Holloran Center for Ethical Leadership
The Holloran Center’s mission is to provide innovative interdisciplinary research, curriculum development, and programs focusing holistically on the formation of both law students and practicing professionals into ethical leaders in their communities.
The Center is at the forefront of a growing national movement focused on greater intentionality in the professional formation of law students. The Standard 303(b) and (c) accreditation changes approved by the ABA House of Delegates on February 14, 2022, are a major step forward for the national social movement.
Our goal is to help every law school take gradual and effective steps to foster each student's growth to develop a professional identity.
How to Get Started
Get to Know the Holloran Center
Holloran Center professors and fellows provide national leadership on empirical research to assess which pedagogies are most effective to help students with formation of an ethical professional identity.
Since its founding in 2006, the Holloran Center has focused on this mission of helping the next generation of lawyers form professional identities grounded in a deep commitment of service to others.
Donations
Gifts to the Holloran Center should be made out to the below address:
Holloran Center for Ethical Leadership in the Professions
Mail MSL 400
1000 La Salle Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55403
Please reach out to Felicia Hamilton, Holloran Center Coordinator, with any questions.
Review Changes to Standard 303
The Standard 303(b) and (c) accreditation changes approved by the ABA House of Delegates on February 14, 2022, are a major step forward for the national social movement.
Explore Our Tools and Resources
See Our Research and Training
The Holloran Center offers research and training in professional development formation.
Professional Formation Research
Recent Scholarship
Standard 303: A Framework for the Intentional Exploration of Values (2023)
It is Okay to Not Be Okay (2022)
The Phantom Menace to Professional Identity Formation and Law School Success: Imposter Syndrome (2023)
Get to Know the Holloran Center
Holloran Center professors and fellows provide national leadership on empirical research to assess which pedagogies are most effective to help students with formation of an ethical professional identity.
Since its founding in 2006, the Holloran Center has focused on this mission of helping the next generation of lawyers form professional identities grounded in a deep commitment of service to others.
Donations
Gifts to the Holloran Center should be made out to the below address:
Holloran Center for Ethical Leadership in the Professions
Mail MSL 400
1000 La Salle Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55403
Please reach out to Felicia Hamilton, Holloran Center Coordinator, with any questions.
Review Changes to Standard 303
The Standard 303(b) and (c) accreditation changes approved by the ABA House of Delegates on February 14, 2022, are a major step forward for the national social movement.
Explore Our Tools and Resources
See Our Research and Training
The Holloran Center offers research and training in professional development formation.
Professional Formation Research
Recent Scholarship
Standard 303: A Framework for the Intentional Exploration of Values (2023)
It is Okay to Not Be Okay (2022)
The Phantom Menace to Professional Identity Formation and Law School Success: Imposter Syndrome (2023)
A lifetime of service and leadership
Remembering Tom Holloran (1929-2024)
“The School of Law that we know today would not exist without Tom Holloran,” said University of St. Thomas President Rob Vischer. “His stature in the Twin Cities community gave it instant credibility, and his dedication to cultivating meaningful relationships shaped its culture. Tom was a remarkably effective and beloved teacher because he taught the same way he lived: with unmistakable authenticity and integrity. The model of leadership he offered was a great gift to the world.”
Celebrate Tom Holloran's life and contributions
Funeral Mass for Tom Holloran
A funeral mass will be celebrated at the Basilica of St. Mary on Saturday, May 18, 2024. There will be a visitation from 10:30am to 11:30am, followed by the funeral from 11:30am to 12:30pm. Lunch will be hosted starting at 12:30pm.
