MINNESOTA LAW
Diversity & Belonging at Minnesota Law Z.UMN.EDU/MNLAWDEI 1
Diversity and Belonging at Minnesota Law
“Here at Minnesota Law, we know our students thrive when they feel a sense of belonging. We are deeply committed to welcoming your perspectives and experiences and supporting your success. Diverse backgrounds enrich the entire Law School community as we all grow and learn together. Join us in shaping the future of law. You belong here.” —WILLIAM MCGEVERAN Interim Dean and Gray, Plant, Mooty, Mooty & Bennett Professor of Law
Interim Dean William McGeveran is the Gray, Plant, Mooty, Mooty & Bennett Professor of Law. He is serving as the chief academic and administrative officer for Minnesota Law through the 2023–24 academic year during the search for a permanent dean.
This fall, Dean William McGeveran greeted first-year law students at the annual University of Minnesota Gopher football tailgate event at Mondale Hall.
Welcome
to the Minnesota Law community
Neda Sattler, 2L, and Job Okeri, 3L, currently serve as the 2023–24 Law Council vice president and president, respectively. This year, they are expanding the ways in which Law Council supports student organizations, championing initiatives like “Walter’s Wardrobe” that offers students access to professional clothing. Law Council continues to work to make Minnesota Law a welcoming community of belonging where all students feel celebrated.
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.
FARIZA HASSAN ’25, is from Maple Grove, Minnesota. This summer she worked on the in-house legal team at Fredrikson & Byron and at the Mayo Clinic as a Twin Cities Diversity in Practice law clerk. During her 2L year, she will serve as the president of the South Asian Law Student Association (SALSA), vice president of the Women of Color Collective, and as a board member of the Muslim Law Student Association (MLSA). She will also be a student attorney working with the Racial Justice Law Clinic and a staff member on the Journal of Law & Inequality.
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. Z.UMN.EDU/MNLAWDEI 3
Diversity and Belonging at Minnesota Law
Civil rights attorney and activist Nekima Levy Armstrong and assistant dean of diversity, equity, and inclusion Ra’Shya Ghee ’13 engaged in a discussion on social justice and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy at the Law School’s eighth annual MLK Convocation. The conversation was based on King’s work “A View from the Mountaintop: Reflections on Social Justice in Today’s World.”
How We Commit to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion > Through the dedicated work of the Racial Equity & Justice Committee, which is tasked with working towards structural change, accountability, and transparency
> By hosting the Annual MLK Convocation dedicated to the work and teachings of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
> By hosting the Read, Watch, or Listen (RWL) Club. The RWL Club encourages participants to read, watch, or listen to a podcast, book, documentary, or article around a specific topic related to diversity, equity, or inclusion.
> By offering First Gen programming, that promotes community by sharing resources, job opportunities, and hosts events and job fairs geared toward those who identify as first-generation law students.
> By offering scholarships and fellowships for talented, diverse, and underrepresented students like the Jones Day Diversity Fellowship.
> By aligning the Race Informed Study Experience (RISE) program with the Racial Equity Justice (REJ ) Milestone.
> Through rigorous and expanded courses that explore the intersections of race and the law
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Learn more at Z.UMN.EDU/MNLAWDEI
Dean's Suite Images 2023 CR Appellate.pdf
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to a more just and equitable society
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Students enrolled in the Civil Rights Appellate Clinic had the opportunity to attend the U.S. Supreme Court arguments last March. Pictured from left to right: Tyler Blackmon ’24, Earl Lin ’24, Ciara McManus ’24, and Philip de Sa e Silva ’24. E. Isabel Park ’24 (not pictured) also attended the arguments.
The University of Minnesota Law School is committed to creating a more just society for our local, national, and international communities. This spring, Minnesota Law launched the Civil Rights Appellate Clinic, filed its second amicus brief with the United States Supreme Court. The clinic’s newest brief was submitted in the consolidated cases of Arizona v. Navajo Nation and Department of Interior v. Navajo Nation, which present a major water rights issue with significant implications for both the Navajo Nation and federal Indian Law.
Svetlana “Aika” Riguera ’25 was born and raised in Las Piñas City, Philippines. She attended Dartmouth College for her undergraduate education and spent her summer working as a summer fellow for the Cornell Law School First Amendment Clinic. This year, she will be a staff member at the Minnesota Journal of Law & Inequality, a certified student attorney in the Employment Law Clinic, and a 1L Structured Study Group (SSG) student instructor.
