In February of last year, the William Mitchell and Hamline University schools of Law announced that they would be undergoing a merger. The combined school is named The Mitchell-Hamline School of Law and will offer three nationally ranked programs. Early work on the merger was done by former Hamline President Linda Hanson, and both she and current President Fayneese Miller will serve on the Mitchell-Hamline board.

Any project of this magnitude comes with its share of kinks and setbacks, but the merger successfully began in 2015 and the combined school will officially open its doors this year. Miller commented on the merger, saying “Alone, we’re very good, but if we combine, it will strengthen both of us.”

At a large-group meeting of the Hamline Pre-Law and Justice Society on Nov. 3, Miller and Mitchell-Hamline President and Dean Mark Gordon answered some questions about the merger. One issue of concern involved the contents of the Hamline Law Library, the majority of which will be moved to the William Mitchell campus.

Though details are still being ironed out, Miller mentioned that some materials will be moved to Bush Library. “It’s going to be to both of our benefit to share resources,” she said.

Not everyone is entirely thrilled with the merger, however. Laura Kaiser is a second-year law student and a member of Hamline’s 3-3 program. “The scheduling of classes have changed drastically, and it has been a problem for many day-time students I know, as well as for myself,” said Kaiser.

A number of students also expressed concerns regarding class times as well as Hamline’s unique 3-3 program, which allows Hamline students to earn their law degree in only six years. Miller indicated that the 3-3 program would still be honored after the merger, and Gordon commented on class times.

“Mitchell-Hamline will be the only law school in the country to offer evening, weekend, online, and full-time day classes,” said Gordon.

Though the combined facilities amass impressive resources, Kaiser also expressed frustration regarding certain discrepancies between spaces. “At William Mitchell, classes are split up in an odd way (e.g. you have class 2 hours on Thursday morning and 1 hour on Friday afternoon, and so on, rather than just doing a once a week 3 hour class like Hamline always has for many classes.) This means that a lot of students end up commuting (some of them long distances) just to go to class for an hour,” she said.

According to the administration, a major benefit to students is the opportunity to earn dual degrees through Hamline. Though the combined school will operate primarily on William Mitchell’s campus, the students will also have access to Hamline’s libraries, athletic facilities and a combined alumni network of over 18,000 people, the largest in Minnesota.

In addition to Hamline Presidents Miller and Hanson, Mitchell-Hamline will also be home to the former Hamline Law dean Jean F. Holloway, U.S. District Judge Donovan W. Frank and executive director of Minnesota Continuing Legal Education Frank Harris.

Though many people, students and staff alike, are happy about the joining of the two schools, the logistics and organization are still proving to be a hassle. “It is very frustrating that I have to go through the unknowns of the merger since I did not see it as a possibility when I applied for law school,” said Kaiser.

At the helm of the combined law school is Gordon. For the past six years, he’s served as president of Defiance College, a liberal arts institution located in Northwestern Ohio. Gordon graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1990.

In addition to his time at Defiance, Gordon also served as dean of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and worked as an aide to former New York Governor Mario Cuomo. Gordon will begin his term as President and Dean as soon as the combined school opens. At the Pre Law and Justice society meeting in November, he posed the question “When in your lives do you get the opportunity to create the law school of your dreams?”