Mitchell Hamline School of Law

Mitchell Hamline School of Law is a private law school in Saint Paul, Minnesota.[2] It is accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA), and offers full- and part-time legal education for its Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree. It has a current estimated alumni of over 19,000 lawyers.[3] The school offers more practical externships than any other school in the Upper Midwest.[4] It was the first American law school to offer an ABA-accredited hybrid J.D. program.

Mitchell Hamline School of Law
Established1900 (1900)
School typePrivate
DeanAnthony S. Niedwiecki
LocationSaint Paul, Minnesota, United States
Enrollment1,194
USNWR ranking141st[1]
Websitemitchellhamline.edu

History

Mitchell Hamline was formed on December 9, 2015, by the combining of William Mitchell College of Law and Hamline University School of Law.[5][6] Prior to becoming Mitchell Hamline, it was the product of several other law schools, all in the Twin Cities, which ultimately merged in 1956 as William Mitchell College of Law. The move in the 1950s was meant to open the doors of the legal profession to men and women working full-time to support themselves and their families. That tradition was taken one step further with the creation of the blended-learning enrollment option.

Profile and rankings

In Fall of 2019 Mitchell Hamline received 1,378 applications and enrolled 361 students.[7] The law school is committed to diversity and reports that of those students, 57% are female, and 20% are students of color. In total, the school has just over 1000 law students. 40% are full-time, and 60% are part-time (the latter of which includes the hybrid JD student body). To gain admission, prospective students will need to aim for a GPA of around 3.23 and an LSAT score of around 152 (both medians).

The school is recognized by U.S. News and World Report as one of the top J.D. programs in the country for Dispute Resolution. In 2020, it was ranked sixth in the nation.[8] It has also been highly ranked for Health Care Law (currently ranked #11). Students who choose the school for its Dispute Resolution program can also take advantage of Alternative Dispute Resolution training overseas: both in Israel and in London. The National Jurist has consistently ranked the school's clinical program as one of the best.[9][10] PreLaw magazine called the new Hybrid Program one of the "10 Most Promising Innovations in Legal Education."

Alumni of the law school report a 95% employment rate.[4]

Academics

All students, regardless of their program, take the traditional 1L and 2L courses: criminal, torts, contracts, property, civil procedure, evidence, constitutional law, etc.

All 1Ls also participate in a comprehensive course called Lawyering (formerly WRAP, for Writing and Representation: Advice & Persuasion). It focuses on legal research, reasoning, and writing, while providing a broad overview of critical skills like client interviewing and counseling, contract negotiation and drafting, dispute mediation, and pretrial litigation. Generally, all students follow the same curriculum and hypothetical cases, regardless of whether they are a traditional brick-and-mortar (BAM) student, weekend student, evening student, or blended-learning executive student. On some occasions, students from one learning model get the opportunity to interact with students of another.

Students must take "Advocacy," a course designed to teach basic litigation skills. Students are instructed in conducting discovery, examining witnesses, introducing exhibits, presenting opening and closing arguments, and presenting written and oral appellate arguments.

As a top-rated school in the subject matter, Mitchell Hamline has a very intentional focus on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and Mediation. For example, students start their training in ADR during their very first semester. Blended-learning students start conducting mediations in their very first week of law school. Mitchell Hamline has also rebranded its course in "Civil Procedure" as "Civil Dispute Resolution," which infuses the traditional curriculum of procedure with other methods such as mediation, arbitration, and tribal law procedure. It also sends a message to students right away that Mitchell Hamline plans to educate lawyers well versed in alternative methods of civil dispute and procedures.

Dispute Resolution Institute

For students who want an even more in-depth focus on alternative forms of dispute resolution, Mitchell Hamline houses an institute dedicated to the process. The institute offers rigorous academic discourse, hands-on simulation experiences, and cross-disciplinary examination of conflict theory, advocacy, and problem-solving. The institute offers a mediation center, is highly connected to the mediation network within the twin cities, and offers four separate certificates – designed for both lawyers and non-lawyers. The institute also selects qualified students to study conflict resolution through two study abroad programs: (1) an international business perspective in England through a partnership with Queen Mary University of London, as well as a through a lens of religious conflict in Israel in partnership with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on Mount Scopus. In 2017, two of Mitchell Hamline's blended-learning students beat 32 teams from 25 countries, after traveling to Norway to compete in a five-day-long global ADR competition.[11]

Health Law Institute

Ranked as 25th in the nation, Mitchell Hamline's Health Law Institute offers specialized courses and experiential learning.[12] Students are exposed to real-life health law issues. The institute offers four certificates, some of which satisfy the requirements to sit for the Compliance Certification Board's (CCB) national exam. Mitchell Hamline students are able to build this education into their J.D. program, while non-law-students can complete the certificate online.

Indian Law Program

The Indian Law Program emphasizes practical legal education.[13] Students learn from professors who have spent their careers working with Indian tribes. These professors have worked for the U.S. Department of Justice, nonprofit corporations providing technical assistance to tribes, large law firms with Indian law practices, boutique firms focusing solely on Indian law, and Indian tribes themselves. In recent years, Mitchell Hamline students have competed in the National Native American Law Student Association (NNALSA) Moot Court Competition, winning best team, best brief, and best oralist.[14]

Joint degree programs

Mitchell Hamline offers two types of joint degrees: The 3+3 and the Dual Degrees.

The 3+3 programs enable eligible students from select Minnesota universities to complete their bachelor's and J.D. degrees in only six years, rather than the more common seven. It currently has agreements with Hamline University, St. Cloud State University, and Bemidji State University.

