Pioneering Law Students Qualify Sooner – and Sooner Still

The first students from St. Norbert's 3-plus-3 law program, launched in 2016 in partnership with Marquette University Law School, are completing their final semester of law school.

Abigail Plankey ’20 and Sam Nelson ’20, baccalaureate degrees from St. Norbert in hand, will graduate with their Juris Doctor degrees from Marquette this May – and, for Plankey (left), she enters her profession after just 5½ years of study.

It began at St. Norbert …
While the typical program calls for six semesters at both St. Norbert and Marquette Law School, Plankey managed to shave an additional semester from the program. “Undoubtedly finishing undergrad on an expedited track, and law school as a whole, is academically challenging," she says. "But my experience at SNC shaped me to succeed at Marquette."

The relatively robust number of SNC students to matriculate into law programs comes down to the college’s liberal arts tradition, Nelson explains. “Law school is not just for the poli-sci majors, and in fact, is one of the most diverse career paths with respect to educational background,” he says. You’ll almost always be surprised to hear what a lawyer majored in during their undergrad.”

… and reached fruition at Marquette
Nelson says: “The journey has been long… and filled with a lot of reading. No doubt, law school has instilled in me a sense of work ethic that I could not have imagined holding just a few years back.”

This necessary stamina for success in the law can be formed for the right student at St. Norbert and further fostered at Marquette, with opportunities provided through the law school’s connections with the tight-knit legal community in Milwaukee.

Expediting the due process
For Plankey, the journey to her new profession began even earlier: Her exploration of law began as a junior in high school with an after-school job as law clerk for Menn Law in Appleton, Wis.

She says, “While an introduction to the legal profession in high school is definitely not necessary or traditional, it equipped me to feel confident in my choice to pursue an expedited course of study.” Like Nelson, she credits the undergraduate education that built on that early interest: “SNC encourages and develops strong self-advocacy. I believe that SNC’s focus on liberal arts and developing a well-rounded, confident student draws in prospective students who appreciate and seek out academically challenging and rewarding careers.”

Plankey developed an individualized peace and justice major under the guidance of Robert Pyne (Norman Miller Center) that allowed her to finish her undergraduate requirements in just two-and-a-half semesters. She took a semester off before making the move to Marquette.

“Starting law school at 21 felt intimidating. … By the completion of my 1L year, I realized how prepared I felt to be going into my 2L year,” she says.

Nelson gives his full recommendation for fast-tracking a law degree. “I think any student capable of getting into the program … should take advantage of the opportunity. … It could potentially lop off a year of schooling which (trust me), you will be eager to do by the end.”

The highly selective 3-plus-3 program calls for 99 undergraduate credits from SNC. Students can then enroll in the Marquette law program, and after their first year in Milwaukee, they can transfer 29 credits back to St. Norbert for their official baccalaureate degree. Students must be admitted to the partnership program by the conclusion of their first year at St. Norbert.

Charley Jacobs, (Political Science), director of the pre-law program, is excited about the potential impact and opportunities the program offers. “The partnership provides students with the opportunity to pursue their dreams of attending law school and entering the legal profession quickly without sacrificing either their undergraduate or legal education. Students also see an overall reduction in the cost of their education, reducing the time to completion from the typical seven years to just six,” he says.

Putting it all into practice
“School has been enjoyable, and it’s been great to me, but I am absolutely ready and prepared for life in the real world,” Nelson says. He will join the Milwaukee law firm O’Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong & Laing S.C. where he worked over his final two semesters at Marquette.

Plankey will return to Appleton after graduation, practicing primarily in estate planning and elder law for Hooper Law Office LLC. She says, “I am thankful to SNC and Marquette for the opportunity for this expedited course of study, and excited to be an attorney.”

April 27, 2022