William Mitchell College of Law

Mitchell Hamline School of Law provides a legal education grounded in legal theory and distinguished by exceptional practical legal training. A forward-thinking, independent law school with a history dating back more than 100 years, we have continually shaped legal education to be relevant to our students, their future clients, and the legal profession. We are committed to making legal education accessible and offer an unmatched number of enrollment options. Our students graduate prepared to put their degree into practice or use their legal training in the profession of their choice.

We live, study, and teach the law, working to make it just and accessible. We are dedicated to:

• Serving as a gateway to opportunities that enable students to further causes about which they are passionate.
• Preparing students to compete successfully for jobs that exist today while positioning them to excel in jobs yet to be created.
• Expanding access to legal knowledge throughout society, among lawyers and non‐lawyers alike.
• Providing access to high‐quality legal education for people from a wide variety of backgrounds.
• Advancing the rule of law and justice for all.

More than 350 students took externships and more than 100 participated in clinics this year. Mitchell Hamline’s approach to legal education is best expressed in the school’s motto: Great in theory. Even better in practice.

You’ll get the classic law school classes here, but always paired with a practical skill. We are connected to the practice, and we are committed to offering students the maximum possible opportunity to do what real lawyers do while still in law school. We teach through skills courses and simulation exercises that mirror real-world situations, and through actual hands-on experience with real clients.

Mitchell Hamline’s centers and institutes can further enhance your credentials and your education by combining rigorous academic discourse with applied experience in a specific concentration area.

Mitchell Hamline’s certificate programs supplement the J.D. degree and demonstrate that a student has achieved advanced knowledge and training in a specific area of study.

Earn part of your law degree while living in a foreign country. As a student of Mitchell Hamline, you can choose from several summer, J-term, spring break, or semester-abroad programs. Students come to Mitchell Hamline from all over the country and the world, pursue a variety of interests and activities while in law school, and go on to do interesting work. In this short video, five students at various stages of their law-school careers talk about why they chose Mitchell Hamline, the experiences they’ve had, and how the school and its alums have helped them identify and secure meaningful careers.

It takes more than knowing the law to be a great lawyer. It takes knowing how to put it to work to make a difference in the world. When you graduate from Mitchell Hamline, you’ll have the skills, knowledge, network, and confidence to start making your own contributions the first day on the job.

Our students connect with an alumni network that’s the largest in the region and passionate about helping graduates succeed. You’ll find mentors who are attorneys in law firms large and small, entrepreneurs and business professionals in an array of industries, and public servants on the bench, in elected office, and working in government agencies, legal aid organizations, and nonprofits. Our well-connected staff of career and development professionals will work with you on a personal plan for the future from your first day on campus.

We offer top programs in dispute resolution, health law, and clinical practice. Our faculty is comprised of experienced jurists and practitioners dedicated to teaching and invested in your success. We are an independent law school, which allows us to move quickly and innovatively in response to changing times. We were pioneers in teaching students a deeper understanding of the law through application to real-world situations, and we continue to lead today.

At Mitchell Hamline, we don’t make you wait for graduation to get experience. Your immersion in experiential learning begins on day one. Many 1Ls volunteer in the community through the Minnesota Justice Foundation and work as research assistants. After the first year, students can work in legal settings through externships and semester-placement programs and also represent clients—under the supervision of experienced faculty—as part of the clinical program.

Our multiple enrollment options are designed to let you earn a J.D. without putting your other commitments in life on hold—or even relocating to the Twin Cities. In addition to full-time and part-time schedules, we offer one of only two ABA-approved weekend J.D. programs in the nation. We are also the first ABA-approved law school in the country to offer a J.D. partly online—our HYBRID J.D.℠ option—which means you can earn a law degree from anywhere in the world.

Mitchell Hamline has a robust scholarship program designed for students from all walks of life. Scholarships are awarded based upon a variety of factors including previous academic excellence, professional experience, service and leadership experience, personal experience, and interest in specific areas of law.