Mitchell Hamline School of Law is a private

law school A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center ...

. It is accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and offers full- and part-time legal education for its

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice l ...

(J.D.) degree.

History

Mitchell Hamline was formed on December 9, 2015, when Hamline University School of Law merged into

William Mitchell College of Law William Mitchell College of Law was a private, independent law school located in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States, from 1956 to 2015. Accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA), it offered full- and part-time legal education in pursuit of ...

. Prior to merging into Mitchell Hamline, William Mitchell itself was the product of the merger of several other law schools, all in the

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in stat ...

Mark C. Gordon Mark C. Gordon is an American academic administrator, lawyer, and former government official. He served as the president of Defiance College from 2009 to 2015 as well as the first dean and president of the Mitchell Hamline School of Law. Biogra ...

served as the founding dean of Mitchell Hamline before stepping down in 2019.

Profile, tuition, rankings, and employment

In Fall of 2020 Mitchell Hamline accepted 58% of the applications it received; 51% of those who were accepted, or 404 students, enrolled. The median LSAT for students starting in Fall 2020 was 152, while the median GPA was 3.24; 69% of students enrolled in the part time track. In total, the school has 1,226 students, 53% of whom are women, 7% of whom are Hispanic, and 7% of whom are Black. Annual tuition (including fees) for the 2020–21 academic year was $47,426 for full-time students and $34,506 for part-time students. The school was ranked by ''U.S. News & World Report'' between 147 and 193 in the country (bottom 25%) in 2021. Mitchell Hamline was ranked fifth in the nation in dispute resolution. Of 2020 graduates, 49% found full-time long-term employment that requires a JD within nine months of graduation. Of the 192 Mitchell Hamline graduates who took the Minnesota bar exam for the first time in 2021, 139 passed, for a 72.4% pass rate, compared to an overall average of 83.6%. Of the 278 Mitchell Hamline graduates who took any state's bar exam in 2020, 66.2% passed, vs. an overall average of 82.2%.

Academics

Dispute Resolution Institute

Mitchell Hamline houses an institute dedicated to alternative forms of dispute resolution. The institute offers a mediation center and four certificates. The institute also selects qualified students to study conflict resolution through two study abroad programs: an international business perspective in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

through a partnership with

Queen Mary University of London Queen Mary University of London (QMUL, or informally QM, and previously Queen Mary and Westfield College) is a public university, public research university in Mile End, East London, England. It is a member institution of the federal University of ...

, as well as a through a lens of religious conflict in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

in partnership with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Health Law Institute

Mitchell Hamline's Health Law Institute offers specialized courses and experiential learning. 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 with faculty who have spent their careers working with Indian tribes.

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 Hamline University is a private liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1854, Hamline is known for its emphasis on experiential learning, service, and social justice. The university is named after Bishop Leonidas Lent Hamline ...

St. Cloud State University St. Cloud State University (SCSU) is a public university in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Founded in 1869, the university is one of the largest institutions in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. Its enrollment in 2020 was approximately ...

, and

Bemidji State University Bemidji State University (BSU) is a public university in Bemidji, Minnesota. Founded as a preparatory institution for teachers in 1919, it provides higher education to north-central Minnesota. It is part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Univ ...

. 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

, students can also earn a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accou ...

(M.B.A.), a

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts a ...

in Writing (M.F.A.), a

Master in Public Administration The Master of Public Administration (M.P.Adm., M.P.A., or MPA) is a specialized higher professional post graduate degree in public administration, similar/ equivalent to the Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the issues of ...

(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

. The school's first cohort of hybrid students included 85 students, 14 of whom already held M.B.A.s, 5 held M.D.s, and three held PhDs. The students ranged in age from 22 to 67 and represented 30 states and two countries. In Fall 2020, the school started to offer blended learning. This includes elements of the Hybrid, Executive, and Weekend offerings. It is a four-year program that can be finished in three years. On-campus time includes a case-study workshop in which students learn from lawyers and participants in cases.

Student journals

Mitchell Hamline students can participate in 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''.

Externships

The school offers more practical externships than any other school in the Upper Midwest.

Notable alumni

The law library on campus is named in honor of Warren E. Burger, the fifteenth Chief Justice of the United States, who graduated from one of the school's predecessor institutions, St. Paul College of Law. Other notable graduates include: * August Andresen, former United States Congressman * Joe Atkins, Minnesota State Representative *

Elmer A. Benson Elmer Austin Benson (September 22, 1895 March 13, 1985) was an American lawyer and politician from Minnesota. In 1935, Benson was appointed to the U.S. Senate following the death of Thomas Schall. He served as the 24th governor of Minnesota, def ...

