Summer Partnership in Law

A program for those thinking about attending law school

The Summer Partnership in Law (SPIL) program offers college students and graduates a law school experience to help them learn if law school is for them. Nearly half of SPIL participants have gone on to law school since the program started in 1990. If you have been out of the academic world for some time or want to discover William Mitchell's community, we encourage you to apply for the SPIL program.

Intensive orientation to law school

• Two regular law school courses taught by full-time or adjunct William Mitchell faculty
• Indoctrination in primary legal resources, through the use of the Warren E. Burger Law Library
• Introduction to important study and exam skills necessary for the rigors of law school
• Full use of all campus facilities and resources.

The two courses in William Mitchell’s SPIL program are:

• The American Legal System - a course covering some basic elements that make up the American legal system, starting with the way lawyers think. It describes the process of law, and goes into units covering the basic application and interpretation of law. The units focus on two areas of law: Torts and Criminal Law. Students are given a mix of case law and statutory law, and are shown how the law is applied in hypothetical situations. Classroom instruction is given as a standard law school presentation. The final exam will test students as law students are tested, by applying law to hypothetical fact situations.
• Legal Reasoning and Writing - a workshop covering basic legal reasoning, the logical process used in legal thought and analysis. It includes some basic writing and exercises to demonstrate analytical skills, and is a preview of the Legal Writing program all law students take in their first year.