Hamline University School of Law

Introduction

Hamline University School of Law is a collaborative community where students work together to best serve clients and society. Hamline offers a full-time weekday and part-time weekend program, both of which provide a challenging curriculum, excellent faculty, and diverse experiential learning opportunities. Our expert faculty members challenge students to realize their full potential through innovative educational experiences—both inside and outside the classroom. Hamline students graduate ready to practice law and inspired to use their legal education to solve problems and make a difference in the world. And, our outstanding career services professionals are well-connected advocates for every Hamline Law graduate.

Hamline Law also serves as a catalyst for reframing the legal landscape through distinguished guest speakers, thought-provoking symposia, and nationally recognized centers of excellence, such as Hamline's renowned Dispute Resolution Institute, and the Health Law Institute, which is considered among the nation's top 20. Our new Business Law Institute is built on the foundation of strong business law courses that have long been a bedrock of the Hamline legal education.

Hamline alumni are employed in all aspects of the law, including private practice, government agencies, and public and private corporate environments. They also work in the court system as prosecutors, public defenders, and members of the judiciary at the state and federal level. Some alumni use their legal education as a backdrop for nontraditional legal employment outside the justice system. Hamline graduates are active and involved with the School of Law by serving as moot court and competition judges, adjunct faculty, practicum supervisors, program and classroom speakers, and mentors for individual students.

At the Heart of It All

Hamline's School of Law is set in the heart of a safe, energetic, comprehensive, tree-lined campus, offering amenities that include on-campus housing and a variety of dining options. Hamline's health and fitness center contains a full range of exercise equipment, a running track, and a swimming pool. Our location in the Midway neighborhood of Saint Paul means we're in the middle of everything that Saint Paul and Minneapolis have to offer—from renowned theater and world-class museums to great dining and a broad range of recreational activities and major league sports. Nearly two dozen Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in the Twin Cities as well.

Inside the law school building, students will find all of the resources they need to succeed. The Law Library staff is readily available to provide supportive services, along with nearly 300,000 volumes and electronic databases—giving students access to the libraries of seven other colleges and universities through a consortium agreement. Hamline's Annette K. Levine Moot Court Room provides a technologically relevant setting for holding moot court competitions and observing actual court proceedings.

Rigorous and Supportive Learning Environment

Hamline's core curriculum provides the analytical grounding necessary for success. In addition to a rich full-time program, Hamline offers a unique part-time weekend program that is taught by the same respected faculty members who teach in the weekday program. The law school also offers dual-degree and course exchange options, which allow students to combine their legal education with a second disciplinary focus in the areas of business administration, public administration, nonprofit management, creative writing, and organizational leadership. Hamline's curriculum in negotiation, arbitration, and mediation is second to none.

Hamline's rigorous offerings reflect considerable depth and innovation. Our recently reconfigured first-year curriculum includes International Law as well as Practice, Problem-Solving and Professionalism (P3), a course designed to provide students with the context of legal practice and to frame lawyering as a broad profession grounded in problem-solving and dispute resolution. Hamline students may concentrate their studies in a variety of substantive areas: alternative dispute resolution, corporate/commercial law, child advocacy, criminal law, government and regulatory affairs, health law, intellectual property, international law, labor and employment, litigation and trial practice, property law, and public law and human rights.

At Hamline, professors move beyond traditional lectures to offer truly collaborative, student-centered classroom experiences while simultaneously conducting cutting-edge scholarship. Our accessible professors are dedicated to an open-door policy. An emphasis on seminars allows students to learn in small classes, make presentations, and create original research on topics of personal interest, ensuring that students work closely with Hamline's dedicated faculty throughout their law school experience. The Constance Bakken Fellows program provides funding for collaborative research between faculty and students.

Experiential Learning: At Home and Abroad

Hamline students further expand their skills by competing in appellate advocacy and negotiation competitions throughout the country and around the world. Hamline's 10 legal clinics give students real-world experience in the practice of health law, immigration law, small business planning, criminal law, child advocacy, alternative dispute resolution, education law, and trial practice. Each clinic operates as a small law office with students handling their own caseload and representing clients under the supervision of experienced in-house or adjunct faculty members.

Likewise, Hamline's externship program enables students to work directly with mentor attorneys and judges, and places students in private law firms, corporations, judges' chambers, public agencies, legislative offices, and businesses. In addition, all Hamline students must complete 24 hours of pro bono service as a graduation requirement.

Through experiential learning opportunities, Hamline students absorb real-world legal lessons, gain a wealth of knowledge in case management and other lawyering skills, and establish valuable contacts in the professional legal community.

Hamline encourages international study for the development of a truly global perspective. Many students participate in an international exchange program with Hamline's European law school partners. Others compete in the Vienna International Moot Court Competition. Hamline provides conferences, classes, and training in London, Oslo, Budapest, and Jerusalem, among other international locations. With international lawyers from around the world in our Master in Law (LLM) program and our academic programs abroad, Hamline offers a truly global learning environment.

A Dynamic Student Community

Hamline attracts a dynamic and diverse student population. Students in our fall 2011 incoming class represented 30 states and 99 undergraduate institutions, and 17 percent were students of color. Hamline also offers a graduate program leading to a Master in Law (LLM) degree for lawyers holding an LLB or equivalent degree from outside the United States. These students contribute to the cultural richness of the Hamline learning communities.

Opportunities for student involvement abound at Hamline University School of Law. The Hamline Law Review and the Hamline Journal of Public Law and Policy are entirely staffed by law students. Hamline students also provide editorial assistance for the internationally respected Journal of Law and Religion. Hamline students can participate in more than 15 moot court teams, and with 35 active student organizations, students easily find professional, cultural, and social connections to match their interests.

Hamline law students believe they can make a difference in their community and frequently this passion can be seen through the innovative programs and initiatives they develop on campus. In recent years, for example, members of the Hamline Latino Law Student Association launched an annual event, Juris Fiesta, which raises funds for the Latino Law Student Scholarship and attracts national Latino legal leaders as keynote speakers. Another student organization, the Hamline Law Veterans' Association, has established an endowed annual scholarship for an eligible veteran.

Career Assistance

The Career Services Office is committed to assisting all Hamline law students in career planning and job searches. Dedicated and experienced counselors provide informational programs, mock interviews, one-on-one career counseling, résumé assistance, and networking opportunities through an established mentoring program. They also organize on-campus interviews and work extensively with employers to advance Hamline law students and to solicit postings and information for the online job bank. Students are strongly encouraged to participate in the programs offered by the Career Services Office and to build professional networks with alumni and other legal professionals.

Admission and Financial Aid

The School of Law maintains a selection process that emphasizes a rigorous but fair examination of each person as an individual, not merely as a set of credentials. In addition to the LSAT and undergraduate GPA, the admission committee gives significant weight to motivation, personal experiences, employment history, graduate education, maturity, letters of recommendation, and the ability to articulate one's interest in, and suitability for, the study of law. Hamline's admission policy is designed to enhance the academic rigor, professional dedication, social concern, and diversity of the student body, including cultural, economic, racial, ethnic composition, as well as sexual orientation. Hamline also provides a comprehensive financial aid program, which includes merit-based scholarships. At Hamline, 95 percent of law students qualify for need-based loans.

Applicant Profile

Hamline University School of Law

This grid includes only applicants with 120–180 LSAT scores earned under standard administrations.

Apps = Number of Applicants
Adm = Number Admitted
Reflects 99% of the total applicant pool; highest LSAT data reported.