ST. PAUL — Two tenured professors at William Mitchell College of Law are suing the school over potential layoffs connected to a planned merger with Hamline University School of Law.

John Radsan and Carl Moy sued William Mitchell on Friday, claiming breach of contract.

The lawsuit says the administration at William Mitchell asked faculty to volunteer for part-time status or early retirement. When few signed up, William Mitchell told faculty it was considering changing its tenure code so it could lay off tenured faculty without paying a year’s worth of salary and benefits.