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William Mitchell, Hamline merger approved

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The American Bar Association has granted acquiescence to Hamline University School of Law and William Mitchell College of Law to merge into one school — Mitchell Hamline School of Law. 
 
“We couldn’t be more excited to launch Mitchell Hamline School of Law, which we are confident will retain and extend the best of each predecessor law school and become the pre-eminent institution in the region for practical, problem-solving legal education,” said Dan O’Keefe, current chair of the Mitchell board of trustees and soon-to-be chair of Mitchell Hamline’s board.
 
The two schools announced in February they had agreed to combine, subject to acquiescence from the ABA.
 
Mitchell Hamline School of Law will be housed primarily on what has been the William Mitchell campus, at 875 Summit Ave. in St. Paul. Officials will use the time between now and Jan. 2, when students start arriving back on campus, to revamp the space to reflect the combined school, said Mark Gordon, president and dean of William Mitchell and incoming president and dean of Mitchell Hamline.
 
“We can now become one school,” Gordon said. “At a time when other law schools are cutting back, we are adding faculty, classes, and clinical opportunities and creating a combined alumni network that will be unmatched in the region.”

Both schools had seen enrollment plummet in the four years prior to the announcement. Hamline University’s enrollment had dropped from 652 in 2010-2011 to 321 in 2014-2015. Only two other schools had seen their enrollment drop by a higher percent. William Mitchell had seen enrollment drop from 1,013 in 2010-2011 to 665, making it the tenth largest decline among law schools in terms of actual numbers. 

The new law school will have an enrollment less than what William Mitchell had four years ago, but still be the largest in the region.

The combined school will have approximately 1,000 students and 42 full-time faculty; nationally-ranked offerings in alternative dispute resolution, clinical education, health law, and part-time programs; an array of certificate and dual-degree programs; and an alumni network of more than 19,000. Hamline’s law school opened in 1975,and Mitchell  was founded in 1900.
 
Mitchell Hamline will have more enrollment options than any other law school in the country, with full-time, weekend, and part-time programs, including the nation’s first on-campus/online J.D. program at an ABA-approved law school. Mitchell Hamline is an independent law school that enjoys an affiliation with Hamline University, allowing students to earn dual degrees and have access to Hamline’s athletic facilities, library, and cultural programs. 
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