Mitchell Hamline School of Law

Mitchell Hamline Alumni

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Retiring Dakota Co. Attorney Jim Backstrom ’78 encourages public service

Posted: February 1, 2021
Jim Backstrom
Every time James Backstrom ’78 signs his name, he makes sure to include his middle initial so he can remember his father. Clifford Backstrom was a firefighter for more than three decades and passed a duty to serve the public to his son. In February, the son of Clifford Backstrom will retire just after his …

Retiring Dakota Co. Attorney Jim Backstrom ’78 encourages public service

Mitchell Hamline alums honored with Attorney of the Year, Diversity & Inclusion awards

Posted: February 1, 2021
Mitchell Hamline School of law
            Several members of the Mitchell Hamline community are being recognized by Minnesota Lawyer in its 2020 Attorneys of the Year and 2020 Diversity & Inclusion awards. In all, 18 Mitchell Hamline alums made the list for Attorneys of the Year and five received a Diversity & Inclusion Award. Cindy …

Mitchell Hamline alums honored with Attorney of the Year, Diversity & Inclusion awards

Prairie Island general counsel helps tribe protect reservation, expand governance

Posted: February 1, 2021
Jessie Stomski Seim
‘I want to help them self-determine’ Jessie Stomski Seim ’08 remembers her dad driving down St. Paul’s historic Summit Avenue, admiring the Victorian homes and dropping hints while passing William Mitchell College of Law’s iconic building. “‘You would be a great lawyer,’” she recalls him saying. “‘Wouldn’t it be cool if you went there?’” Those …

Prairie Island general counsel helps tribe protect reservation, expand governance

Barbara Colombo ’89 is new director of Mitchell Hamline’s Health Law Institute

Posted: November 2, 2020
Barbara Colombo
Barbara Colombo ’89, a professor of law and director of the Health Care Compliance Program, is the new director of Mitchell Hamline’s nationally ranked Health Law Institute. The institute caters to both J.D. students and health care professionals seeking a greater knowledge of health law in their careers. Colombo says the institute’s unique blend of …

Barbara Colombo ’89 is new director of Mitchell Hamline’s Health Law Institute

Three alums awarded for service to others

Posted: September 30, 2020
The Mitchell Hamline Alumni Association has announced its three alumni awards for 2020 will go to women who each help different underserved communities, and who do so in private practice, from within the government, and as the head of a nonprofit. Jean Lastine ’80 will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award for her work of more …

Three alums awarded for service to others

Minnesota House declares racism a public health crisis, thanks to alum’s work

Posted: August 5, 2020
In the days after George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police in May, Ruth Richardson ’06 remembered a conversation she’d had several years ago with her son, Shawn. “He’s a runner, and all he wants to do is be outside,” Richardson told NPR in June. “And I had to tell my little boy that you …

Minnesota House declares racism a public health crisis, thanks to alum’s work

New trustees, alumni board members start July 1

Posted: July 14, 2020
Frank Harris ’75 will chair board of trustees The Mitchell Hamline School of Law board of trustees added five new members effective July 1 and named new leaders. Frank V. Harris ’75, retired executive director of Minnesota Continuing Legal Education, will serve as chair. Joining the 33-member board, which oversees operations for the law school, …

New trustees, alumni board members start July 1

Through COVID-19 and Floyd crises, alum stays focused on community service

Posted: July 14, 2020
When COVID-19 forced food-and-drink businesses in Minnesota to close in March, Chris Montana ’13 (HUSL) did what many fellow distillery owners across the country did: He took the ethanol he’d normally use for distillation and instead made (and donated) hand sanitizer. Montana’s Du Nord Craft Spirits in south Minneapolis is the first black-owned distillery in …

Through COVID-19 and Floyd crises, alum stays focused on community service

Recent grad focuses on legal issues surrounding use of music

Posted: February 3, 2020
By Rob Hubbard             While still an undergrad, Alexandria (Alex) Mueller ’16 was a composer full of curiosity. Her music was starting to win competitions, with one resulting in a publishing deal. When she received the contract about publication and performance rights, she wondered about how this system worked. Her composition professor at the University …

Recent grad focuses on legal issues surrounding use of music

Judge Peter Reyes ’97 is committed to diversifying legal profession

Posted: January 22, 2020
Reyes: ‘I want to put other people in a position to succeed’ By Emily Gurnon When he stood before an audience at the American Bar Association’s mid-year meeting in Las Vegas in January 2019, Minnesota Court of Appeals Judge Peter M. Reyes Jr. ’97 (WMCL) decided it was time to share a story he had …

Judge Peter Reyes ’97 is committed to diversifying legal profession