Diversity & Inclusion at MINNESOTA LAW > Z.UMN.EDU/LAW-DIVERSITY-INCLUSION 1
At Minnesota Law, we take pride in cultivating a supportive and inclusive community. Our exceptional faculty and dedicated staff prioritize the Law School’s and the University’s deep commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, and we hope to improve our institution, our profession, and the legal system in the process. —DEAN GARRY W. JENKINS William S. Pattee Professor of Law
Dean Garry W. Jenkins is the eleventh dean in the Law School’s history. He is an award-winning scholar in the fields of nonprofit law, global justice, and corporate law. Prior to entering academia, he clerked for a federal appellate court judge, worked for a New York City law firm, and was chief operating officer and general counsel for one of the 10 largest corporate foundations in the country.
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Welcome
to a diverse and inclusive community The diverse student body at the University of Minnesota Law School is drawn from across the state, the nation, and from around the world. With a dedication to academic excellence and a transformational education for future lawyer-leaders, Minnesota Law cultivates a community that celebrates each student’s individual contribution to our inclusive, diverse, and equitable learning environment. Together, with our students, Minnesota Law faculty, staff, and alumni carry a shared sense of responsibility that extends beyond our walls as we strive toward creating lasting change and a more just society for all.
Throughout my time at Minnesota Law I have had the pleasure of connecting with the community and my professional network through student groups, such as the Latinx Law Student Association and the Asylum Law Project, as well as through more academic work like the Minnesota Journal of International Law and the Human Rights and International Advocacy Clinic. These experiences have not only cemented my desire to pursue international human rights law, they have also given me the tools I need to succeed. FABIOLA GRETZINGER, 3L
Katherine Chen, 3L and Victor Jimenez, 2L, were elected by their peers to serve as the 2021–22 Law Council president and vice president, respectively. The students ran on a platform of improving the student experience and deepening support and communication for BIPOC students.
San Jose, Costa Rica
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4 Ways We Commit to Racial Equity and Justice > The Racial Equity & Justice Committee, which is tasked with working towards structural change, accountability, and transparency. > The student-focused Diversity & Belonging Affinity Council, which creates pathways for engagement for the student community, collaborates on programming, and supports a culture of belonging and inclusion. > The George Floyd Memorial Scholarship in Law, which provides critical financial support, allows underrepresented students, and Black or African American students in particular, to pursue careers in the law and achieve their dreams. > New and returning courses that explore the intersections of race and the law. Learn more at Z.UMN.EDU/LAW_RACIALJUSTICE
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison ’90 (above) speaks at a student-led event on environmental and climate justice hosted by the Environmental and Energy Law Society. AG Ellison also teaches a popular course, “Public Interest Advocacy and the State Attorney General,” at the Law School.”
CLASS OF 2024
38
states represented + Washington, D.C.
4
16%
First Generation College Graduates
25%
Students of Color
26%
LGBTQ+ Students
47%
of the Class of 2024 Identifies as BIPOC, LGBTQ, and/or First Gen
Commit
to a more just and equitable society The University of Minnesota Law School is committed to creating a more just society for our local, national, and international communities. Racial and social justice work is both urgent and long-term, and Minnesota Law’s mission—focused on education, outreach, and research—includes a shared responsibility to educate lawyer-leaders who will also work to bring about justice and change.
It’s wonderful to honor George Floyd by being a recipient of the George Floyd Memorial Scholarship in Law, but at the same time it reminds me of the work that needs to be done. It reminds me of injustices that happen in our country, and in our state. It also reminds me that there are good folks out there, and how the community rallied up and tried to change the trajectories. BRANDON REDMON, 1L
Statesville, North Carolina
Professor Perry Moriearty, co-director of the Child Advocacy and Juvenile Justice Clinic, along with Kaitlyn Falk, 3L, and Matthew DiTullio ’20, successfully represented client Myon Burrell in a commutation case in late 2020. Burrell’s sentence was commuted after serving 18 years in prison for a crime he was convicted of when he was 16. His release was covered by media outlets throughout the country, including the New York Times, CNN, and TIME magazine. Minnesota Law hosted a webinar with Mr. Burrell and his legal team in the spring to discuss the case. Watch the webinar: z.umn.edu/myonburrell
Inaugural Recipient of the George Floyd Memorial Scholarship in Law
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2020–21 Minnesota Journal of Law and Inequality editors Navin Ramilingam ’21, Maci Burke ’21, James Holden ’21, and Marisa Tillman ’21 facilitated and participated in important discussions about policy with advisers and members of the Biden presidential administration. While coordinating the 2021 Summit for Civil Rights this February, the students connected with key members of the Biden transition team and other important national leaders, including Hon. Marcia Fudge, the newly confirmed secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The discussions centered on housing policy and its relationship to education policy, racial segregation, and concentrated poverty. 6
35+
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
10+
PROFESSIONAL AFFINITY ORGANIZATIONS in the Twin Cities
2nd
BEST STATE TO LIVE (U.S. News and World Report)
Connect
with the diverse Twin Cities community Located in the heart of the Twin Cities, Minnesota Law is part of a global community of people who come for more opportunity, to further their education, or to work for one of the many Fortune 500 companies located just minutes from campus. Diverse populations are steadily increasing in Minnesota and the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area. Minneapolis is also home to one of the nation’s largest Pride festivals and consistently appears on The Advocate’s annual “Queerest Cities in America” list. With over 35 active student organizations, access to Twin Cities professional affinity groups, diverse programming and events, opportunities to engage with local alumni, and the close connections you’ll make with your peers, Minnesota Law is an exciting place to begin your transformational legal education.
