William Mitchell, Hamline, or St. Thomas?

[randyers09]

Which of these three schools in Minnesota do you think provides the best option for a legal education and why?

[gbeard05]

I would say St. Thomas.  An up and coming school.  It is well respected by lawyers in the twin cities area.

[Talk Is Cheap]

Depends on who gives you the best financial aid...

[Ninja1]

Depends on who gives you the best financial aid...

TITCR. Retake for bonus points.

[bloomlaw]

or

[SplorkyFish]

Oversimplification FTL.

Of the three, Hamline would have to pay me the most to attend.

UST is an up-and-comer.  That school has a ton of money, and seems very intent on improving its law school.  They've been very aggressive in luring quality faculty and students from more established schools. 

My impression is that William Mitchell has a good reputation in the area.  It's been around for a long time, and nobody I've talked to has bad things to say about it (at least no MN lawywers do.  Kids in online forums have bad things to say about everything).  WM is, from what I've gathered, very focused on teaching practical lawyering skills.

Hamline used to be good, but it has been in decline for a few decades now(in law and other areas).  My impression is that most of its reputation is based on people aged 55+ remembering how good it was when they were applying to school.

Given equal money, I would choose between UST and William Mitchell.  I would probably lean UST, just because I think they are likely to keep investing in the school, and I am more of a theory guy than a practical skills guy.  That said, were I in this situation, a big scholarship from Hamline might get me to reconsider.

[Ninja1]

If you can't get into the University of Minnesota but want to practice in the state, go to North Dakota. It's much more respectable than any school in Minnesota besides the University of Minnesota and places well in the state.

[Papa Bear]

Oversimplification FTL.

Of the three, Hamline would have to pay me the most to attend.

UST is an up-and-comer.  That school has a ton of money, and seems very intent on improving its law school.  They've been very aggressive in luring quality faculty and students from more established schools. 

My impression is that William Mitchell has a good reputation in the area.  It's been around for a long time, and nobody I've talked to has bad things to say about it (at least no MN lawywers do.  Kids in online forums have bad things to say about everything).  WM is, from what I've gathered, very focused on teaching practical lawyering skills.

Hamline used to be good, but it has been in decline for a few decades now(in law and other areas).  My impression is that most of its reputation is based on people aged 55+ remembering how good it was when they were applying to school.

Given equal money, I would choose between UST and William Mitchell.  I would probably lean UST, just because I think they are likely to keep investing in the school, and I am more of a theory guy than a practical skills guy.  That said, were I in this situation, a big scholarship from Hamline might get me to reconsider.

This is extremely good advice.

[Repentant_Monkey]

Which of these three schools in Minnesota do you think provides the best option for a legal education and why?

I am a current student at Hamline (1L), and therefore biased, but I think that the quality of education at Hamline is top-notch.  I am a very detail oriented person and often find small imperfections that others ignore but I have yet to find a single thing about Hamline that I am unhappy with.

Having said that, if you plan to practice locally, you will not be disappointed with any of the law schools in MN.  They all have good alumni networks and place well for local practice.

But I do not agree with the assessment that Hamline is the least favorable of the MN schools.  With acceptances to 13 higher ranked schools, including GW, I chose Hamline and couldn't be happier with my choice (although I should note that I am a non-traditional student who is already employed and therefore my decision making process was different from that of most students). 

If you have any specific questions about Hamline, I will be glad to answer them if I am able.