University of St. Thomas

Neil W. Hamilton graduated in economics cum laude and as a member of Phi Beta Kappa from Colorado College in 1967. He returned home to attend the University of Minnesota Law School, graduating magna cum laude and as a member of Order of the Coif in 1970. At Minnesota, he served as research editor of the Minnesota Law Review. Hamilton received his M.A. in economics (industrial organizations) from the University of Michigan in 1979.

Hamilton practiced with the firms of Gray, Plant, Mooty, Mooty and Bennett in Minneapolis and Krieg, Devault, Alexander and Capehart in Indianapolis before going into teaching. In 1972, Hamilton was selected as an International Legal Center/Asia Foundation Fellow and served as a visiting professor on the Airlangga University Faculty of Law in Surabaya, Indonesia, from 1972-74. He taught at Case Western Reserve University School of Law from 1977-80, joining the William Mitchell College of Law faculty in 1980. Hamilton was named Trustees Professor of Regulatory Policy at William Mitchell in 1982, and was selected as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Singapore in 1987.

He has taught both the required course in Professional Responsibility and an ethics seminar for 20 years and Administrative Law for 25 years. He has also taught Business Ethics, Antitrust, Regulated Industries, Banking, Business Organizations, Contracts, and Civil Procedure. Rated by students as an outstanding teacher, Hamilton believes that respect for students is the key to foster learning and professionalism.  Within a few short years, students become peers at the bar. He believes that students, alumni and professors at St. Thomas can help shape cultures of high professional ideals that reflect the first ethical principles and faith of each lawyer.

Hamilton is the author of three books and over fifty articles. He is a bi-monthly columnist on professionalism and ethics for the Minnesota Lawyer. He is nationally known for his work on academic freedom and academic ethics. The American Council on Education published his most recent book, "Academic Ethics: Problems and Materials on Professional Conduct and Shared Governance."

In 2002, Minnesota Lawyer selected Hamilton as one of the recipients of its Lawyer of the Year awards. In 2003, he received both the University of St. Thomas School of Law Excellence in Professional Preparation Award, and the Hennepin County Professionalism Award, given to that lawyer who most exemplifies the ideals of the profession. He is the first law professor to receive the Minnesota Lawyer and Hennepin County Professionalism awards. In 2004, Minnesota Law and Politics selected Professor Hamilton as a Minnesota SuperLawyer, one of two law professors in the state to be so honored.

Also in 2004, the Minnesota State Bar Association presented Professor Hamilton with its highest award, the Professional Excellence Award, given to recognize and encourage professionalism among lawyers. He is one of three law professors ever to receive this recognition from the profession.

Representative Scholarship

Fostering Professionalism Through Mentoring, 57 J. of Legal Educ. __ (2007) (with L. Brabbit).
 
Professionalism Clearly Defined, forthcoming in The Professional Lawyer.
 
Faculty Autonomy and Obligation, 93 Academe 36 (Jan.-Feb. 2007)
 
Faculty Professionalism: Failures of Socialization and the Loss of Professional Autonomy, 92 Liberal Education 14 (Fall, 2006).

Understanding the Intersection of Business and Legal Ethics, 2 University of St. Thomas Law Journal 1 (2005).

Academic Ethics: Problems and Materials on Professional Conduct and Shared Governance (ACE/Praeger, Westport, CT 2002).

The Ethics of Peer Review in the Academic and Legal Professions, 42 South Texas Law Review 227-300 (2001).

Academic Tradition and the Principles of Professional Conduct, 27 Journal of College and University Law 609-668 (2001).

The Future of Callings - An Interdisciplinary Summit on the Public Obligations of Professionals Into the Next Millennium, 25 William Mitchell Law Review 45-59 (1999).

Are We a Profession or Merely a Business? The Erosion of the Conflicts Rules Through the Increased Use of Ethical Walls, 27 Hofstra Law Review 57-108 (1998).

Zealotry and Academic Freedom: A Legal and Historical Perspective (Transaction Publishers, Brunswick, NJ 1995).

Courses Taught

Administrative Law
Ethical Leadership in Corporate Practice
Professional Responsibility
Mentor Program Seminar

Mailing Address
MSL 400
1000 LaSalle Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55403-2015