Building St. Thomas Law: Professor Neil Hamilton’s Journey from Vision to Legacy

Kate Gaulke*

Those who have had the privilege of working with or learning from Professor Neil Hamilton instantly recognize his authenticity and genuine care for his students. He is a cherished and beloved figure at St. Thomas Law, and I had the pleasure of interviewing him to gain deeper insight into his remarkable journey and the legacy he continues to build.

In 2024, Hamilton faced an incredibly challenging year, marked by his wife’s cycling accident and taking on a caregiver role while supporting her through the long journey to recovery. Amidst this difficult time, he expressed heartfelt gratitude for the support he received from St. Thomas faculty and students, calling it a “blessing beyond imagination.”¹ The outpouring of support he experienced exemplifies one of the core values the founders of St. Thomas Law School sought to create: a true “community of care.”²

Hamilton’s True Calling in Legal Education

Hamilton’s professional path began in 1970, when he graduated near the top of his class from the University of Minnesota Law School.³ He instantly felt the pressure to follow the expected path for successful graduates, beginning his legal career at a large downtown Minneapolis firm.⁴

Despite his success in private practice, Hamilton came to realize his true passion lay in teaching. At age thirty-two, he transitioned to legal education, beginning his teaching career at Case Western Reserve Law School in Cleveland, Ohio.⁵ However, in 1980, in hopes of raising a family in his home state, he returned to Minnesota, where he served as a professor at William Mitchell College of Law (presently Mitchell Hamline School of Law) for twenty-one years. It was during this period that his efforts to help establish St. Thomas School of Law commenced.

Hamilton’s “Leap of Faith” and His Role in Founding St. Thomas Law

Around the early 1990s, the idea of St. Thomas opening a law school was floated, as the President and Board of Trustees strongly believed that creating a law school was essential to competing with the University of Minnesota. Hamilton recalls serious talks of merging William Mitchell and St. Thomas to create the “William Mitchell College of Law at the University of St. Thomas.” Although the merger never materialized, Hamilton strongly supported the vision of a Catholic law school embodying service, care, and faith-based values.

In 1999, when St. Thomas decided to launch an independent law school, Hamilton jumped at the opportunity to be involved, despite it being a risky endeavor.⁶ At fifty-five years old, he took what he called a “leap of faith” by leaving a well-established institution to help develop an unaccredited law school.⁷ He remembers feeling “overwhelmingly called” to St. Thomas Law. Internalizing his value system ultimately gave him the courage to take the risk.⁸ He believed that trying and potentially failing was better than not trying at all.⁹

Shaping the Identity of St. Thomas Law and Its Foundations

Hamilton was one of eight founding members, four of whom still remain as professors today.¹⁰ The school sought to differentiate itself through a commitment to high-impact faculty and experiential learning.¹¹ Hamilton described the founding team as “inspiring, driven by a shared vision for what the law school could become.”¹² From the start, the goal was to achieve national recognition.¹³ While some founding members were hesitant to hire faculty from lower-ranking schools, they ultimately brought Hamilton on board based on a highly regarded endorsement from his close confidant and co-founder of the law school, Tom Holloran¹⁴—a decision that proved to be one of the most impactful for the school’s future.¹⁵

The early days of St. Thomas Law were challenging. To attract students, the school offered free tuition for the first cohort, asking students to take a “leap of faith” alongside the faculty.¹⁶ Despite the uncertainty, Hamilton had faith that St. Thomas’s strong alumni network, large endowment, and prime downtown Minneapolis location would secure accreditation¹⁷—and in 2006, St. Thomas Law received full accreditation from the American Bar Association.¹⁸

St. Thomas Law sought to stand out in Minnesota’s legal education landscape by emphasizing ethics, social responsibility, and practical training for students.¹⁹ From the start, messaging emphasized a practical educational approach through mini-courses on serving clients, business basics, and moral reasoning—which still remain required for 1L students today.²⁰ Hamilton played a key role in shaping curriculum where reflection was the cornerstone of professional and personal growth.²¹ Hamilton served as the founding director of the Mentor Externship Program, which pairs each student with a legal professional throughout their education.²² The program, now nationally recognized, is one of only two in the country that offer more externships than full-time enrollment.²³ Hamilton describes it as one of the most innovative aspects of St. Thomas Law.²⁴

The school’s Catholic mission also played a significant role in shaping its identity. Hamilton said, “From the founding, we have been trying to help each student and each faculty and staff live into their faith in their professional life. We have tried to hire faculty and staff who model this.”²⁵

Hamilton’s Reflections and Legacy of Care

Hamilton describes coaching students one-on-one as “the most rewarding thing” he does, believing his life mission is to help young people discover their professional identities through reflection and guidance.²⁶ While he has held various leadership positions in his twenty-four years at St. Thomas Law, Hamilton finds the greatest joy in personal interactions with students—explaining these moments give him “renewable energy” and reinforce his passion for teaching.²⁷

