Ebra Brock ’26
When Ebra Brock ’26 walked into law school, she knew she wanted to be in the courtroom. What she didn’t know was how much her definition of advocacy—and her own sense of what was possible—would change along the way.
As a single mother raising three children while working and attending Mitchell Hamline School of Law through its blended-learning program, Brock’s path to graduation was anything but traditional. It was also one that taught her the value of community, perseverance, and learning to recognize opportunities she never knew existed.
“When I decided to attend Mitchell Hamline, I didn’t know how supportive the community would be,” Brock said. “What ultimately made Mitchell Hamline the right choice for me was its blended-learning program.”
The program’s flexibility allowed Brock to pursue her J.D. while remaining present for her children and continuing to meet her responsibilities outside of law school. Orchestra concerts, IEP meetings, doctors’ appointments, parent-teacher conferences, and unexpected calls from the school nurse were all part of her reality as a law student and parent.
“There were many nights of late-night studying that ended with pizza deliveries for dinner and a quick goodnight just so I could meet an 11:59 pm homework deadline,” she said.
For Brock, however, flexibility was more than convenience. It made law school possible.
“Mitchell Hamline offered something that no other law school in the country could offer me: the flexibility to pursue my law degree without having to sacrifice the responsibilities that I was required to maintain,” she said.
Finding her people
Brock’s law school experience wasn’t without doubt. Like many students, she questioned whether she belonged during her first few weeks—and that feeling remained with her throughout law school.
What changed was finding a community.
“When you find the right community in law school, those people will carry you, encourage you, and support you throughout your journey,” Brock said.
Those relationships became one of the most meaningful parts of her time at Mitchell Hamline.
During her 2L year, Brock was able to support a friend and fellow student who was navigating the military homecoming and funeral services following the tragic death of her daughter, Seaman Angelina Resendiz.
“It was one of those moments that had nothing to do with externships, assignments, or exams, but it allowed me to assist a fellow student during one of their most difficult moments,” Brock said.
The experience reinforced something she had come to understand about law school: the relationships formed there extend far beyond academics.
“Building community with people who understand you and want to support your growth, even during the days you don’t feel like growing, and genuinely want to see you win in the legal profession” has been one of the most rewarding parts of her journey, she said.
Learning by doing—and finding her voice
Brock took full advantage of Mitchell Hamline’s emphasis on experiential learning, participating in clinics, externships, and advocacy competitions.
Those experiences helped her develop practical skills and confidence while giving her opportunities to work with courts, clients, and attorneys as a student.
“The professors and coaches I worked with through my clinics, externship, and mock trial competition also played an important role in helping me take the next step in my career,” she said.
During her final year, Brock served as a student attorney with the First District Public Defender’s Office. There, she accomplished the goal she had set for herself when she first began law school: advocating in court on behalf of people who could not afford counsel.
The experience also broadened her understanding of what it means to be an advocate.
“I had the opportunity to advocate for clients during some of the most chaotic and difficult days of their lives,” Brock said. “That experience gave me a deeper understanding of what it means to serve clients through the legal system.”
From struggling writer to future judicial clerk
Perhaps one of Brock’s biggest transformations came in an area she initially found surprisingly difficult: legal writing.
Although she had always been recognized as a strong writer, Brock quickly learned that legal writing required an entirely different approach.
“I had to rewire the way I approached writing and learned how to think and write like a lawyer,” she said.
During her second semester, Brock worked almost weekly with Dean Raths ’88, an adjunct professor and tutor who assists students with legal writing and research. Combined with her second legal writing course, the experience changed her approach.
“Eventually, I found my rhythm,” Brock said. “I learned that before you can become a confident courtroom litigator, you must first become competent and confident in your written work.”
That lesson has taken Brock into the next chapter of her career: a judicial clerkship with Minnesota’s judicial branch.
When she began law school, Brock didn’t even know judicial law clerks existed. By graduation, she stepped into the role herself.
“My time at Mitchell Hamline helped me develop those skills, but it also helped me recognize opportunities I never knew existed,” she said. “Beginning my judicial clerkship feels like the next chapter of a journey I could not have imagined when I first walked into law school.”
“I came and conquered law school.”
Looking back, Brock says she has surpassed anything she imagined during her 1L year.
She is especially proud that she made it through law school while raising three children and working—but even more proud of the person she became along the way.
Her advice to other parents and students balancing significant responsibilities is straightforward: Build a community, accept help, and learn to manage your time.
“You cannot do everything by yourself, and you shouldn’t try to,” Brock said.
And perhaps most importantly, she wants prospective law students to know that having responsibilities outside of school does not mean they don’t belong.
“The biggest thing I would tell another parent is to not convince yourself that your responsibilities mean you don’t belong in law school,” Brock said. “They may make the journey look different, but they do not make you any less capable of succeeding.”
For Brock, the journey looked different. It included late-night studying, pizza dinners, parenting between classes, learning to write like a lawyer, advocating for clients, and discovering an entirely new career path.
And now, as a Mitchell Hamline graduate and judicial law clerk, she is discovering just how far that journey can take her.