200 McAllister Street, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA
Phone: 415.565.4817 | Website: www.uchastings.edu/llm
Introduction
The University of California Hastings College of the Law, located in the heart of San Francisco, California, was established in 1878 as the first law department of the University of California system. For more than 125 years, UC Hastings has educated prominent leaders in the judiciary and the bar, in government and business, and in education.
With every continent represented, LLM students at UC Hastings are a diverse group of professionals with a wide variety of experience both abroad and in the United States.
The LLM class is a close-knit group who find social and academic support within their small group while creating lasting friendships with their Juris Doctor peers. Taking all but two of their classes alongside the Juris Doctor candidates, LLM students are able to choose from approximately 130 courses. LLM candidates may also elect to specialize in one of seven areas, receiving both an LLM degree and a Certificate of Specialization upon graduation.
UC Hastings prides itself on its international legal programs and its innovative programs in clinical legal education. UC Hastings is home to several nationally acclaimed legal centers such as the Center for Negotiation and Dispute Resolution; the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies; UCSF/UC Hastings Consortium on Law, Science, and Health Policy; and the Center for WorkLife Law.
UC Hastings is located in the center of San Francisco, one of the most beautiful, vibrant, and innovative cities in the nation. UC Hastings is within walking distance of San Francisco City Hall and all levels of the local, state, and federal courts (other than the US Supreme Court). This proximity gives UC Hastings students the opportunity to experience the law in the forums where it is practiced and determined, and provides a level of relevancy to their education that is unparalleled in most law schools.
UC Hastings is also just a short walk from the San Francisco Opera, the Asian Art Museum, and Davies Symphony Hall. Using the city’s extensive public transportation system, students can easily access a variety of San Francisco’s most popular tourist attractions, such as Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman’s Wharf, and AT&T Park, home of the Major League Baseball (MLB) World Series champion San Francisco Giants.
With the premier LLM program in San Francisco, one of the largest alumni networks in the United States, access to our award-winning faculty, and all of San Francisco’s amenities, UC Hastings provides a unique and powerful learning experience to its LLM students.
Law School Enrollment
- LLM enrollment: 25–40 (approximate)
- JD enrollment: 1,000 (approximate)
LLM Programs/Certificates of Specialization
UC Hastings offers a one-academic-year LLM degree program in United States Legal Studies for students who are licensed to practice law and/or have a law degree from outside the United States. Our LLM program offers students approximately 130 courses, including 50 small seminars. Few other US law schools offer as wide a selection of courses open to LLM and JD candidates alike. Our LLM candidates receive one-on-one academic counseling and choose courses based on their personal interests. In addition, our LLM program offers specialization in the following areas:
- International Law and Human Rights
- Science, Technology, and Intellectual Property
- Health Law and Policy
- International Business and Trade
- Environmental Law
- Dispute Resolution and Legal Process
- Taxation
Faculty
At UC Hastings, LLM students will have ready access to some of the leading law professors in the United States. Our faculty prides itself on its teaching and scholarship; more than 25 of the leading law textbooks used by most law schools in the United States are authored by UC Hastings faculty. Most of our professors have clerked for US Supreme Court justices or other prominent federal or state judges. Many have worked as prosecutors or practiced with top national and international law firms. Several have served in the federal government, and many have studied or taught in other countries and draw upon their international experience in their classes and writing. Numerous faculty members are regular legal commentators on television, the Internet, and in the print media. Our faculty are accomplished and approachable and are dedicated to helping our students achieve their goals.
Physical Facilities
Our newly renovated classroom and library buildings feature cutting-edge technology, cafés, and many spaces in which students may study or socialize. We have a state-of-the-art moot court room that supports our renowned Moot Court Program, and we possess one of the largest collections of US, international, and comparative legal material in the United States. Our extraordinary collection is backed by the wealth of scholarly resources of the entire University of California and a library staff specially trained in international research. Please visit our library website for additional information.
Student Organizations and Cultural Activities
The diversity and variety of student clubs and organizations that thrive at UC Hastings are reflective of the intellectual energy, passion, and sense of community that defines student life on our campus. In addition to playing an active role in the everyday functioning of the law school, as well as representing the school with distinction at conferences, seminars, competitions, and other events throughout the world, our students are founders of and active participants in more than 60 organizations. Addressing everything from specific legal specialties to diverse political, ethnic, and cultural issues and interests, these organizations enable our students to forge lifelong connections with one another, pursue their extracurricular interests, and gain invaluable leadership skills.
The Global Programs Office offers a welcoming environment, provides one-on-one academic advising and support, and organizes social activities for LLM students, foreign exchange students, and visiting foreign scholars. A number of activities are also cosponsored by the Office of Student Services, allowing our LLM and JD students to socialize outside of the classroom setting.
Career Services
UC Hastings' Office of Career and Professional Development provides a wide variety of programs, including panels, mock interviews, résumé and career-building workshops, career fairs, and one of the most successful law school mentor programs in the United States. The office also offers a well-stocked career library, as well as office computers dedicated to student use and an online job database for students, alumni, and potential employers.
With a career counselor specifically assigned to assist them, our LLM students benefit from personalized assistance in developing an individualized job-search strategy, drafting job application materials, and working on interviewing and networking skills, as well as a number of workshops and information sessions tailored to the needs of foreign students. UC Hastings is a consortium member of the West Coast LLM Job Fair, so our LLM students have opportunities to interview with international firms prior to graduation.
Housing
UC Hastings is one of only a few urban law schools to offer on-campus housing. We also offer resources to assist our students in finding off-campus housing. Please visit our Housing Department website for more information.
LLM – JD Transfer
UC Hastings offers a JD transfer program that allows qualified UC Hastings LLM students to apply to our JD program using grades and faculty recommendations in substitution of an LSAT score. If a UC Hastings LLM candidate is admitted to our JD program, the student will not receive an LLM degree, and instead will have the 24 earned LLM credits applied towards the completion of the JD degree. The student is then required to complete two additional years of study in order to meet the additional requirements of the JD degree. LLM students from other law schools are not eligible for this transfer program.
Additional Information
For additional information, please visit our LLM Program website or contact us by e-mail at llm@uchastings.edu.
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