University of California, Hastings College of the Law

Introduction

UC Hastings College of the Law offers a superb legal education in San Francisco, one of the world's great cities. Hastings was the first public law school in California, founded in 1878 as the law department of the University of California. The faculty at Hastings is composed of exceptional teachers who are also nationally known scholars. They are accessible to students and encourage a collaborative learning environment. Hastings has produced more judges than any other law school in the state, and its graduates can be found practicing law throughout California and the nation, in every kind of setting. Hastings graduates also have a significant presence in business and government.

The law school is situated in the heart of the city, near City Hall, state and federal courts, the arts district, the financial district, and the downtown shopping area. This central location provides access for students to pursue internships and externships with judges, city and state agencies, and nearby nonprofit research and advocacy groups. The location also provides unparalleled opportunities for recreation: theater, music, restaurants, professional and amateur sports, and a world-class transportation system.

Library, Technology, and Housing

Hastings is an urban campus with three buildings, all having wireless Internet access. The classroom building was renovated in 2000, and renovation of the library/administration building was completed in the fall of 2007. The new library is designed to be both comfortable and functional, with small-group study rooms, both open areas and individual carrels, and access to traditional and online research tools. McAllister Tower is a splendid, remodeled art deco building with 250 apartments, many with stunning views of the city. The building also features a comfortable lounge and a gym, including a basketball court often frequented by local attorneys and judges as well as Hastings students.

Curriculum

The UC Hastings curriculum offers a broad spectrum of foundational and specialized courses. The law school's curricular strengths mirror the strengths of San Francisco. Students can focus on international human rights and business law, public interest law, intellectual property law, business and tax law, or litigation and its alternatives. San Francisco is a global city that draws on experts from Silicon Valley and the greater Bay Area to enrich course offerings.

Special Programs

• Concentrations: Students may earn a certificate of concentration in any of the following areas: Civil Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Criminal Law, Law and Health Sciences, Intellectual Property, International Law, Social Justice Lawyering, or Tax Law.
• Clinics and Judicial Externships: Hastings provides an exciting and diverse array of opportunities for students to gain practical experience. Under clinical faculty supervision, students represent real clients in in-house and out-placement clinics specializing in community development, environmental law, labor and employment, housing and disability rights, law reform, international human rights, immigrants' rights, and legislation. In these clinics, students learn a variety of lawyering techniques, including counseling and planning, litigation, alternative dispute resolution, and legislation. Simulation courses teach trial and appellate advocacy, negotiation, mediation, contract drafting, problem solving, and professional ethics. More than 100 students a year spend a semester serving as externs in the state and federal courts, including the Supreme Court of California.
• International Programs: Hastings offers an exceptionally strong curriculum focusing on international human rights, as well as international business and trade law. In addition, students may participate in the work of the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies, the Immigrants' Rights Clinic, and the Hastings-to-Haiti Partnership. Hastings also offers over 17 study-abroad programs in Argentina, Australia, Spain, China, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, and the Netherlands and supports students who wish to study abroad in other locations.
• Joint-Degree Programs: Hastings students may participate in a joint-degree program with any accredited graduate program throughout the country. Hastings students have simultaneously earned degrees in public policy, public health, and business administration, among others.
• Legal Education Opportunity Program (LEOP): Hastings recognizes that the traditional numeric criteria used to determine admission may not be the best indicators of academic potential for students from adverse backgrounds. Applicants admitted through LEOP are offered resources designed to assist them to excel academically throughout their entire course of study. Twenty percent of each year's entering class at Hastings is comprised of LEOP participants.
• Centers and Institutes: Students have opportunities to work in the law school's highly acclaimed research and advocacy centers: the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies, the Center for Negotiation and Dispute Resolution, the Center for State and Local Government Law, the Center for WorkLife Law, and the Public Law Research Institute.
• Intercollegiate Moot Court Team: Hastings has one of the most successful and most well-respected Moot Court programs in the United States. Each year Hastings participates in numerous intercollegiate Moot Court competitions covering a wide range of current legal issues, and is among the top programs in the country.
• LLM Program: Graduates of non-US law schools may earn a master of laws degree in US Legal Studies.
• MSL Program: Health and science professionals who do not seek to practice law, but who instead want to equip themselves with a more sophisticated understanding of legal reasoning and doctrine may pursue a one-year master of studies in law degree.