Professional Identity Implementation Blog
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A Student Perspective on Professional Identity Formation: Micayla Bitz
by Micayla Bitz, 3L at the University of St. Thomas School of Law Law school is hard. I know this is far from a novel revelation, but it was not necessarily the mountains of reading or the cold calls that made it so difficult, at least for me. The past three years took me on a journey of self-discovery and professional discernment that was far more challenging (and, arguably, more worthwhile) than learning the Rule Against Perpetuities or the Commerce Clause. Last spring, the University of St. Thomas Law Journal and the Holloran Center hosted a two-day symposium focused on professional identity formation. Over those two days, I was amazed learning how much intention had been poured into each part of my education at St. Thomas. It felt like I was getting a peek behind the curtain. Each reflection paper, lecture, and experiential learning opportunity weaved throughout the curriculum were meticulously planned to shape me into the person I am today. And it worked! Because of this emphasis at St. Thomas, I never saw the law as a purely intellectual endeavor. From day one, our professors have pushed us to consider the human lives behind the casebook and the real-world […]
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A Student Perspective on Professional Identity Formation: TJ Bowman
by TJ Bowman, 3L at University of St. Thomas School of Law To me, professional identity formation describes the journey from being an aspiring lawyer to a practicing one who is committed to serving clients, the profession, and the rule of law. Stated differently, professional identity formation helps me answer the question: “What kind of lawyer do I want to be?” This journey is not something that simply begins your first day of law school and ends when you graduate or make partner. Instead, it requires continuous reflection and a commitment to lifelong learning. At St. Thomas, my professional identity began forming immediately during 1L through foundation courses such as Moral Reasoning for Lawyers, Serving Clients Well, and Business Basics, which encouraged me to reflect on my personal values and how those values comport with our system of justice and our conception of the lawyer’s role. During my 2L and 3L years, St. Thomas called me to take ownership of my professional identity formation through the mentor externship program by connecting me with lawyers in the Twin Cities community. This program expanded my professional network and provided me with valuable hands-on learning experiences. During my law school career, I have […]
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Beloved community leader Tom Holloran passes away at 94
We write to share the sad news that the namesake of the Holloran Center for Ethical Leadership in the Professions, Thomas Holloran, passed away yesterday at the age of 94, according to his wife, Patty, who was his partner in life for more than sixty years. Neil Hamilton, Co-Director of the Holloran Center, remembers Tom Holloran as a wonderful example of the deep sense of stewardship and moral courage that we hope to foster in our students. All of us here at St. Thomas Law have been touched by Tom Holloran’s generous spirit and servant leadership that helped animate the founding of the School of Law over 20 years ago and the creation of the Holloran Center in 2006. We will offer a fuller tribute in the coming days. For today, we just wanted to share the sad news that Tom Holloran, a shining light of goodness and grace, is no longer with us.
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No Difficulty Holding Both Logic and Feeling: Can the Barbie Movie Help with Women’s Professional Identity Education?
By: Debra Moss Vollweiler, Professor of Law, Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law [1] Hi Barbie! In the wake of the blockbuster Barbie movie in the Summer of 2023, women are embracing—or reembracing—women’s empowerment, including what many are calling a newfound freedom to express femininity. Like many across the country, I headed back to the movie theater in the summer of 2023 to see if the Barbie movie was as fun and meaningful as I’d heard. I didn’t expect it to change the way I think and teach professional identity in law school. Thanks to ABA Standard 303(b) all law schools should be focusing on the development of professional identity for their students.[2] According to the Holloran Center, professional identity education “should involve an intentional exploration of the values, guiding principles, and well-being practices considered foundational to successful legal practice.”[3] Part of this exploration for students is helping them develop an accurate self-understanding of who they are and how their values guide them. But the exploration of professional identity for women has sometimes hit a speedbump. For many women law students, their system of values and principles that are connected to their gender and self-expression of that gender […]
Learning Outcomes Database
This database contains all of the learning outcomes available on law school webpages. We have identified those law schools with “basic” learning outcomes as well as schools with more robust learning outcomes than required by the language of Standard 302.
Holloran Competency Milestones
The Holloran Center Milestones are stage-development rubrics that describe the stages of development associated with each learning outcome. The Milestones for each learning outcome were developed by national working groups of faculty and staff from different law schools. A few were also developed internally at the Center.
Professional Development Database
This database identifies all the law schools with required first-year courses or programs focused on professional formation categorized by type of course or program. It also includes a searchable set of syllabi from those courses or programs when available.
Research and Training
Roadmap for Employment
Professor Neil Hamilton has developed and published a groundbreaking template for law students to use during all three years of law school in order to be fully prepared to find meaningful employment upon graduation.
Professional Formation Research
See data on topics like professional identity formation, developing fiduciary mindsets, increasing student well-being, and more.
Coach Training
One-on-one coaching is the most effective curriculum to foster a student's growth toward later stages of development on both legal education's foundational learning outcomes and the student's post-graduation goals.
The Thomas Holloran Legacy
The Holloran Center for Ethical Leadership in the Professions is honored to have as its inspiration and namesake, a person whose leadership qualities combine excellence in business with a talent for teaching and mentoring. These qualities make Thomas Holloran a unique role model for the Holloran Center.