Learn and Grow Together
Diversity and Belonging at the University of Minnesota Law School
At Minnesota Law, we understand that our students excel when they feel a sense of connection and belonging. Your unique perspectives and experiences will help continue to make Minnesota Law stand out as one of the top law schools in the country. Our faculty and staff are dedicated to fostering your success and your fellow students are here to support you as lifelong friends and colleagues. Together, we can strengthen and build a community of learning, belonging, and inclusivity. Become a part of shaping the future of the Law School and the legal profession. This is where you belong
William McGeveran Dean and William S. Pattee Professor of Law
Dean William McGeveran is the 12th dean of the University of Minnesota Law School. He previously served as Minnesota Law’s interim dean, associate dean for academic affairs, and has been a member of the faculty for 18 years. He is an expert in data privacy, data security, and intellectual property law.
OUR SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY
Assistant Dean of Career Services
“Together, we can strengthen and build a community of learning, belonging, and inclusivity.”
Joy
Assistant Director of Student Affairs
Director of Academic & Bar Success
Minnesota Law is dedicated to supporting you during your law school career. Our admissions counselors, academic advisors, career counselors, and student affairs professionals are available to offer you valuable guidance, support, and resources.
Assistant Dean of Students
Welcome to Minnesota Law, where a vibrant and diverse student body joins together to create a dynamic, collaborative, and supportive community.
CLASS OF 2027
Above: Adam George ’25 and Elizabeth Tsoukalas ’26 currently serve as the 2024–25 Law Council president and vice president. The student-elected Law Council advocates for student interests and sponsors a wide range of programs and more than 35 student-led organizations.
32% LGBTQ+
55% OF 1LS IDENTIFY AS BIPOC, LGBTQ+, AND/OR FIRST-GEN COLLEGE GRAD
27% BIPOC
Minnesota Law cultivates a collegial culture that celebrates each student’s individual contribution to our inclusive, diverse, and equitable learning environment. Together, we have built a community that values both academic excellence and a spirit of cooperation.
The Class of 2027 is the most diverse and academically accomplished class in Law School history. Read about this year’s impressive incoming class.
Minnesota Law is deeply committed to serving both the community in Mondale Hall and the broader public.
SERVING OUR COMMUNITY
Reauna Stiff ’25
“As students, we spend a lot of time studying the theory behind laws, but rarely do we encounter someone who’s been directly impacted by the criminal justice system. I entered law school to get involved in civil rights or civil rights-adjacent work and was able to do that in the Innocence Clinic.”
Undergrad: Minnesota State University, Mankato
Hometown: Mulberry Grove, IL
Activities:
Asylum Law Project, President, Black Law Student Association, Civil Rights/Civil Liberties Moot Court, student attorney in the Innocence Clinic, teaching assistant for Professor Mitchell Zamoff
Read about Marvin Hayne’s case in Minnesota Law magazine.
250
EXTERNSHIPS AND FIELD PLACEMENTS IN 2023–24
97,433
HOURS OF FREE LEGAL SERVICES TO THE COMMUNITY
35+ STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
Every year, Minnesota Law students provide thousands of hours of free legal services, including pro bono hours representing clients through our clinics and volunteering with partner organizations. Our shared a sense of responsibility helps strengthen both the community within the Law School and the broader public.
Last year, the Great North
and Minnesota
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“I consider myself fortunate to belong to spaces here that embrace difference as strength and challenge conventional ideas of what a law student or lawyer looks like or does.”
Cole Edick ’25
“Whether it is the vibrancy of Minnesota Law’s large queer community, the antics of my fellow theater geeks in the Theatre of the Relatively Talentless (TORT), or the Journal of Law and Inequality’s commitment to inclusive scholarship, I consider myself fortunate to belong to spaces here that embrace difference as strength and challenge conventional ideas of what a law student or lawyer looks like or does.”
Undergrad: Harvard University
Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska
Activities:
American Constitution Society, student attorney in the Bankruptcy Clinic, student instructor for Legal Research and Writing, lead managing editor of the Journal of Law and Inequality, Minnesota Justice Foundation, National Lawyers Guild, OutLaw, Theatre of the Relatively Talentless (TORT)
Every year — in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. — Law Council invites students, staff, and faculty to participate in the annual Raise the Bar Day of Service. RAISE THE BAR
food for
Located in the heart of the Twin Cities, Minnesota Law is part of a thriving metro area of diverse communities that include an engaged legal network and exciting opportunities for young professionals.
Pia Puentespina ’26
“What I love about being a Minnesota Law student is the chance to build genuine connections and engage in a vibrant community within the Law School and beyond. I have especially enjoyed being a part of the larger Twin Cities legal community.”
Undergrad: Macalester College
Hometown: Davao City, Philippines
Activities: American Constitution Society, Asian Pacific American Law Student Association, Civil Rights/ Civil Liberties Moot Court, Women’s Law Student Association
The University of Minnesota Law School is located in the Twin Cities, frequently named one of the best places to live in the U.S. The Law School is minutes from both downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul and is close to the state capitol, state and federal courts, and a thriving legal community.
With a nationally acclaimed parks system, seven major sports teams, world-class dining, top-notch concert and theater venues, and a remarkable art scene, the Twin Cities is an exciting place to live and learn.