, former United States Senator and

Governor of Minnesota The governor of Minnesota is the head of government of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty people have been governor of Minnesota, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory. ...

* Bobby Joe Champion, Minnesota State Representative * Ray P. Chase, former United States Congressman * Tarryl Clark, former Minnesota State Senator * Richard Cohen, Minnesota State Senator *

Roger L. Dell Roger L. Dell (July 19, 1897 – March 8, 1966) was an American businessman, lawyer, and jurist. Born in Bird Island, Minnesota, Dell graduated from Shakopee High School in Shakopee, Minnesota, in 1916. He received his law degree, in 1920, fr ...

, former Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court * Sean Duffy, United States Congressman from Wisconsin *

Tom Emmer Thomas Earl Emmer Jr.Helgeson, Baird, ''Star Tribune'', July 11, 2010. (born March 3, 1961) is an American attorney and politician who has been the U.S. representative for since 2015. The district includes most of the Twin Cities' far northern ...

, former Minnesota State Representative and 2010 Republican candidate for governor of Minnesota * William T. Francis, former U.S. Ambassador to

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean to its south and southwest. It ...

* Sam Hanson, former Justice of the

Minnesota Supreme Court The Minnesota Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The court hears cases in the Supreme Court chamber in the Minnesota State Capitol or in the nearby Minnesota Judicial Center. History The court was first asse ...

Debra Hilstrom Debra J. Hilstrom (born June 21, 1968) is an American politician and former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), she represented District 40B, which included portions ...

, Minnesota State Representative *

Dewey W. Johnson Dewey William Johnson (March 14, 1899 – September 18, 1941) was an American lawyer and politician from Minnesota. Johnson was born in Minneapolis and attended the local public schools, followed by the University of Minnesota and William ...

, former United States Congressman *

Matthew E. Johnson Matthew E. Johnson (born February 10, 1963) is a judge of the Minnesota Court of Appeals. He previously served as its Chief Judge. Education Johnson received his undergraduate degree from St. Olaf College in 1985 and his J.D. from William Mitc ...

, Chief Judge, Minnesota Court of Appeals *

Jim Lord James Frank Lord (November 26, 1948 – June 6, 2008) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the Minnesota state treasurer from 1975 to 1983. Early life and education Born in Chanhassen, Minnesota, Lord was the son of United Sta ...

, Minnesota politician * Myles Mace, former Distinguished Professor,

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA ...

Eric J. Magnuson Eric John Magnuson (born January 27, 1951) is an American lawyer in private practice. He was the Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court from 2008 to 2010. Education and professional background Magnuson was born in Morris, Illinois. He gra ...

, former Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court * Paul A. Magnuson, Senior Judge,

U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota The United States District Court for the District of Minnesota (in case citations, D. Minn.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Minnesota. Its two primary courthouses are in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Cases are a ...

* John J. McDonough, former Mayor of

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

* Fred McNeill, former

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansio ...

player *

Robert W. Mattson, Jr. Robert W. (Bob) Mattson Jr. (born May 31, 1948) is an American lawyer who held elective political office in Minnesota, and is also involved in various business ventures in Florida, Colorado and Canada. He served one term as Minnesota State Aud ...

, former

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the List of U.S. states and territories by population, 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minne ...

State Auditor *

Pat Mazorol Patrick A. "Pat" Mazorol (born March 20, 1949) is a Minnesota politician and a former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives who represented District 41B, which includes western Bloomington and southern Edina in Hennepin County, in the ...

, Minnesota State Representative *

Helen Meyer Helen M. Meyer (born February 24, 1954) is an American lawyer and former judge from the state of Minnesota. She most recently served as an associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. Meyer graduated from the University of Minnesota in 197 ...

, Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court * Ted Mondale, former Minnesota State Senator and former chairman of the

Metropolitan Council The Metropolitan Council, commonly abbreviated Met Council or Metro Council, is the regional governmental agency and metropolitan planning organization in Minnesota serving the Minneapolis – Saint Paul, Twin Cities seven-county metropolitan are ...

William P. Murphy William Parry Murphy (Stoughton, Wisconsin, February 6, 1892 – October 9, 1987) was an American physician who shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1934 with George Richards Minot and George Hoyt Whipple for their combined work ...

, former Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court *

Arthur E. Nelson Arthur Emanuel Nelson (May 10, 1892April 11, 1955) was an American lawyer and politician who served briefly as a U.S. Senator from Minnesota during the end of 1942 and beginning of 1943 Early life and education Born in Browns Valley, Minnes ...

