LLM

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 is the oldest law school in the western United States. It was established in 1878—less than 30 years after the start of the great California Gold Rush—as the law department of the University of California. For more than 125 years, UC Hastings has educated prominent leaders in the judiciary and the bar, in government and business, in education, and in the entertainment industry.

UC Hastings is located in San Francisco, one of the most beautiful, vibrant, and innovative cities in the nation. All levels of the local, state, and federal courts (other than the US Supreme Court) are within half a kilometer of the school. This proximity gives 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 prides itself on its international legal programs and its innovative programs in clinical legal education and alternative dispute resolution. Both our Moot Court Program and our Center for Negotiation and Dispute Resolution are nationally acclaimed.

We have also established a number of innovative research and legal services centers to address a range of national and international issues, including the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies, which is the leading organization for women asylum-seekers fleeing gender-related harm; the Center for Negotiation and Dispute Resolution, which organizes research and professional programs for the study of lawyering skills in negotiation and mediation; and the Center for WorkLife Law, which is a research and advocacy center that seeks to eliminate employment discrimination against caregivers, such as parents and adult children of aging parents.

Law School Enrollment

• LLM enrollment: 25–40 (approximate)
• JD enrollment: 1,275–1,300 (approximate)

Physical Facilities

Our newly renovated classroom building and library feature state-of-the-art technology. 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 library staff specially trained in international research. Please visit our library website for additional information.

We also have a state-of-the-art moot court room that supports our renowned Moot Court Program.

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 across 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.

Global Programs offers a welcoming environment and organizes social activities for LLM students, foreign exchange students, and visiting scholars. The office also provides immigration advising and connects international scholars and students with support services.

UC Hastings is located in downtown San Francisco, a city rich with diverse cultural, social, political, and intellectual activities and events. We are only a short walk away from San Francisco City Hall, the Asian Art Museum, the Civic Center Auditorium, the San Francisco Opera, and Davies Symphony Hall.

LLM Programs/Areas of Specialization

UC Hastings offers a one-academic-year LLM degree program in United States Legal Studies for students who have a law degree from outside the United States. Our LLM graduates hold a wide variety of positions in law, business, and education both abroad and in the United States. They include judges, law professors, and practitioners.

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 Hastings faculty. Our professors include leading figures in a wide range of fields. Most 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 commentators on legal developments on television, on the Internet, or in the print media.

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 counseling from the Director of Global Programs 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
• International Business and Trade
• Dispute Resolution and Legal Process
• Taxation
• Family Law

Career Services

UC Hastings' Office of Career and Professional Development provides a wide variety of programs, including panels, mock interviews, brown bags, workshops, and career fairs. 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 as well as special workshops and information sessions. 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 offers on-campus housing at the McAllister Tower. We also offer resources to assist our students in finding off-campus housing. Please visit our Housing Department website for more information.

Additional Information

For additional information, please visit our LLM Degree website or contact us by e-mail at llm@uchastings.edu.

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