Minnesota Law’s location offers access to many outdoor, arts, sports, and music experiences, as well as the chance to form connections with our engaged alumni network and take advantage of many experiential learning opportunities.
Alex Lloyd ’25
“I moved to the Twin Cities for law school and have loved living here! It’s great to have access to so many career opportunities as well as fun restaurants, sporting events, the lakes, and so many unique Minneapolis and St. Paul neighborhoods.”
Undergrad: University of Notre Dame
Hometown: St. Louis, MO
Activities: Asylum Law Project, Civil Rights/Civil Liberties Moot Court, Intramural Sports, Minnesota Plaintiffs Law Association, Women’s Law Student Association
Alex regularly kayaks on Bde
Ska in Minneapolis.
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15
At Minnesota Law, you can gain hands-on experience and essential lawyering skills while you learn.
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
Fariza Hassan ’25
“As editor-in-chief of the Journal of Law & Inequality, one goal I have for this year is to offer greater accessibility for underrepresented authors and students to ensure their voices are amplified within legal academia and the journal process.”
Undergrad: University of Minnesota
Hometown: Maple Grove, MN
Activities:
Admissions ambassador, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Law & Inequality, Muslim Law Student Association, South Asian Law Student Association, student attorney in the Racial Justice Law Clinic, Women of Color Collective
28 LEGAL CLINICS
TOP 5
PRACTICAL TRAINING preLaw
Minnesota Law’s editors-in-chief for 2024–25: Fariza Hassan ’25, Journal of Law & Inequality; Laura Reyes ’25, Journal of International Law; Callan Showers ’25, Minnesota Law Review; and Christhy Le ’25, Journal of Law, Science & Technology
35+
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING COURSES (NON-CLINICAL)
The University of Minnesota Law School’s exceptional faculty, innovative curriculum, and unmatched clinical and experiential learning opportunities equip students to become lawyers who make a difference in their communities. Students can participate in one of Minnesota Law’s four student-led journals, develop skills in legal writing and research in moot court, take experiential learning courses, and represent real clients as student attorneys in our clinics.
The Gender and Sexuality Moot Court Team Wins National Competition
Leah Kanihan ’25 and Madeleine Kim ’25 joined Minnesota Law’s Gender and Sexuality Moot Court team, fueled by a passion for advocating for people affected by this deeply personal area of law. This year, Kanihan and Kim won the national Michigan State University Gender and Sexuality Moot Court Competition. In addition, they captured second place for best brief and Kanihan won third place for best oral advocate.
Read about the Gender and Sexuality Moot Court Team’s historic win.
48 2023 GRADS WERE SELECTED FOR FEDERAL, STATE, AND TRIAL JUDICIAL CLERKSHIPS
Nas Lawal ’25
“Clerking has always been on my radar as something I knew I wanted to do. I hope to become a litigator, so having the experience of being in court every day as a judicial law clerk and witnessing real hearings and trials has been invaluable to planning my future career path.”
Undergrad: University of Texas at Austin
Hometown: Dallas, TX
Activities:
Admissions ambassador, Black Law Student Association (BLSA), lead articles editor for the Journal of Law & Inequality, student attorney in the Civil Rights Appellate Clinic, Muslim Law Student Association, Street Law instructor,
Read about Nas’s summer job experience as a judicial law clerk.
A degree from Minnesota Law prepares you for a thriving career, wherever you choose to go.
97% EMPLOYMENT RATE AT 10 MOS. 2023 Grads: FT/LT JD REQ’D/JD ADV
92% BAR PASSAGE RATE First time test takers MN July 2023
TOP MARKETS FOR 2023 GRADS: California, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Washington, D.C., Wisconsin
Minnesota Law is distinguished by a rare collegial culture that emphasizes teamwork, problem solving, leadership, and persuasion. Students learn to think analytically, to identify the core elements of complex problems, and to develop real-world solutions—skills that are essential beyond law school, for all fields of employment. Through the transformative legal education, experiential learning opportunities, and career support you will receive at Minnesota Law, you will be prepared to meet the challenges of our time.
“I’ve spent a lot of time doubting my ability to succeed in such a prestigious career field because of how my body was made. At Minnesota Law, I was not only introduced to several other individuals with disabilities and experiences that resembled my own, but I was able to help create a student organization called EquitAbility. It is my hope that it will last long past my years here, ensuring others never have the doubt that I once had.”
Undergrad: The College of Wooster Hometown: Chicago, IL
Activities: Treasurer for EquitAbility, representative for Outlaw, TORT
How We Commit to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
> By offering the Racial Equity Justice Milestone (REJ), which gives students the opportunity and structured support to focus on the intersections of race, equity, justice, and the law. Students who complete the REJ Milestone earn a notation on their transcript
> Through rigorous and expanded courses and clinics that explore the intersections of the law and race, human rights, disability rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and much more
> By promoting employment opportunities, resources, job fairs, and events for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and First-Gen students
> By hosting Read, Watch, or Listen, which encourages participants to delve into a podcast, book, or documentary that covers a range of material focusing on diverse topics
> By hosting the MLK Convocation dedicated to the work and teachings of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
For more information about Minnesota Law’s commitment to a diverse, supportive, and inclusive community, please visit: Z.UMN.EDU/MNLAWDEI
Contact the Admissions Office with questions: 612-625-3487 or jdadmissions@umn.edu.
Schedule a virtual 1:1 with Admissions staff or a student ambassador
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