” A. Ravitz was a 1976 graduate of the Oklahoma City University School of Law, and served as Public Defender in Oklahoma County since 1987.
Ravitz was also an adjunct professor at Oklahoma City University School of Law, teaching in the areas of trial practice, capital litigation, and criminal procedure.
His legacy extends well beyond the classroom, as many who knew Mr. Ravitz shared memories, words of encouragement, and inspiring messages about his impact:
“I’m deeply saddened to learn Bob Ravitz, the longtime chief public defender of Oklahoma County, has passed away. He was a fighter for each client, a fierce advocate for responsible criminal justice reform, and a true Oklahoman. Bob’s family and friends are in my prayers,”
“Bob was a wonderful man, a brilliant mind and tenacious advocate. He dedicated his life to serving others and fighting for equitable justice. Aside from being a legal giant, he was a kind and gracious man. Prayers are with his family, his co-workers (former and present) and everyone that had the pleasure of knowing Bob Ravitz. He will be greatly missed.”
Michelle Green, Attorney
“Mr. Ravitz gave me my first job out of law school. And in the eighteen years that I’ve been practicing law, I’ve yet to come across a more conscientious, ethical and as zealous of an advocate for his clients as Bob Ravitz was.”
“When I worked for Mr. Ravitz, he had an open door policy. It didn’t matter that he had been there 25 years as the head public defender, and you were in your first week as a lawyer. He would invite you in and he would help you with whatever you need[ed] help with both in court and outside of court. Mr. Ravitz served as a father figure for a lot of young lawyers. He was a mentor and he did everything he could to ensure that we all became as good lawyers as we could be.”
Ed Blau, Attorney
“For him to be able to weather the political storm he had to weather for 45 years…For someone to be able to maintain that status that he had, the reputation that he had and to do it with the pride that he had, it speaks volumes at what kind of man he really is.”
“He was so well-respected in and such an incredible human being. He’s going to be sorely missed.”
Scott Adams
“He was just relentless in his fight to protect his clients’ rights… what what you saw is what you got and he was unapologetic about it.”
“His legacy is very simple. But just to do the right thing and to fight for the causes that you believe in.”
Billy Bock
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The following is a list of Ravitz’s accomplishments on the Oklahoma County Public Defender website:
Awards & Recognition: In 1996, Mr. Ravitz was the Oklahoma Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Association recipient of the Clarence Darrow Award as Oklahoma’s outstanding criminal defense lawyer. Ravitz successfully argued Cooper v. Oklahoma before the United States Supreme Court, where the Court unanimously concluded the Oklahoma standard for determining competency to stand trial was unconstitutional.
Ravitz also received the Angie Debo Civil Liberties Award for significant contributions to civil liberties in 1985. In 2001, he was the recipient of the Oklahoma Bar Association, Association of Black Lawyers Diversity Award and the 2006 Oklahoma County Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Association Barry Albert Award. In 2008, he was a recipient of the Journal Record Leadership in Law Award and in 2010 he received the Oklahoma City University Law School Distinguished Alumni Award. Ravitz was recently presented with the Opio Toure Champion of Justice Award by the Oklahoma City Association of Black Lawyers.
Memberships & Service: Mr. Ravitz was a former member of the Oklahoma Sentencing Commission and Oklahoma Board of Juvenile Affairs and currently sits on the Uniform Jury Instruction Committee. Mr. Ravitz previously served as president of the OCU Law Alumni Association, the Metro Alliance for Safer Cities, and the Oklahoma Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Association. He was a Barrister of the American Inn of Court XIII from 1990 to 1993 and is currently a Master in the William J. Holloway Inn of Court.
Ravitz served on the Board of Oklahoma Lawyers for Children, the Oklahoma County Drug Court, Community Sentencing and Court Services Boards. He has previously served on the Board of Directors of the Oklahoma Board of Juvenile Affairs, Legal Aid of Western Oklahoma, the Oklahoma County Bar Association, and the Oklahoma Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Association.
Public Speaking: Mr. Ravitz lectured at numerous state and national seminars including those put on by the Oklahoma Bar Association, the National Judicial Conference, the Oklahoma Judicial Conference, the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Virginia Coalition Against the Death Penalty, and the Oklahoma and Tulsa County Bar Associations. He has lectured at 4 Absolute Criminal Litigators Conferences in Las Vegas.
Bob is survived by his wife, Diane, and two daughters.
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