School of Law

University of California-Los Angeles, School of Law History

University of California at Los Angeles School of Law was established in 1948 and is a public institution. The 419-acre campus is in an urban area. The primary mission of the law school is to admit outstanding students who will bring a wide range of backgrounds to the classroom and the legal profession. UCLA’s central purpose is to train attorneys of professional excellence and integrity who will exercise civic responsibility. Students have access to federal, state, county, city, and local agencies, courts, correctional facilities, law firms, and legal aid organizations in the Los Angeles area. Housing for students is available in both university-owned and privately owned apartments. University Apartments South offers housing for married students and single parents as well as single graduate and professional school students. UCLA recently opened Weyburn Terrace, an 840-apartment complex for single graduate students that is within walking distance of the campus. About 99% of the law school facilities are accessible to the physically disabled.

University of California-Los Angeles, School of Law Academics

In addition to the J.D., the law school offers the LL.M. and S.J.D. Students may take relevant courses in other programs and apply credit toward the J.D.; a maximum of 6 credits may be applied. The following joint degrees may be earned: J.D./M.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Arts in Afro-American studies, American Indian studies, and urban planning), J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration), J.D./M.P.H. (Juris Doctor/Master of Public Health), J.D./M.P.P. (Juris Doctor/Master of Public Policy), and J.D./M.S.W. (Juris Doctor/Master of Social Welfare).

The School of Law offers concentrations in corporate law, criminal law, entertainment law, environmental law, family law, intellectual property law, international law, labor law, litigation, media law, securities law, sports law, and tax law. Academic specializations include critical race studies, public interest law and policy, business law and policy, entertainment and media law, and law and philosophy. In addition, more than 20 clinics are offered to advanced students; examples are Capital Punishment Clinic, Immigration Clinic, and Sports and the Law. Credit ranges from 4 to 6 units. Seminars are offered to advanced students, and credit ranges from 2 to 4 units; seminars include, among others, Music and Industry Law, International Human Rights, and National Security in the Information Economy. Full-time externships are offered to students in the fourth or fifth semester and are worth 13 units-11 units for the placement and 2 units for a related seminar or tutorial taught by a faculty member. Students can work as extern law clerks to a federal judge or in a government agency, public interest law firm, or nonprofit agency. There are also a growing number of placements abroad. Directed research, for which students must produce original scholarship of publishable quality, is worth 1 to 5 units. Special lecture series include International Law Speaker Series, Animal Law Speaker Series, and Sexual Orientation Law Speaker Series. Students may study abroad at foreign programs offered by ABA-approved law schools. The academic support program includes study groups led by academically successful second- and third-year students, exam workshops for the large first-year courses, academic counseling, and student mentoring. There are special sections in Constitutional Law, Community Property, and Wills and Trusts all aimed at helping develop exam-taking skills. Minority programs include Asian/Pacific Islander Law Students Association (APILSA), Black Law Students Association (BLSA), La Raza Law Students Association (La Raza), Native American Law Students Association (NALSA), and South Asian Law Students Association (SALSA). The most widely taken electives are Evidence, Constitutional Criminal Procedure, and Business Associations.

To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 87 total credits, of which 35 are for required courses. They must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the required courses. The following first-year courses are required of all students: Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law I, Contracts, Criminal Law, Lawyering Skills, Property, and Torts. Required upper-level courses consist of Professional Responsibility and upper-division writing. The required orientation program for first-year students is a 2-day program designed to acquaint first-year students with classmates, professors, and deans and with the study of law and how to handle a variety of administrative tasks. It incorporates workshops, panels, and group discussions and sessions with law faculty.

To graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 2.0 and have completed the upper-division writing requirement, the first-year curriculum, 6 semesters of residence credit in regular session, and a course of study in professional responsibility.

University of California-Los Angeles, School of Law Unique Programs

Library

The law library contains 557,005 hard-copy volumes and 84,463 microform volume equivalents, and subscribes to 3155 serial publications. Such on-line databases and networks as CALI, CIS Universe, DIALOG, Infotrac, Legal-Trac, LEXIS, LOIS, Mathew Bender, NEXIS, OCLC First Search, RLIN, WESTLAW, Wilsonline Indexes, LLMC, Interam, HeinOnline, BNA Core, and CCH Business and Finance are available to law students for research. Special library collections include a U.S. government depository, a California depository, an East Asian law collection, Aviation Law, Sexual Orientation Law, and Public Policy. The ratio of library volumes to faculty is 6330 to 1 and to students is 543 to 1. The ratio of seats in the library to students is 1 to 1.

Special Consideration

The law school recruits minority and disadvantaged students by means of visits to undergraduate schools, participation in LSAC forums, and programs arranged by law school student organizations. Requirements are not different for out-of-state students. Transfer students must have one year of credit and have attended an ABA-approved law school. For students who desire assistance before attending law school, UCLA offers its Summer Program, an intensive 7-day residential program for 40 incoming students.

University of California-Los Angeles, School of Law Admissions

In the fall 2007 first-year class, 6499 applied, 1140 were accepted, and 323 enrolled. Thirty-five transfers enrolled. The median LSAT percentile of the most recent first-year class was 95; the median GPA was 3.72 on a scale of 4.0. The lowest LSAT percentile accepted was 46; the highest was 99.

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and take the LSAT. No specific undergraduate courses are required. Candidates are not interviewed.

The application deadline for fall entry is February 1. Applicants should submit an application form, LSAT results, transcripts, a personal statement, a nonrefundable application fee of $75, at least 2 but no more than 3 letters of recommendation, and aa r

University of California-Los Angeles, School of Law Financial Aid

About 89% of current law students receive some form of aid. The average annual amount of aid from all sources combined, including scholarships, loans, and work contracts, is $37,062; maximum, $57,574. Awards are based on need and merit. Required financial statements are the FAFSA. Those who wish to receive need-based grants must also submit the Need Access application at www.needaccess.org. The aid application deadline for fall entry is March 2. Special funds for minority or disadvantaged students are available. First-year students are notified about their financial aid application once they are admitted and after their FAFSA and/or Need Access application have been submitted.

University of California-Los Angeles, School of Law Students

About 49% of the student body are women; 33%, minorities; 4%, African American; 19%, Asian American; 9%, Hispanic; and 1%, Native American. The majority of students come from California (65%). The average age of entering students is 25; age range is 19 to 50. About 36% of students enter directly from undergraduate school and 12% have a graduate degree. About 1% to 2% drop out after the first year for academic or personal reasons; 98% to 99% remain to receive a law degree.

Students edit the UCLA Law Review. Other student-edited publications include the Asian Pacific American Law Journal, Chicano/Latino Law Review, National Black Law Journal, Pacific Basin Law Journal, Entertainment Law Review, Journal of Environmental Law and Policy, Journal of Islamic and Near Eastern Law, Journal of Law and Technology, Dukeminier Awards: Best Sexual Orientation Law Review Articles, Women’s Law Journal , Indigenous Peoples’ Journal of Law, Culture and Resistance, and the Journal of International Law and Foreign Affairs. There is a UCLA Moot Court Honors Program, Sexual Orientation Law Moot Court Competition, and Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. Law student organizations include the Disability Law Society, Environmental Law Society, and UCLA Trial Lawyers’ Association. Local chapters of national organizations include the American Constitution Society, the Federalist Society, and many minority student organizations. Other campus clubs and organizations include Sports Law Federation, Law Society for Children’s Rights, and International Law Society.

The law school operates on a traditional semester basis. Courses for full-time students are offered days only and must be completed within 5 years. There is no part-time program. New students are admitted in the fall. There is no summer session. Transferable summer courses are not offered.