Mitchell Hamline School of Law

Career and Professional Development

Mitchell Hamline’s L.E.A.P.

Legal Employment Accelerator Program

The Legal Employment Accelerator Program (LEAP) is Mitchell Hamline’s innovative approach to connecting students with prospective employers through the Career and Professional Development Office. LEAP provides comprehensive preparation—including application strategy, networking skills, and interview training—before employer recruitment begins, ensuring students are fully equipped to compete in today’s legal job market.

The program expands opportunities beyond traditional timelines and employer types, accommodating a diverse range of legal career paths throughout the year. Students can pursue multiple opportunities while receiving institutional support through application review, employer coordination, and interview scheduling, with interviews conducted both in-person at Mitchell Hamline and virtually through Zoom.

Why LEAP Replaced the Traditional Recruitment Program

The legal hiring landscape has undergone a fundamental transformation. Traditional on-campus interview (OCI) programs, once the foundation of law school recruiting, have been largely abandoned by major law firms in favor of direct, early candidate engagement. This shift created particular challenges for Mitchell Hamline’s diverse student body—including part-time, non-traditional, and first-generation law students who benefit from structured, school-supported recruitment.

LEAP addresses these challenges by preserving the institutional support and structured pathways that made traditional OCI valuable while adapting to modern recruitment realities and serving the full spectrum of student career goals across the legal profession.

Who participates in LEAP?

Students: All Mitchell Hamline students are invited to participate in LEAP and should carefully review the participating employers and their respective position descriptions and eligibility criteria to determine to which positions they would like to apply. 

  • Some employers are looking to hire recent graduates as new associates, while others are looking for students for summer associate programs or law clerk or externship opportunities during the school year and/or summer.  
  • Some positions will seek students of a particular class year, academic background (for example, a science degree), or availability (i.e., part-time schoolyear or full-time summer position). 

 Employers:  

  • Small and mid-sized firms utilize LEAP to hire school year and/or summer law clerks, with a potential to stay at the firm during the school year or start earlier in the spring semester and continuing through the summer and even beyond. 
  • Public sector employers, such as county attorney’s offices, public defenders, and state and federal agencies, as well as non-profit agencies, are welcome and encouraged to participate in LEAP.  
  • Corporate employers in various industries have also used LEAP to find students to fill summer, school year, and post-graduate positions.  
  • Large firms will participate in the Summer LEAP instead of the spring program to hire for summer associate positions for the following year. 

Requirements to Participate in LEAP

LEAP can be an intense, fast-paced process and students should be prepared to put their best foot forward to have the greatest opportunity to secure employment. This is why all LEAP applicants are required to submit one resume and one cover letter to the Career and Professional Development Office on 12twenty two weeks prior to the start of the application period. The CPD office hosts two LEAP bootcamps and advisors are available throughout the school year to assist with drafting such materials. This requirement ensures time for a students advisor to review application materials and provide thorough feedback.

Please note, for Summer LEAP, Larger law firms often set required or preferred grades, class ranks, and other expectations. That said, participating law firms are eager to hear from a wide range of students and aim to take a holistic view of students’ attributes and strengths. Other employers who participate in the Mitchell Hamline’s LEAP, including smaller or mid-sized firms, public employers (such as County Attorney’s offices), corporations, and nonprofits, often place less emphasis on grades and other quantitative measures as much as the large firms.

Finally, to participate in LEAP, your class year in 12twenty must reflect your current class year. To update your class year, or to change your status to Alumni JD as a recent graduate email careers @mitchellhamline.edu.

Update your profile in 12twenty

To participate in LEAP, your class year in 12twenty must reflect your current class year. To update your class year, or to change your status to Alumni JD as a recent graduate, email careers @mitchellhamline.edu.

Review 12twenty

Make it a habit to login to 12twenty. During an active LEAP, check 12twenty for employers that may be added to the LEAP tab before the application period opens, throughout the application period, and beyond. Be on the lookout for invitations to interview or messages from employers. Continue to check your email, this webpage, and 12twenty for important announcements throughout the programs.