Dual degree programs allow J.D. holders to combine their law degree with an additional graduate degree, and earn both in less time than normal. Most programs require four years to obtain both the J.D. and the master's degree. Through a partnership with Hamline University, students can also earn a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.), a Master of Fine Arts in Writing (M.F.A.), a Master in Public Administration (M.P.A.), or a Master in Nonprofit Management (M.N.M.).

Blended Learning

In the early 2000s the American Bar Association's Task Force on the Future of Legal Education drafted a recommendation that law schools be permitted to experiment and innovate. At that time, Mitchell Hamline was still William Mitchell College of Law, its ship steered by then-president and dean, Eric Janus who helped pioneer the hybrid program. The school's first cohort of hybrid students included several accomplished professionals, most with graduate degrees. Of the 85 students in the first cohort, 14 already held M.B.A.s, 5 held M.D.s, and three held Ph.D.s.[15] The students ranged in age from 22 to 67, and represented 30 states and two countries. Since that time, the school has welcomed an even more diverse student body. Students fly in from Hawaii, London, Germany, Alaska, Japan, and India. Professions that have been represented include physicians, police officers, FBI agents, psychologists, school teachers, scientists, college professors, social workers, CEOs, and paralegals with sometimes decades of pre-existing legal experience. The law school even became home to a linebacker for the Washington State Cougars and a Major League Baseball umpire.[16]

Mitchell Hamline continued to innovate, and created the Executive and Weekend enrollment options. In Fall 2020, they launched the newest evolution of blended learning. It includes elements of the Hybrid, Executive, and Weekend offerings. It is a four-year program that can be finished in three years. It has substantial on-campus time that includes the case-study workshop in which students learn directly from lawyers and participants in actual cases. Students can customize their schedules and curriculum. The asynchronous structure allows students to complete their online studies entirely on their own schedule. Students can tailor their program to meet the requirements to sit for the bar exam in every state.

Students in the blended learning enrollment option are able to participate in the school's Student Bar Association, all of the school's interest groups, all of the study abroad programs, and most of the clinics. Even the law school's workshops and trainings (e.g., diversity) are usually scheduled during times when the blended-learning students will be on campus.

Student Journals

Mitchell Hamline students have the opportunity to participate several academic journals including the flagship Mitchell Hamline Law Review; Cybaris®, an Intellectual Property Law Review; and the Mitchell Hamline Journal of Public Policy and Practice.[17]

Notable alumni

Mitchell Hamline's alumni are from William Mitchell College of Law, Hamline University, Minneapolis-Minnesota College of Law, all the way to the St. Paul College of Law from 1900. The law school estimates that it has more than 20,000 alumni, representing all fifty states and twenty foreign countries. Alumni are active in the private sector, with partners in all of Minnesota's—and some of the country's—largest law firms. Alumni also have a significant presence in the public sector.

The law school's most famous alumnus is Warren E. Burger, the fifteenth Chief Justice of the United States. The law library on campus is named in his honor.

Other notable graduates include:

References
  1. "Mitchell Hamline School of Law". U.S. News & World Report. 16 March 2020.
  2. "Mitchell Hamline School of Law". U.S. News and World Report. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  3. "Mitchell Hamline School of Law". mitchellhamline.edu. Retrieved 2018-09-07.
  4. "Mitchell Hamline School of Law | the National Jurist". https://mitchellhamline.edu/news/2020/07/16/employment-rate-for-mitchell-hamlines-2019-grads-nearly-95-percent/. Retrieved 2020-07-16. External link in |website= (help)
  5. Maura Lerner, "Hamline, William Mitchell law schools to merge", Star Tribune (February 13, 2015).
  6. "Law Schools Officially Combine".
  7. "Student Profile – Prospective Students". mitchellhamline.edu. Retrieved 2018-09-07.
  8. "Top Law Schools, Dispute Resolution Rankings". U.S. News and World Report. March 16, 2020.
  9. William Mitchell legal clinic program ranked high in nationwide listing, Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal, April 2, 2004.
  10. ""Best Practices" Schools" (PDF). Retrieved 2011-01-24.
  11. "Mitchell Hamline a world champion in International Negotiation Competition – News and Events". mitchellhamline.edu. Retrieved 2018-09-18.
  12. "Health Care Compliance Certificate – Health Law Institute". mitchellhamline.edu. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  13. "Indian Law Program". mitchellhamline.edu. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  14. "Students – Indian Law Program". mitchellhamline.edu. Retrieved 2018-09-18.
  15. "Mitchell Hamline's HYBRID J.D. program – About Mitchell Hamline School of Law". mitchellhamline.edu. Retrieved 2018-09-07.
  16. "Fall entering class features three students with ties to pro sports – News and Events". mitchellhamline.edu. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  17. "Journals and Law Reviews – Academics". mitchellhamline.edu. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
  18. https://www.gq.com/news-politics/big-issues/201102/jeanne-marie-laskas-nfl-concussions-fred-mcneill?currentPage=1
  19. "Minnesota Legislators Past & Present – Legislator Record – Mazorol, Pat". Leg.state.mn.us. Retrieved 2011-01-24.
  20. "Minnesota Legislators Past & Present – Legislator Record – Mondale, Ted A". Leg.state.mn.us. Retrieved 2011-01-24.
  21. "Minnesota State Law Library: Biographies of Judges and Justices of the Minnesota Appellate Courts". Lawlibrary.state.mn.us. Archived from the original on 2012-02-06. Retrieved 2011-01-24.
  22. "Minnesota Legislators Past & Present – Legislator Record – Newman, Scott J". Leg.state.mn.us. Retrieved 2011-01-24.

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