University of St. Thomas School of Law

09/03/2026

Even though it scared her, speaking in a courtroom in front of a judge was something Kayla Abrams-Mahoney '28 J.D. knew she would have to do at some point in law school as she pursued a career in criminal defense. This summer, she got her chance during her externship with the Ramsey County Public Defender’s Office.

“The scariest thing about my future as an attorney was the idea of having to speak in a courtroom,” said Abrams-Mahoney, now a 2L at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. “Gaining that experience after only my first year was super valuable, and I am glad I got that experience as a student attorney because there is a lot less pressure and the judge knew I was only a student.”

Any initial fears faded quickly. Over the summer, Abrams-Mahoney appeared in court almost daily representing clients at the County Law Enforcement Center in St. Paul. She says it was one of her favorite things about her externship.

In addition to working at the Ramsey County Public Defender’s Office, Abrams-Mahoney was an extern this summer at the Great North Innocence Project. The organization provides free legal services to people who have been wrongfully convicted and works to prevent future wrongful convictions through education and advocacy.

Read more at https://news.stthomas.edu/summer-law-extern-kayla-abrams-mahoney-ramsey-county-public-defenders-office/.

University of St. Thomas School of Law student externs at Ramsey Country Public Defender's Office and Great North Innocence Project.

08/31/2026

The School of Law is pleased to welcome our newest faculty members to the University of St. Thomas!

Jorge Barrera-Rojas comes to St. Thomas after serving as an Associate Research Scholar and Olin-Searle Fellow in Law at Yale Law School. His scholarship addresses educational federalism, comparative constitutional law, and international human rights law, with a sustained focus on parental rights and religious freedom. He is teaching Torts this fall.

Richard "Rick" Fair brings to St. Thomas research and practice expertise in business law, including digital assets and decentralized finance, financial regulation, and property, privacy, and enforcement in emerging technologies. He was previously a lecturer at Indiana University - Bloomington in the Kelley School of Business. At St. Thomas, Fair is teaching Lawyering Skills.

Juan Ramos is launching a Small Business and Transactional Law Clinic at St. Thomas, in addition to teaching business law classes. Ramos has broad-based transactional experience at premier law firms, as in-house counsel and in private practice, and has served as an adjunct faculty member at Southwestern Law School and as a lecturer at USC's Gould School of Law.

Debbie Shapiro joins the faculty as the Director of Academic Achievement and Bar Success. Prior to St. Thomas, she was the Assistant Director Career and Professional Development and an adjunct professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law. Shapiro also worked in private legal practice, concentrating in estate planning, education, insurance and family law.

Joseph "Joe" Singleton comes to St. Thomas from Wake Forest University School of Law in North Carolina, where he served as the inaugural Health Law & Policy Fellow. His scholarship focuses on health law, public health, medical malpractice and life sciences. He will teach elective courses and launch a St. Thomas Medical-Legal Partnership Clinic.

08/27/2026

Getting in on the fun. Happy first day of the !

08/24/2026

Welcome back!!

08/20/2026

A big welcome to our 172 new 1L students. We’re so excited you’re here!!

08/13/2026

The next Mission Awards category we will spotlight is Service and Community, which recognizes St. Thomas Law students, faculty and staff who have shown an exceptional commitment to improving the lives of those within the law school or in the broader community. Law students Zamzam Mohammed, Jocie Scherkenbach and Morgan Doherty were recipients of this award.

Mohammed was nominated for her service in the broader community with organizations like the Minneapolis Civil Rights Commission, ACLU, CAIR Minnesota and the Somali American Bar Association. “While most of us are just trying to catch our breath, Zamzam is always out serving the community,” then 2L Yusra Hassan said at the ceremony. “And somehow, she still finds time to support the people in this room, especially the BLSA members here today. Her generosity and unwavering commitment to service have shaped and uplifted so many of us.”

