“By the time I was a senior in high school, I knew I wanted to be a lawyer,” second year law student Joseph Inabanza said. “I had never known anyone who’d gone to law school, but I wanted it anyway.”
This determination is how Inabanza ended up in Maine Law’s 3+3 Program, entering Maine Law in the Fall of 2024.
The 3+3 Program allows students from one of nine universities in Maine, including all University of Maine System campuses, to earn B.A. and J.D. degrees in just six years. Students enroll in Maine Law during what would be their final undergraduate year, saving on both tuition and time.
“For students who have a clear career path in mind, this is an outstanding opportunity to quickly and cost effectively reach their professional goals,” Caroline Wilshusen, Director of Admissions, explained. “Maine continues to face a shortage of legal services, and this is one of many ways Maine Law is working to shore up access to justice across the state.”
For students like Inabanza or Andy Almonte ‘25, who is a first-generation college student, the draw of the 3+3 program isn’t just about an accelerated timeline, it’s also about receiving enhanced structure and support as they move through unfamiliar waters.
“The timeline is strict because it is accelerated. That meant I knew exactly what I was doing and when, and for someone new to the higher education environment, I found that very helpful,” Almonte said.
In addition to seeing milestones and markers clearly laid out ahead of him, Almonte said being part of the 3+3 program came with a strong mentorship component at the undergraduate and graduate level. That mentorship came from professors as well as his peers. Inabanza, in fact, said knowing Almonte and hearing about the older student’s experience was essential in his journey through the 3+3 program.
“I liked that I wasn’t doing it alone,” Almonte said. “Joseph and I had a connection and I enjoyed being able to mentor him, making sure he learned from my process and experiences.”
It can take a while to build a program that has that level of peer-to-peer support and formal mentorship. Even as one of the first students to complete it, however, Brittany Ritter ‘21, said she always felt like she had advocates across the Maine Law Community.
For Ritter, a non-traditional student who became a mother shortly before starting her law school degree, feeling like there were guardrails was essential to her success.
“I found Maine Law really accommodating and willing to work with non-traditional students,” she recalled. “The program isn’t for everyone but for people in my situation, for those that want to stay in Maine, and know they want to work in the legal profession, there is no other opportunity like it.”
All three students emphasized the fact that it’s important to have a passion for the legal profession and an understanding of all that entails before jumping into the 6 year program, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room to maneuver or change course along the way.
“I came to law school thinking I wanted to do labor law, but one of the great things about Maine Law is it is a choose your own adventure law school,” Almonte said. “Tax law, for example, really opened my eyes to a lot of possibilities and the idea that there isn’t just one way to help people.”
Even after graduation, Ritter said her career path has changed unexpectedly, but her Maine Law degree has allowed her to adapt and adjust in spite of those unexpected shifts.
“My law degree really shapes how I approach problems, personal and professional,” she explained. “It sharpened my critical thinking skills and gave me an appreciation for looking at issues from multiple perspectives.”
