Profile
Profile
James ’04 came to William Mitchell uniquely prepared for the rigors of law school. 
Five years in the Marine Corps and work as a software engineer designing global software systems gave him a benchmark for difficult tasks. Law school may be challenging, he says, but tough? Nah.
Now 29, James is in the third year of a part-time program focused on intellectual property law. His time is divided between his studies, his job as a law clerk for Schwegman, Lundberg, Woessner & Kluth, and duties as a husband and new father.
“I chose William Mitchell because it was the only program that made sense in my life. I had just bought a house, started a career, got married, left the Marine Corps . . . I didn’t want to pick up and move to attend another school, and I didn’t want to quit working. There were other part-time programs, but none with the scheduling options at William Mitchell.
Also, I prefer private colleges. From my experience, the professors, staff, and administration at private schools pay attention to every detail to ensure the students get a good education. Small class sizes and the availability of professors are another plus.
I was deciding between business school and law school. I figured that the decision would have a big effect on my career, and I wanted to choose the one that would provide the most options. I was a sergeant in the Marine Corps, and I don’t take the easy route. I figured if I was going to make a commitment to graduate school, I might as well take the longer, tougher route.
One of the surprises of law school has been, the more law you learn, the more complicated life gets. Ignorance is bliss! The greatest reward so far has been knowing what to do when I received a prelien notice in the mail from a subcontractor of the general contractor that built our house.
Law school is a wonderful intellectual exercise. Many people say the first year is like boot camp. However, I disagree. If you want boot camp, join the Marines. Don’t be afraid of law school. If you work and want to go to law school, William Mitchell makes that possible.”