Scherkenbach was nominated for her work as a mentor to middle and high school girls and leadership of the St. Thomas Board of Advocates. “To know Jocie is to know her heart for service,” said recent graduate Grace Castleberg. “Over the past three years, she’s dedicated more than 800 hours to serving, but more than the number, it’s the way she shows up that matters. She shows up with humility, with intention, and with a genuine care for the people around her ... Thank you, Jocie, for your thoughtfulness and excellence.”

Doherty was nominated for her advocacy on and off campus. At the Mission Awards ceremony, recent graduate Sarah Etheridge described Doherty’s work to gather and donate items for families impacted by Operation Metro Surge and her leadership as last year’s Moot Court Director and President of the Women’s Law Student Association. “She speaks fearlessly in rooms of opposition, she shows up courageously for her people, and she reflects the power and the purpose of community in every interaction big or small here at St. Thomas,” Etheridge said.

08/03/2026

Before his externship this summer, 2L Haakon Lien hadn't explored intellectual property (IP) law as a possible career path, but he was open to the idea.

"I did not really have an area of law in mind that I was considering when I started law school," Lien said. "I wanted to—and still do—explore every option available, and hopefully by doing so, I will find an area that I especially enjoy."

Letting law students explore career paths is one of the main goals at the University of St. Thomas School of Law's Legal Externship Program. Externships also allow students to use the skills and knowledge they have learned in their classes and gain professional experience.

Lien was paired with patent attorney and alumnus Scott Pederson '11 J.D., a partner at Brooks, Cameron, and Huebsch in Minneapolis. Through Pederson's pro bono work with LegalCORPS, Lien is helping provide intellectual property legal services to entrepreneurs, inventors, small businesses and nonprofits while gaining firsthand experience in a specialized area of law.

Learn more about Lien's externship at https://news.stthomas.edu/summer-law-extern-haakon-lien-ip-law/.

Letting law students explore career paths is one of the main goals at the University of St. Thomas School of Law's Legal Externship Program.

07/27/2026

Good luck to everyone taking the bar exam on July 28 & 29!!

07/22/2026

The University of St. Thomas School of Law is expanding its leadership in technology and legal education with the addition of Morgan Gray, a scholar at the forefront of artificial intelligence and the law. Gray, who joined the faculty this past year as an assistant professor, brings expertise in AI, specifically natural language processing and machine learning, case-based reasoning and computational models of legal argument, along with a passion for preparing law students for careers in a legal field being reshaped by technology.

Learn more about Prof. Gray in the latest issue of St. Thomas Lawyer magazine or at https://news.stthomas.edu/publication-article/new-professor-morgan-gray-brings-expertise-in-ai-to-st-thomas-law/.

Morgan Gray, a scholar at the forefront of artificial intelligence and the law, joins the St. Thomas School of Law faculty this year. He brings expertise in AI, specifically natural language processing and machine learning, case-based reasoning and computational models of legal argument.

07/20/2026

Through what has so far been an incredibly diverse career, Lara Marion ’07 J.D. seems to always find herself “at the intersection of something.”

Just where she likes to be.

That’s because being right in the center of things like industry and policy, or industry and academia allows her to do what she loves doing best: being a connector of people. It was a skill she helped hone through learning how to make a case at the St. Thomas School of Law.

“I'm always right in the center, not really in any of the full bubbles,” she said. “It's really cool. You get to learn a lot of interesting things.”

That ability to connect people and ideas has shaped a purpose-driven career that has taken Marion from Minnesota to Washington, D.C. and now North Carolina, and through roles working as an advocate within the legislature, government agencies, public interest organizations and nonprofits that aim to further the interests of aging adults or the telecommunications, public safety and technology industries.

Read more in the latest issue of St. Thomas Lawyer or at https://news.stthomas.edu/publication-article/a-career-connected-by-purpose/.

Through what has so far been an incredibly diverse career, Lara Marion ’07 J.D. seems to always find herself “at the intersection of something.” Just where she likes to be. That’s because being right in the center of things like industry and policy, or industry and academia allows her to do ...