Leondra Hanson
Leondra Hanson joined the Hamline faculty in 2008 after several years teaching, training, and practicing law in the Twin Cities. She earned her BA from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN and her JD from the University of Minnesota. Professor Hanson’s scholarly and professional work focuses on women and law, sexual assault and harassment, and legal education.
Professor Hanson chairs the Legal Studies Department and directs the paralegal and graduate legal programs at Hamline. From 2010-2012, she served as the Hamline University Director of Learning Outcomes Assessment, overseeing the curriculum assessment strategies across all disciplines and helping educators improve their teaching by focusing on their goals. She also is the former Director of Hamline University’s Center for Justice and Law.
In her law practice, Professor Hanson has tried jury trials and represented clients in civil litigation in a wide range of legal matters including sexual assault and harassment, real estate, and employment discrimination. She has provided counsel, risk prevention, and training to professionals in human resources, legal, advocacy, and real estate fields. Professor Hanson is a former board member of the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault and served on the Minnesota State Bar Association Alternative Legal Models Task Force. She has been an active member of the American Association for Paralegal Education. At home, she is the mother of three busy teenagers, a hockey fan, and the treasurer of the Wayzata Theatre Boosters.
In the classroom, Professor Hanson believes in the importance of embedding professional skills in the context of the liberal arts. She focuses on teaching students to understand and interpret the complicated texts that make up the law and on giving them the tools to continue learning- as professionals or in other academic settings. She teaches a number of courses including Real Property, Law in the Lives of Women, Legal Research and Writing, and the department's introductory course: Legal Systems. She has also taught First Year Seminars and Senior Seminars on topics related to juries, controversial judicial outcomes, and access to justice.
