At a Glance
Hamline University School of Law is
accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and a member of the
Association of American Law Schools (AALS).
It offers a broad curriculum with opportunities to focus within 12 areas
of legal specialty, as well as two nationally ranked Centers of Excellence.
Hamline receives high marks from students for its passionate faculty,
student-centered atmosphere and strong opportunities to develop legal
skills—both locally and abroad-- while learning the law within a friendly
campus community.
Campus & Location
Hamline is located in the heart of the
Twin Cities of
Degrees Offered
Hamline University School of Law students
may earn a JD degree through a full-time, three year program and a part-time,
four-year weekend program. An LL.M. degree for international lawyers also is
offered. Dual degrees are available in
Public Administration, Business Management, Nonprofit Management, Fine Arts in
Creative Writing, and Organizational Leadership.
Programs & Curriculum
Hamline’s curriculum also supports twelve
organized tracks of study or focus areas, including business and commercial
law, child advocacy, criminal law, dispute resolution, government and regulatory
affairs, health law, intellectual property, international law, labor law,
litigation and trial practice, property law, and public law and human rights.
Hamline’s nationally ranked alternative
dispute resolution (ADR) program provides a full range of ADR-related
programming, including a summer institute, January term courses, certificate
programs, and a bi-annual symposium. The
Health Law Institute, also nationally ranked, focuses on the growth of health law,
federal regulation, tort reform, medical device development and regulation, and
ethics.
Experiential Learning
Hamline’s eleven clinics offer students
the opportunity to develop litigation, transactional and alternative dispute
resolution skills. The Practicum program combines 114 hours of field experience
with a classroom component focused on enhancing a student’s lawyering
skills. Moot court and similar
competitions involve legal research, brief writing, and oral argument. Hamline
is home to three scholarly journals.
Hamline law students staff the Hamline Law Review and the Hamline
Journal of Public Law and Policy, and provide editorial assistance for The
Journal of Law and Religion. Hamline
School of Law offers unique study abroad opportunities in
Facilities
Hamline law school’s architectural design
encourages easy access to faculty and administrative offices. The Annette K. Levine courtroom offers a
technologically relevant setting for moot court competitions and for observing
actual court proceedings. Hamline’s law library provides modern collections of
print, electronic and microform resources, and has more than 300,000 volumes
and electronic databases. In addition, students
have access to the libraries of seven other colleges and universities through a
consortium arrangement.
Expenses & Financial Aid
Hamline University School of Law is a
private institution. Full-time tuition
for the 2009-2010 academic year is $31,600.
Merit-based and endowed scholarships are available for first-year
students.
Faculty
Hamline law school has 41 full-time
faculty members (46% women, 15% minority).
Adjunct faculty complement the faculty by teaching upper division
courses in specialty areas. The law school has recently invested in expanding
its faculty, with nationally recognized experts in bio-ethics, health law,
intellectual property, international trade, corporate law, and critical race
theory. These faculty members join a faculty nationally recognized for
scholarship and academic leadership in dispute resolution, commercial law,
constitutional law, and many other fields.
The Hamline faculty is committed to an “open door” policy to help students
learn and practice the law.
Student Body
Hamline law school’s student body includes
approximately 700 students from diverse backgrounds. As a student-centered community, student
organizations play a key role in the vitality of the law school environment. More than 25 student organizations focus on
students’ cultural and professional interests.
Admissions
The admission selection process emphasizes
a rigorous but fair examination of each person’s application. In addition to the LSAT and undergraduate
GPA, other factors are given significant weight including motivation, personal
experiences, employment history, graduate education, maturity, letters of
recommendation, and the ability to express one’s interest in 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,
sexual orientation, racial, and ethnic composition.
Career Services & Placement
The Career Services Office provides informational programs, mock interviews, one-on-one counseling, networking opportunities, and an online job bank. It also hosts on-campus interviews for interested employers and works extensively with employers to market Hamline law students.