Practice Management

We have not written about little hidden gems in terms of law school lately.  So, let us talk about Hamline University School of Law in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

The law school was founded in 1972 as the Midwestern School of law, but it was acquired by Hamline University in 1976.  Hamline is one of the smaller universities to support a law school.  That small, personal environment might very well be something for which law school aspirants are looking.

The law school is ABA approved and provides a flexible education schedule of both full-time and part-time programs.  This is good, because as an ABA accredited law school, a graduate can practice law about anywhere they wish, provided they can pass the bar or otherwise obtain a license in that jurisdiction.

Hamline is a 4th tier law school, but that is not something on which I would concentrate.  U. S. News rankings are flawed at best for most people who are interested in going to law school.  The question is always whether you are receiving a quality legal education, at a survivable cost, and what is your likelihood of passing the bar upon graduation.  In this area Hamline law seems to prevail.  It consistently achieves high bar passage rates.  Of late 91% of first time takers, for example, passed the Minnesota bar exam.  100% of first time takers passed the Wisconsin bar exam.

What is especially admirable about this bar passage rate is the Founders Enrollment Program the law school has adopted.  The law school sets 20 seats aside each year in their weekday program for law students that have low statistical predictors, meaning low LSAT scores and/or GPA.

The annual tuition is approximately or presently $27,096.  That is a lot of money, but it is low by private law school standards, Saint Paul is not the most expensive place in the world to live, and if you are more likely to pass the bar than not, it might very well make it cheaper than some public law schools.  Also, it should be pointed out that Hamline does provide a lot of scholarships (or free money) that can greatly reduce this amount.  The point is that you are likely to spend a lot more money (borrowed or otherwise) obtaining a legal education at other private law schools, in more costly places to live, with a greater chance of not passing the bar the first time out.

If you are looking for a law school opportunity, you might very well wish to look at Hamline.