Hastings College of the Law

University of California-San Francisco, Hastings College of the Law History

University of California Hastings College of the Law was established in 1878 and is a public institution. The campus is in an urban area in San Francisco. The primary mission of the law school is to prepare new members of the legal profession who are capable of and willing to serve all segments of the public as lawyers, judges, legislators, legal scholars, and in other roles in society. Students have access to federal, state, county, city, and local agencies, courts, correctional facilities, law firms, and legal aid organizations in the San Francisco area. Facilities of special interest to law students include the Public Interest Clearinghouse, the Public Law Research Institute, and the Land Conservation Institute. Housing for students is offered at McAllister Tower, which accommodates approximately 450 students. There are studios, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom units available. About 90% of the law school facilities are accessible to the physically disabled.

University of California-San Francisco, Hastings College of the Law Academics

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

Students must take 20 to 24 credits in their area of concentration. The Hastings College of the Law offers concentrations in criminal law, international law, litigation, tax law, and public interest law. In addition, upper-level students may act as judicial externs for one of the state or federal courts. Students also may participate in a clinical seminar and gain practice experience under the supervision of an attorney. Clinics include Civil Justice, Civil Practice, Criminal Practice, Environmental Law, Workers’ Rights, Immigration, and Local Government Law. Enrollment in seminars is limited to 24 second- and third-year students. Upper-level students whose academic work is of superior quality may conduct research under the supervision of a full-time faculty member. There are exchange programs with Leiden University, Austral University, Bocconi University, Bucerius Law School, Copenhagen University, University of New South Wales, and Wuhan University. The Legal Education Opportunity Program (LEOP) offers academic support to selected students with backgrounds that include some serious disadvantage that has been encountered and overcome. Incoming students have a special 1-week orientation introducing them to case briefing, legal writing, and analysis. Other programs for LEOP students include the First-Year Study Program for the California bar examination, which is taught by and for LEOP students. An exchange program in Environmental Law is offered with the Vermont Law School. The most widely taken electives are Constitutional Law, Evidence, and Criminal Procedure.

To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 86 total credits, of which 34 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: a statutory course, Civil Procedure, Contracts, Criminal Law, Legal Writing and Research, Moot Court, Property, and Torts. Required upper-level courses consist of a professional skills course, Professional Responsibility, and seminar or independent study with a substantial writing component. The required orientation program for first-year students is a 2 1/2-day program that includes mock classes taught by first-year faculty, assignments, and discussions of study habits, test-taking, diversity issues, and career opportunities.

In order to graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 2.0 and have completed the upper-division writing requirement.

University of California-San Francisco, Hastings College of the Law Unique Programs

Library

The law library contains 707,264 hard-copy volumes and 71,568 microform volume equivalents, and subscribes to 7858 serial publications. Such on-line databases and networks as CALI, CIS Universe, Legal-Trac, LEXIS, LOIS, OCLC First Search, WESTLAW, Wilsonline Indexes, ABI/Inform, BNA Core, CCH Internet Tax Library, CCH Internet Business and Finance Library, HeinOnline, PsycINFO, and U.S. Supreme Court Records and Briefs are available to law students for research. Special library collections include a state and federal depository, a state and federal records and briefs collection, and documents of the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and California appellate courts. Recently, the library renovated and upgraded the library facility with a wireless network, plug-in connections to the school’s network, and an expanded computer laboratory. The ratio of library volumes to faculty is 11,788 to 1 and to students is 560 to 1. The ratio of seats in the library to students is 1 to 2.

Special Consideration

The law school recruits minority and disadvantaged students by enrolling 20% of the class through the LEOP program, an alternative means of evaluating disadvantaged students, through specific outreach initiatives and the Candidate Referral Service, and through a holistic evaluation process. Requirements are not different for out-of-state students. Transfer students must have one year of credit, have a minimum GPA of 3.0, have attended an ABA-approved law school, and the school must be AALS-approved.

University of California-San Francisco, Hastings College of the Law Admissions

In the fall 2007 first-year class, 5142 applied, 1364 were accepted, and 401 enrolled. Forty-one transfers enrolled. The median LSAT percentile of the most recent first-year class was 88; the median GPA was 3.57 on a scale of 4.0. The lowest LSAT percentile accepted was 33; the highest was 100.

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and take the LSAT. The most important admission factors include academic achievement, LSAT results, and GPA. No specific undergraduate courses are required. Candidates are not interviewed.

The application deadline for fall entry is March 1. Applicants should submit an application form, LSAT results, transcripts, a personal statement, a nonrefundable application fee of $75, and 2 letters of recommendation. Notification of the admissions decision is January through May. The latest acceptable LSAT test date for fall entry is February. The law school uses the LSDAS.

University of California-San Francisco, Hastings College of the Law Financial Aid

About 91% 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 $36,064; maximum, $54,638. Awards are based on need and merit. Required financial statements are the FAFSA and the entering student financial aid supplement form. The aid application deadline for fall entry is March 1. First-year students are notified about their financial aid application as soon after acceptance as possible.

University of California-San Francisco, Hastings College of the Law Students

About 53% of the student body are women; 32%, minorities; 3%, African American; 24%, Asian American; 7%, Hispanic; and 1%, Native American. The majority of students come from California (86%). The average age of entering students is 24; age range is 20 to 47. About 6% of students have a graduate degree. About 2% drop out after the first year for academic or personal reasons; 98% remain to receive a law degree.

Students edit the Hastings Law Journal, The Constitutional Law Quarterly, International and Comparative Law Review, Communications and Entertainment Law Journal, Women’s Law Journal, Race and Poverty, Business Law Review, and North/Northwest Journal of Environmental Law and Policy. The student newspaper is the Hastings Law News. Moot court competitions include the Giles Sutherland Rich Moot Court, National Appellate Advocacy, and the Frederick Douglass Moot Court. Two credit hours are awarded for participation. Among the 40 student organizations are the Associated Students of Hastings, La Raza Law Students Association, and the Black Law Students Association. There are local chapters of the National Lawyers Guild, Phi Delta Phi, and Amnesty International.

The law school operates on a traditional semester basis. Courses for full-time students are offered days only and must be completed within 3 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.