The brief was filed on behalf of two water access and relief organizations, the DigDeep Right to Water Project and the Utah Tribal Relief Foundation, and four subject-matter experts. The amici contend that the United States has a trust obligation to ensure that the Navajo Nation has access to clean water, necessary for residents “to live on their permanent homeland with dignity and prosperity,” as the United States promised in its 1849 and 1868 treaties with the Navajo Nation. Z.UMN.EDU/MNLAWDEI 5
Diversity and Belonging at Minnesota Law
35+
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
10+
PROFESSIONAL AFFINITY ORGANIZATIONS in the Twin Cities
CLASS OF 2026
14%
First Generation College Graduates
26%
Students of Color
6
28%
LGBTQ+ Students
50%
Identify as BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and/or First Gen College Grad
Reauna Stiff ’25, Selma El-Badawi ’24, Julian Roby ’24, Sydney White ’25, and Nas Lawal ’25, are RISE student instructors for the 2023–24 academic year. RISE, or Race-Informed Study Experience, is open to all students, but primarily centers the experience of BIPOC and other underrepresented identities in the legal profession.
Top 5 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. Minneapolis and St. Paul both earned perfect scores for inclusive policies and practices toward LGBTQ residents in a ranking from the Human Rights Campaign last year. With more than 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
#1
BEST CITY FOR YOUNG PROFESSIONALS. (SmartAsset)
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FORTUNE 500 HEADQUARTERS in Minnesota
#1
FRIENDLIEST STATE (World Population Review)
JADYN LOVELADY ’26, is from Johnston, Iowa. She is the inaugural Jones Day Diversity Fellow. She will work at Jones Day as a summer associate after her 1L and 2L years. Her undergraduate degree is from Creighton University where she majored in psychology graduating summa cum laude and receiving the Fr. Tom Schloemer, S.J. Outstanding Student Leader Award. Prior to enrolling in law school, Jadyn worked as a counselor providing services to juveniles who committed sexual offenses. She is looking forward to participating in activities that help her hone her skills for her future as a litigator.
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Diversity and Belonging at Minnesota Law
Minnesota Law Review was ranked
#11
among law reviews in the U.S. (Washington & Lee University)
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MOOT COURTS
COMPETITION TEAMS Minnesota Law Review Editorial board
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING FOR LAWYER-LEADERS
25+ Legal Clinics
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200+ Externships & Field Placements in 2022–23
24+
Experiential Learning Courses (non-clinical)
98% of Law Students Held Summer Positions in 2023
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 in an inclusive academic environment that provides students with mental health, wellness, and accessibility support while you learn. 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. At Minnesota Law, you can participate in one of four student-edited journals, earn a transcript notation when you complete the Racial Equity and Justice Milestone or Professional Essentials Milestone, participate in National Moot Court, and gain hands-on experience by participating in field placements or one or more of our 25+ diverse legal clinics.
SIERRA GRANDY ’24 is from Milaca, Minnesota. This year, she spent her summer working as a law clerk for DeWitt, LLP. Sierra is a disability advocate, and has spoken at more than 100 events and media appearances. Last spring, Sierra was one of the winners of the 2023 MSBA Probate, Trusts, and Estate Section’s Annual Writing Competition. She wrote about “Barriers to Estate Planning for Neurodivergent Clients.” She also co-led the initative to begin “Walter’s Wardrobe” as an extension of Mondale’s Kitchen, a legal community clothing drive for students with limited opportunities to receive professional attire to wear to interviews and to work. Sierra is a member of OUTLaw, a member of the Wellbeing Initiative. She previously sat on Z.UMN.EDU/MNLAWDEI 9
Diversity and Belonging at Minnesota Law
Prepare
for your career as a lawyer-leader
97%
BAR PASSAGE RATE (First-time test takers MN July 2022)
97%
EMPLOYMENT RATE AT 10 MONTHS (2022 GRADS: FT/ LT JD REQ’D/JD ADV)
TOP MARKETS FOR 2022 GRADS: California, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Washington, D.C., Wisconsin
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Fabiola Gretzinger ’22 is from San Jose, Costa Rica. At Minnesota Law, she was a student in the Human Rights Litigation and Advocacy Clinic and was active in the Minnesota Journal of International Law, the Latinx Law Student Association, and the Asylum Law Project. She is now a Robina Post-Graduate Fellow at the Center for Reproductive Rights in Washington, D.C.
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 meet the challenges of our time.
TOP 5 PUBLIC LAW SCHOOL (U.S. News & World Report)
Apply Today For more information on 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.
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Diversity and Belonging at Minnesota Law
University of Minnesota Law School 229 19th Ave. South Minneapolis, MN 55455
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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. © 2023 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
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