Under a new residency program created by Mitchell Hamline School of Law and the Minnesota County Attorneys Association (MCAA), Mitchell Hamline students will have the opportunity to receive hands-on legal training in county attorney offices throughout the state.
The Mitchell Hamline/Minnesota County Attorney Law Student Residency Program will allow qualified students to work in county attorney offices while earning academic credits from the school.
“At Mitchell Hamline School of Law, we are committed to giving our students meaningful hands-on experience in the practice of law,” said President and Dean Mark Gordon. “This is a wonderful way to do just that while also engaging with the community.”
Residencies are not new for Mitchell Hamline students. As a part of earning their J.D., students can spend one semester in their final year working in law firms, government offices, courthouses, businesses, and nonprofit organizations.
The new residency agreement is intended to give students more opportunities for high-quality legal experience and to expand the school’s commitment to community engagement throughout the state.
MCAA Executive Director Robert Small said the partnership will give students valuable experience and perhaps even interest them in a career in the public sector.
“It will assist law students to develop the skills and attributes they need in order to be effective legal practitioners,” Small said. “County attorneys will be able to share with the students the satisfaction of serving the community, feeling good about what they do, and working alongside caring and committed public servants.”
County attorney offices in Anoka, Beltrami, Cook, Crow Wing, Dakota, Fillmore, Isanti, Mille Lacs, Pine, Polk, Pope, St. Louis, and Scott counties are among those that have so far expressed interest in hosting Mitchell Hamline students in a semester-long residency. The ultimate goal of the program is to provide residencies for students in every one of Minnesota’s 87 counties.