Legal Studies Department

The Legal Studies Department offers courses and programs for students interested in becoming lawyers and paralegals (legal assistants), or working in a law-related field. Hamline is a small university with a strong connection to its law school, giving students the opportunity to interact with law students and professors and have access to a first-class law library. Students learn about the law in the context of Hamline’s liberal arts tradition and long-standing commitment to community involvement aimed at developing critical thinking and communication skills. Courses in the Legal Studies Department are taught by experienced legal studies professors who are themselves lawyers, together with lawyers who teach as adjunct faculty. Our students complete internships with law firms, government agencies, court systems, corporations, and non-profit organizations. In addition to the major, the Legal Studies Department offers an ABA-certified Paralegal Certificate Program and a nationally-recognized mock trial program.

The Legal Studies Department provides solid academic preparation and an enriched learning environment for students who wish to attend law school. Additionally, the Hamline Plan provides a broad-based education, ensuring that pre-law students develop the reading, analyzing, writing, and speaking skills sought by law schools. Pre-law students can major in any field, and law-related classes and activities foster and develop the students’ critical thinking and other important skills and their 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.

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, two certificate programs, 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. Hamline’s undergraduate program has a broadly based liberal arts education in addition to the specific training in law and legal assisting skills.
Law School Early Admission (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 Legal Studies-Law School Early Admission (LGST-LSEA) Major. Students completing the LGST-LSEA Major complete a minor in another discipline. Law School Early Admission 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, prepare 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 paralegal certificate program as a post-baccalaureate student, having completed their undergraduate degree at Hamline or another four-year college or university. 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.
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 legal studies minor is not intended to prepare students to work as paralegals.
The eDiscovery certificate program. Hamline’s eDiscovery certificate offers graduate students the opportunity to be at the leading edge of innovations in the electronic exchange and storage of discoverable information. Taught by experienced professionals in the field, the certificate was created for working professionals offering evening classes designed to be completed in nine months. The eDiscovery certificate is not approved by the American Bar Association. For more information on the eDiscovery certificate, please refer to the Hamline University Graduate Bulletin.

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’s information on department honors for detailed project guidelines. In addition to these legal studies department guidelines, there are University guidelines which also must be followed. The University guidelines can be found on the University Honors web page.

Internships

All legal studies majors and paralegal certificate students must complete an internship. Legal studies majors intern with lawyers, corporate law departments, non-profits, the courts, 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’s Mock Trial Program is open to all Hamline students, not just Legal Studies majors. All mockers, whether registered for Beginning or Advanced Mock Trial or those participating in the activity, will learn more about the American legal system and trial advocacy, as well as have the ability to practice those skills in the classroom setting and at tournaments. Those who wish to compete in more tournaments will also be able to do so. This competitive track requires additional time commitments and the opportunity to participate in advanced tournaments both locally and across the nation. While all students will be able to compete at numerous tournaments, skill level and dedication are taken into consideration in determining which members of the team will travel.

Recent study abroad course offerings have taken students to Australia. Our students participate in law school activities, have access to a first class law library, and have individual access to Westlaw. There are teaching assistant and work study opportunities in the department and the law library. Students can also join the Hamline University Paralegal Society and the Pre-law and Justice Society.

Faculty

Stephen Arnott, associate professor, department chair, paralegal program director, legal research and writing program coordinator. 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, senior seminar. Professional Association: American Bar Association, Minnesota State Bar Association, American Association for Paralegal Educators.

Leondra Hanson, associate professor, paralegal program chair. BA 1995 Concordia College, JD 1999 University of Minnesota. Admitted to the bar in Minnesota 1999, Minnesota Federal District Court 1999 and Montana 2000. Legal systems in American society, legal research and writing, law in the lives of women, real property. Professional Association: Minnesota State Bar Association, American Association for Paralegal Educators.

Meg Hobday, associate professor, administrative unit head, pre-law advisor. 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. Professional Association: Minnesota State Bar Association, American Association for Paralegal Educators.

Jeanne Kosieradzki, professor, director of eDiscovery certificate. 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 Associations: Minnesota Association for Justice, Minnesota State Bar Association.

Directors

Judy Gunnarson, assistant director, paralegal certificate program and eDiscovery 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, Minnesota State Bar Association.

Jacelyn Olson, mock trial tournament host and recruiter, BA 2001, Hamline University, JD 2006, Hamline University School of Law. Admitted to the Bar in Minnesota, 2007. Beginning mock trial, advanced mock trial. Professional Associations: American and Minnesota State Bar Associations, American Mock Trial Association.

Kelly Rogers, mock trial director, BA 2008 Hamline University, JD Hamline University School of Law. Admitted to the Bar in South Dakota, 2011. Admitted to the Bar in Minnesota, 2012. Beginning Mock Trial, Advanced Mock Trial, Legal Systems in American Society.