, former United States Senator *

Martin A. Nelson Martin A. Nelson (February 21, 1889 – May 22, 1979) was an American attorney, politician, and jurist from Minnesota. He served as an associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. Early life and education Nelson was born in Hesper Township, ...

, former Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court * Scott Newman, Minnesota State Senator * Floyd B. Olson, former

Peter S. Popovich Peter Stephen Popovich (November 27, 1920 – March 29, 1996) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge from Minnesota. He is the only person in the state's history to serve as both Chief Judge of the Minnesota Court of Appeals The Min ...

, former Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court *

Joey San Nicolas Joey Patrick San Nicolas is a politician in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) who served as Mayor of Tinian. He previously served as Attorney General. Career On Tuesday, October 23, 2012, San Nicolas was nominated as the Att ...

, Attorney General for the

Northern Mariana Islands The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI; ch, Sankattan Siha Na Islas Mariånas; cal, Commonwealth Téél Falúw kka Efáng llól Marianas), is an unincorporated territory and commonwe ...

John B. Sanborn, Jr. John Benjamin Sanborn Jr. (November 9, 1883 – March 7, 1964) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and previously was a United States district judge of the United States District Court fo ...

, former Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit * Thomas D. Schall, former United States Senator *

Linda Scheid Linda J. Scheid (June 16, 1942June 15, 2011) was a Minnesota politician and a member of the Minnesota Senate who represented District 46, which includes portions of the northwestern suburbs of Hennepin County in the Twin Cities metro area. A D ...

, former Minnesota State Senator * Gary J. Schmidt, former Wisconsin State Assemblyman * Corey Stewart, former candidate for Governor and Lt. Governor of Virginia, chair, Board of Supervisors,

Prince William County, Virginia Prince William County is located on the Potomac River in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population sits at 482,204, making it Virginia's second-most populous county. Its county seat is the independent city of Manass ...

* Lena O. Smith, Minnesota's first African-American female lawyer *

Esther Tomljanovich Esther Jeanne Moellering Tomljanovich (born November 1, 1931) is an American lawyer and judge who served as an associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. Early life and education Tomljanovich was born in Galt, Iowa. She moved with her pa ...

, former Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court * Robert Vanasek, former Speaker of the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house of the Minnesota Legislature, Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. There are 134 members, twice as many as the Minnesota Senate. Floor sessions are held in the north wing of the Min ...

* Robert Vogel, former U.S. Attorney for the District of North Dakota and Justice of the

North Dakota Supreme Court The North Dakota Supreme Court is the highest court of law in the state of North Dakota. The Court rules on questions of law in appeals from the state's district courts. Each of the five justices are elected on a no-party ballot for ten year te ...

Jean Wagenius Jean D. Wagenius (born October 1941) is an American politician who served as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1987 to 2021. A member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), she represented District 63B, which inclu ...

, Minnesota State Representative * Rosalie E. Wahl, former Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court *

Torrey Westrom Torrey Westrom (born March 27, 1973) is an American businessman and politician and member of the Minnesota Senate. A Republican, he represents District 12, which includes all or parts of Big Stone, Douglas, Grant, Pope, Stearns, Stevens, ...

, Minnesota State Senator *

Luther Youngdahl Luther Wallace Youngdahl (May 29, 1896 – June 21, 1978) was an American judge and politician who served as the 27th governor of Minnesota and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Edu ...

, former

, Justice of the

, and Judge of the

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia The United States District Court for the District of Columbia (in case citations, D.D.C.) is a federal district court in the District of Columbia. It also occasionally handles (jointly with the United States District Court for the District ...

* Oscar Youngdahl, former United States Congressman *

G. Aaron Youngquist Gustav Aaron Youngquist (4 November 1885 – 29 October 1959) was a Swedish-American lawyer and public prosecutor. He served as Minnesota Attorney General and as the Assistant U.S. Attorney General who successfully prosecuted Al Capone for federal ...

, former

Minnesota Attorney General The attorney general of Minnesota is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the U.S. State of Minnesota. Thirty individuals have held the office of Attorney General since statehood. The incumbent is Keith Ellison, a DFLer. Election ...

and Assistant

U.S. Attorney General The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...

*Eric Nelson (active 2021), American defense attorney who represented Derek Chauvin in State v. Chauvin

References

External links

* * {{authority control Educational institutions established in 2015 Hamline University 2015 establishments in Minnesota Private universities and colleges in Minnesota