When asked to reflect on his legacy, Hamilton emphasizes that it’s not about external achievements but the impact he’s had on the lives of his students.²⁸ Over his career, he has taught and mentored thousands of students, leaving an unforgettable mark on their lives and careers. His advice to students is to “fail fast, reflect, and repeat” as they find their fit in the legal profession.²⁹

Hamilton hopes his legacy is one of helping students find fulfilling careers that allow them to support their families and live lives of service and care for others, believing lawyering should be a “caring profession,” grounded in ethics and compassion.³⁰ He views St. Thomas Law as a model for how legal education can prioritize these values.³¹

Hamilton hopes the school continues to produce lawyers who are not only competent but also deeply committed to making a positive impact on their communities.³² His advice to law students and faculty is simple yet profound: “At the end of each day, you should be able to go home to your loved ones and say, ‘I helped someone today.’”³³

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* Kate Gaulke, J.D. Candidate, University of St. Thomas School of Law Class of 2026 (Associate Editor).

1. Zoom Interview with Neil W. Hamilton, Holloran Professor of L. and Co-Dir. of the Holloran Ctr. for Ethical Leadership in the Pro., Univ. of St. Thomas Sch. of L. (Jan. 21, 2025) (on file with author). ↩︎
2. Id. ↩︎
3. Id. ↩︎
4. Id. ↩︎
5. Id. ↩︎
6. Zoom Interview with Neil W. Hamilton, supra note 1; see About the School of Law, Univ. of St. Thomas Sch. of L., https://law.stthomas.edu/about/#:~:text=Founded%20in%201999%2C%20the%20University,education%20of%20the%20whole%20person [https://perma.cc/C7GE-4CX9] (last visited Jan. 21, 2025). ↩︎
7. Zoom Interview with Neil W. Hamilton, supra note 1. ↩︎
8. Zoom Interview with Neil W. Hamilton, supra note 1. ↩︎
9. Zoom Interview with Neil W. Hamilton, supra note 1. ↩︎
10. Zoom Interview with Neil W. Hamilton, supra note 1. ↩︎
11. Zoom Interview with Neil W. Hamilton, supra note 1. ↩︎
12. Zoom Interview with Neil W. Hamilton, supra note 1. ↩︎
13. Zoom Interview with Neil W. Hamilton, supra note 1. ↩︎
14. Aside from playing a key role in the founding of St. Thomas Law, Tom Holloran was also a Twin Cities business leader, former School of Law professor, Board of Governors member and namesake of the Holloran Center for Ethical Leadership in the Professions. Holloran died on February 15, 2024, at ninety-four years old. In a memorial article, Hamilton called Holloran, “the model for what we hope our students will become.” Carrie Hilger, Thomas Holloran, Former School of Law Professor and Board Member, Dies at 94, Univ. of St. Thomas Newsroom (Feb. 19, 2024), https://news.stthomas.edu/thomas-holloran-former-school-of-law-professor-and-board-member-dies-at-94/ [https://perma.cc/QWD3-G5ST]. ↩︎
15. Zoom Interview with Neil W. Hamilton, supra note 1. ↩︎
16. Zoom Interview with Neil W. Hamilton, supra note 1. ↩︎
17. Zoom Interview with Neil W. Hamilton, supra note 1. ↩︎
18. Accreditation and Assessment, Univ. of St. Thomas, https://www.stthomas.edu/academics/accreditation/#:~:text=The%20American%20Bar%20Association’s%20Accreditation,first%20full%20accreditation%20in%202006 [https://perma.cc/6HWP-WQ47] (last visited Feb. 19, 2024). ↩︎
19. Zoom Interview with Neil W. Hamilton, supra note 1. ↩︎
20. Zoom Interview with Neil W. Hamilton, supra note 1. ↩︎
21. Zoom Interview with Neil W. Hamilton, supra note 1. ↩︎
22. Zoom Interview with Neil W. Hamilton, supra note 1. ↩︎
23. Mentor Externship Program, Univ. of St. Thomas Sch. of L., https://law.stthomas.edu/jd-program/training/mentor-externship/ [https://perma.cc/NU2A-VJS9] (last visited Feb. 3, 2024). ↩︎
24. Zoom Interview with Neil W. Hamilton, supra note 1. ↩︎
25. Zoom Interview with Neil W. Hamilton, supra note 1. ↩︎
26. Zoom Interview with Neil W. Hamilton, supra note 1. ↩︎
27. Zoom Interview with Neil W. Hamilton, supra note 1. ↩︎
28. Zoom Interview with Neil W. Hamilton, supra note 1. ↩︎
29. Zoom Interview with Neil W. Hamilton, supra note 1. ↩︎
30. Zoom Interview with Neil W. Hamilton, supra note 1. ↩︎
31. Zoom Interview with Neil W. Hamilton, supra note 1. ↩︎
32. Zoom Interview with Neil W. Hamilton, supra note 1. ↩︎
33. Zoom Interview with Neil W. Hamilton, supra note 1. ↩︎