Legal Studies Department

The legal studies department offers courses and programs for students interested in becoming lawyers and paralegals (legal assistants) and for students in other fields who have an interest in law. Because Hamline is a small university with a law school on its campus, we offer unique opportunities for students interested in law. Hamline legal studies students have the opportunity to interact with law students and professors and to learn to use a first-class law library. Each major has a legal studies faculty advisor. The Hamline Plan provides an excellent liberal arts background, and the legal studies department provides instruction in legal subjects taught by experienced legal studies professors and lawyers. Our students obtain internships with law firms, government agencies, court systems, corporations, and non-profit organizations. Courses are offered both at Hamline’s main campus in St. Paul and at the Minneapolis Center near Interstate 394 and Highway 100. Students also have the opportunity to compete in mock-trial tournaments. Hamline’s beginning mock-trial program is an open one–no tryouts or eliminations. Every student who wants to compete and learn about trial advocacy and the American legal system will get the opportunity to do so. If a student opts for the competitive mock trial track there will be more time commitment, skill building and opportunity to compete in advance tournaments, however skill level and dedication will be considered.

Hamline University also provides solid academic preparation and an enriched learning environment for pre-law students. Prospective law students can major in any field. Law schools want students with a broad-based education and expect students to have highly developed reading, analyzing, writing, and speaking skills. Law firms and other employers want lawyers and paralegals who are diligent, well-educated, and motivated, and who can work independently. These are the qualities emphasized by the Hamline Plan. The presence of a law school on our campus provides pre-law students with many opportunities to interact with law students and legal scholars and professionals. Law-related classes and activities foster and develop the students’ interest in law while they prepare for law school. After completing their baccalaureate degree, students who want to be lawyers will need to earn a law degree and pass the bar examination. Hamline students are prepared for success. For more information, see www.hamline.edu/cla/legal-studies/.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

Graduates and certificate recipients from Hamline University’s Legal Studies Department will be able to:

Produce reasoned legal analysis.
Demonstrate writing and speaking skills necessary to communicate in professional and academic legal settings.
Demonstrate mastery of legal citation.
Demonstrate knowledge of technology relevant to the legal profession.
Locate primary and secondary legal resources using print and electronic tools.
Fulfill legal and general ethical obligations in academic and professional settings.
Evaluate legal issues in diverse cultural contexts.

ACADEMIC PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The legal studies department offers two majors, a certificate program, two minors, and a double major in legal studies/women’s studies with a paralegal certificate.

Legal studies major. The legal studies major is designed to be flexible. This major suits the needs and interests of pre-law students, paralegal students, and students majoring in other disciplines heavily regulated by the law such as criminal justice, business, environmental studies, political science, communications, management, and international studies.
Law School Early Admissions (3-3) Programs. Highly motivated and talented students may complete their undergraduate degree and law school in just six years. The Legal Studies Department offers its own 3-3 program, the American Law and Legal Systems Major. Students may also choose to major in another discipline, but are required to complete the Law School Early Admissions Minor through the Legal Studies Department. Students interested in either 3-3 program should meet with an academic advisor in the relevant departments early in their undergraduate career to discuss.
Double-major in legal studies and women’s studies. This interdisciplinary double major provides students with a unique program of study which allows them to explore intersections between the law and other areas such as gender, sexuality, race, class, and ability. This combination of learning experiences in two fields, as well as practical and theoretical tools prepares students to make social change in the pursuit of creating a better world for everyone. Students develop competencies that will allow them to engage in a variety of opportunities in the law, public policy, non-profit work, human services, legislative initiatives, human rights, or social service. Through elective coursework, students can simultaneously complete a paralegal certificate; this pairing of practical legal training with a liberal arts program focused on cultural and political awareness is highly valued by employers. Students interested in pursuing the double major in legal studies and women’s studies should consult www.hamline.edu/cla/lgst-wstd/.
The paralegal certificate program. Hamline’s American Bar Association-approved paralegal program is distinctive. Students may earn their paralegal certificate while majoring in any field at Hamline or enter the post-baccalaureate paralegal certificate program as graduates of other four-year colleges and universities. Hamline’s undergraduate program has a broadly based liberal arts education in addition to the specific training in law and legal assisting skills. A paralegal certificate does not qualify the recipient for the practice of law; it prepares students to work in a law office or other law-related setting under the supervision of attorneys. This certificate is not a major; however, paralegal students may also pursue a legal studies major, or other majors as an undergraduate student.
The legal studies minor. Students majoring in any discipline can minor in legal studies. This minor is appropriate for students majoring in fields that are impacted by law and legal regulation such as political science, communications, and business. A legal studies minor is also a good choice for students who are considering law school. The minor in legal studies is not intended to prepare students to work as paralegals.