Minneapolis ranked
2nd
BEST CITY FOR YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
18 FORTUNE 500 COMPANIES in Minnesota
#1
Metro Area for Fortune 500 Companies Per Capita
SAMIA OSMAN, 2L, from Minneapolis, Minnesota, applied for her summer internship through the Twin Cities Diversity Program and spent the summer working for the Minneapolis office of Ballard Spahr, a national law firm with more than 650 attorneys in 15 offices. She also had the opportunity to work remotely with other offices of the firm, including New York City and Philadelphia. Samia says, “Minnesota Law’s location, near the heart of the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, and faculty who have worked with me, have helped shaped my love for the law and nurtured my interests.”
(SmartAsset)
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TOP
10
PUBLIC LAW SCHOOL
Minnesota Law 2Ls Tony Sanchez, Emanual Williams, and Mica Standing Soldier served as Law School-supported fellows at the Legal Rights Center of Minneapolis. This summer, they coordinated public education and civic engagement efforts relating to the trials of former Minneapolis police officers charged in the killing of George Floyd. Read the full story: z.umn.edu/LRCFellows
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING FOR LAWYER-LEADERS
8
26
200+
200+
98%
LEGAL CLINICS
EXTERNSHIPS & FIELD PLACEMENTS in 2020–21.
DUAL DEGREES
of Minnesota Law Students were Employed Across the U.S. in Summer 2021.
Learn
in an inclusive academic environment The University of Minnesota Law School prepares students to solve the complex social, economic, and business issues of our time. Our exceptional faculty, innovative curriculum, and unmatched clinical and experiential learning opportunities equip students to become lawyer-leaders for the region, the country, and the world. Minnesota Law’s wide variety of classroom and experiential learning opportunities allow you to develop critical leadership skills in the legal profession. You can participate in one of four student-edited journals, complete the Professional Essentials Milestone, participate in National Moot Court, and gain hands-on experience working on real cases with real impact in one or more of our 26 diverse legal clinics.
JUSTICE SHANNON, 2L, is from Hopkins, Minnesota. He spent his summer as a legal intern with the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Policy and Licensing Division in Washington D.C. Justice is currently serving as the president of the Black Law Student Association (BLSA), on the staff of the Minnesota Journal of Law, Science and Technology, and taking Administrative Law courses with Professor Hickman and Professor Roberts.
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98%
BAR PASSAGE (MN Fall 2020)
91%
EMPLOYMENT RATE TOP MARKETS FOR 2020 GRADS Illinois Minnesota New York Texas Washington, D.C. Wisconsin
3-Year Average: FT/LT JD Advantage/ Graduate School
Focus
on your bright future Minnesota Law’s Career Center is here to help you find the career path that is right for you, by connecting you with local, regional, and national firms and companies, as well as government entities and public interest organizations, providing one-on-one career counseling sessions, and helping you find opportunities that fit your interests. A wide variety of externships, fellowships, internships, and summer placements offer opportunities to experience the legal profession while you earn your degree.
MINNESOTA LAW ALUMNI WORK IN ALL
50 STATES 73
AND
COUNTRIES
AROUND THE WORLD.
10
180+
EMPLOYERS RECRUITING Law firms, government agencies, and public interest organizations hire students through our annual recruitment programs.
20+
DIVERSITY AND SPECIALIZED U.S. CAREER FAIRS
13,000+ CAREER COUNSELING APPOINTMENTS held by the Career Center last year
HEATHER CHANG, 3L, is from Houston, Texas. She is the 2021–22 editor-in-chief of the Minnesota Journal of Law and Inequality, a co-president of the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association, and a board member of the Latinx Law Student Association. In 2021, Heather received the University of Minnesota President’s Student Leadership and Service award for her work to improve equity and inclusion for students at Minnesota Law.
Apply Today For more information on Minnesota Law’s commitment to a diverse, supportive, and inclusive community, please visit: z.umn.edu/law-diversity-inclusion. Contact the Admissions Office with questions: 612-625-3487 or jdadmissions@umn.edu.
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The University of Minnesota shall provide equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. © 2021 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
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