Mitchell Hamline School of Law honored for breaking barriers, named to National Jurist's Justice & Opportunity Honor Roll

ST. PAUL, Minn., March 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- In an era when the legal profession still struggles to reflect the diversity of the people it serves and soaring application numbers make entry to law school more competitive than ever, Mitchell Hamline School of Law stands out as a national leader in expanding pathways to justice.

The National Jurist recognized Mitchell Hamline on its prestigious Justice & Opportunity Honor Roll in the winter 2026 edition of preLaw magazine, which celebrates law schools that deliver concrete mechanisms—admissions, affordability strategies, flexible program design, and student support—that open the legal profession to those historically excluded.

"It is embedded within Mitchell Hamline's mission to provide a rigorous legal education through increasing access to law school and the legal profession," said Mitchell Hamline President and Dean Camille M. Davidson about the school's "A" honor. "We have been committed to providing opportunity since our founding in 1900, for our law students today, and in exciting and innovative ways as we embrace the future."

This commitment has been a core tenet throughout the school's history—from being founded as a night law school, St. Paul College of Law, to introducing blended learning in 2015, the nation's first hybrid J.D. at an ABA-approved law school, to having the largest part-time enrollment of any law school today. Mitchell Hamline's students bring a breadth of backgrounds and life experiences to the classroom across all enrollment options, and benefit from robust support resources including academic advising, career counseling, and bar preparation.

"At Mitchell Hamline School of Law, flexibility is not one option among many—it is the foundation of the institution's approach to access," said preLaw. "Modality is not about convenience alone. It is a structural response to who law school has historically excluded—and a deliberate effort to widen the path into the profession without narrowing expectations."

An independent law school, Mitchell Hamline School of Law is the region's largest law school and one of the largest in the nation, with over 1,000 students, more than 50 full-time faculty, and more than 23,000 alumni. Students attend full time, part time, on campus, or through blended learning and can take advantage of nationally ranked legal writing, dispute resolution, health law, and clinical training.

SOURCE Mitchell Hamline School of Law