One of
the biggest benefits is the Hamline School of Law located on the Saint
Paul campus, which offers students access to its law library. That is
where undergraduates receive important experience with the fundamentals
of legal research and writing.
“The legal studies major and minor
prepare students very well for going on to law school,” Associate
Professor Stephen Arnott said. “The students are exposed to the
substantive areas of the law, and they begin to think and write like a
law student.”
Law school is just one of the options open to students
after graduation. The degree also prepares those who are interested in
pursuing a career as a paralegal, legal assistant, or a legal research
aid.
Senior Rita Schegolkov plans to become an attorney but is
taking advantage of the opportunity to earn her paralegal certificate at
Hamline, as well. She says the small class sizes, individual attention,
and academic preparation are just what she was looking for.
“I
figured that if I am a legal studies major here I would get some
undergraduate practice with the law, and it won’t be as big of a shock
when I go to law school,” Schegolkov said.
Opportunities outside of the classroom abound as senior Michelle Schreier discovered when she was searching for an internship.
“The
university has a lot of connections in the community and a lot of law
firms are looking for interns from Hamline,” Schreier said. “I interned
for both a small private law firm and a non-profit firm.”
Students
also hone their skills in the courtroom with the mock trial team—which
gives them a chance to prepare and try a case, playing both the attorney
and witness roles. Hamline teams and individuals regularly place well
in regional and national tournaments.
“I have a lot of friends who
are currently in law school, and when I tell them that I’m taking
classes in civil law, litigation, criminal law, criminal procedure, and
trial practice, you can just see this jealous reaction on their faces,”
senior Imant Lisovskis said. “They wish that they would have taken a
legal studies program like the one Hamline offers before going to law
school.”
Hear more from students and professors in the Legal Studies Department on
Hamline's YouTube channel.