The legal studies programs do not qualify students to sit for the bar examination or to work as lawyers. Postgraduate study in an American Bar Association-approved law school after graduation from college is required to practice law.

Honors

Students wishing to be considered for participation in the departmental honors program should request detailed information from the program faculty no later than February of their junior year if graduation is expected in spring semester of their senior year. If a mid-year graduation is expected, the student should request information in September of their junior year. It is recommended that honors students have a GPA of 3.5 or better in the major, and honors projects must be approved by a majority of program faculty. Honors projects should exhibit distinctive scholarship, originality of thought, and a high degree of relevance to a major issue in the discipline. Please visit the legal studies department Web site for further information.

Internships

All legal studies majors complete an internship. Legal studies majors intern with lawyers, judges, a legal clinic at Hamline’s law school, the courts, the state legislature or federal, state, or local government agencies. Paralegal students may intern in many of the same environments but must perform paralegal work under the supervision of an attorney.

Student Activities

Hamline offers a large, inclusive mock trial program. All our students have the opportunity to participate in competitive mock trial tournaments. Recent study abroad course offerings have taken students to Australia. Our students participate in law school activities, use the law library, and have individual access to Westlaw. There are professor assistant and workstudy opportunities in the department, the law library, and the law school clinics. Students can also join the Hamline University Paralegal Society and the Prelaw and Justice Society.

Faculty

Stephen Arnott, assistant professor, pre-law advisor. BA (Hons) 1981, University of Tasmania; JD 1994, William Mitchell College of Law. Alternative dispute resolution, contracts, evidence, legal research and writing, family law, international law, legal interviewing.

Leondra Hanson, assistant professor, paralegal program director, BA 1995 Concordia College, JD 1999 University of Minnesota. Admitted to the bar in Minnesota 1999, Minnesota Federal District Court 1999 and Montana 2000. Professional Association: Minnesota Bar Association.

Meg Hobday, assistant professor, legal writing program coordinator. BA 1992, University of Notre Dame; JD 1995 University of Minnesota. Legal research and writing, senior seminar, employment law, constitutional law, legal systems in American society.

Jeanne Kosieradzki, associate professor, chair. BS 1986, Winona State University; JD 1991, William Mitchell College of Law. Legal ethics, civil litigation and trial practice, legal systems in American society, tort law. Professional Association: Minnesota Association for Justice.

Jerry Krause, professor, criminal justice. BS 1978, Mankato State University; JD 1984, University of Wisconsin Law School. Managing Editor, Wisconsin Law Review. Criminal justice, criminal law and procedure, police, ethics, law enforcement. Professional Associations: American Bar Association and ABA Criminal Justice Section; Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences.

Directors

Judy Gunnarson, assistant director, paralegal certificate program, BS Business, University of Minnesota, 1986; Post-Baccalaureate Paralegal Certificate, Hamline University, 2011. Professional Associations: Minnesota Paralegal Association. American Association for Paralegal Education.

Jacelyn Palmer, mock trial director, BA 2001, Hamline University, JD 2006, Hamline University School of Law. Admitted to the Bar in Minnesota, 2007, Professional Associations: American and Minnesota State Bar Associations, American Mock Trial Association.