Diversity & Inclusion: Mitchell Hamline School of Law

Listen to this article

Mitchell Hamline School of Law is reaching out online to undergraduate students of color in the hope of increasing diversity in law classes and the legal profession.

The St. Paul school’s “Gateway to Legal Education” program will offer free online law-related classes to students at colleges and universities primarily serving students of color and first-generation students. Enrollment opens in January for classes beginning in summer 2019.

“The goal is to move the needle in a substantial way and to expand opportunities both with the diversity of our incoming class and by over time making it easier for law firms to have a more diverse pool of candidates to choose from,” Mitchell Hamline president and dean Mark Gordon said.

Gateway courses will connect undergraduate students with Mitchell Hamline students, Twin Cities legal professionals and an admissions office contact.

Mitchell Hamline will cover the cost for qualified students who attend Gateway’s summer program, Gordon said. A free law school entrance exam prep course also will be available.

The new program builds on the tradition of Mitchell Hamline’s predecessors — Hamline Law and William Mitchell — in recruiting diverse candidates, Gordon said. More than 100 students of color — 28 percent of the incoming class — enrolled in fall 2017. More than 100 minority students submitted deposits for this fall’s incoming class.

The Gateway program leverages experience gained in developing the nation’s first-of-its-kind part-time, on-campus/online hybrid law degree program.

“We are committed to diversity and inclusion, and this is a way we can use our knowledge of teaching law online to try to make a significant difference,” Gordon said.