SOL Lawyer Magazine_Summer 2021

MENTOR

Reflecting on the success of the program, Rush gave credit to the many leaders from the School of Law who have been involved over the years, including: Montpetit Brabbit; Founding Associate Dean and U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz; and Holloran Center co-directors Neil Hamilton and Jerry Organ. The Mentor Externship Program has grown over the years to become one of the most distinctive aspects of a St. Thomas legal education. It also differentiates St. Thomas from other law schools.

“The reason that we can continue to do what we do, do it well and do it in a way that others can’t is because we truly are part of the fabric here. That’s not an accident,” Rush said. The Mentor Externship Program has earned external praise, as well, earning numerous awards since its inception. In 2005, it was awarded the prestigious E. Smythe Gambrell Professionalism Award by the American Bar Association (ABA) Standing Committee on Professionalism. That same year,

the Mentor Externship Program was one of three national finalists for the ABA award on innovations in teaching professionalism. The program was ranked number one for the most externship placements for full-time law students, according to the National Jurist’s preLaw magazine. From 2014-21, St. Thomas Law has been ranked among the top three schools in the nation for practical training, which includes mentoring, also by National Jurist.

A welcome sign for the Mentor Externship program greets students during a School of Law activities and information fair that is a part of orientation in the Schulze Grand Atrium each year.

Summer 2021 Page 27

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