Cocurricular and Student Activities

The strength and diversity of the Hastings student body are reflected in more than 60 student organizations that sponsor intellectual, social, and political events. Hastings publishes nine student-edited law reviews. The Hastings Law Journal is a general-interest publication. In addition, eight specialty law reviews focus on a variety of issues, including business law, constitutional law, communication and entertainment law, international and comparative law, environmental law, science and technology, and the law relating to race or gender. Students may also join the college's award-winning moot court, negotiation, client counseling, and trial practice teams, which compete in state, national, and international competitions. Students also engage in a variety of legal and nonlegal community service activities in and around the Hastings neighborhood.

Financial Aid

The majority of UC Hastings students receive need-based and merit-based financial assistance from college-administered sources. Scholarships and grants recognize and encourage the achievement, service, and professional promise of students. Students who pursue qualifying public interest and government sector employment may receive loan repayment assistance after graduation through the Public Interest Career Assistance Program (PICAP).

Career Services

UC Hastings offers one of the most comprehensive law career services offices in the West. The office assists students and alumni in clarifying their goals, acquiring job-search strategies, and honing interviewing techniques. It provides access to full-time, part-time, and summer job listings. Every year, more than 200 employers visit the campus to interview students for both summer associate positions and permanent postgraduation employment. Several hundred additional employers from throughout the nation participate in the recruit-by-mail program.

Applicant Profile

University of California, Hastings College of the Law

This grid includes only applicants who earned 120–180 LSAT scores under standard administrations.

	GPA
LSAT Score	3.75+ Apps	3.75+ Adm	3.50– 3.74 Apps	3.50– 3.74 Adm	3.25– 3.49 Apps	3.25– 3.49 Adm	3.00– 3.24 Apps	3.00– 3.24 Adm	2.75– 2.99 Apps	2.75– 2.99 Adm	2.50– 2.74 Apps	2.50– 2.74 Adm	2.25– 2.49 Apps	2.25– 2.49 Adm	2.00– 2.24 Apps	2.00– 2.24 Adm	Below 2.00 Apps	Below 2.00 Adm	No GPA Apps	No GPA Adm	Total Apps	Total Adm
LSAT score 175–180	4	3	8	6	10	7	10	5	0	0	2	0	0	0	3	1	0	0	0	0	37	22
LSAT score 170–174	47	37	60	46	45	25	33	12	17	5	11	3	4	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	219	129
LSAT score 165–169	186	167	254	209	200	102	127	39	63	11	33	5	9	0	4	0	0	0	22	14	898	547
LSAT score 160–164	255	207	445	206	378	73	210	18	73	4	37	2	23	2	5	0	0	0	39	9	1465	521
LSAT score 155–159	151	90	295	62	308	18	183	15	109	5	42	0	18	1	4	0	0	0	26	0	1136	191
LSAT score 150–154	68	11	140	25	163	14	152	7	96	0	47	1	25	0	5	0	2	0	15	1	713	59
LSAT score 145–149	25	3	58	11	102	1	76	0	54	0	34	0	27	0	4	0	0	0	10	0	390	15
LSAT score 140–144	7	1	22	1	23	0	50	0	34	0	28	0	19	0	5	0	0	0	5	0	193	2
LSAT score 135–139	0	0	8	0	5	0	15	0	12	0	11	0	7	0	5	0	3	0	2	0	68	0
LSAT score 130–134	0	0	1	0	4	0	3	0	3	0	6	0	2	0	7	0	0	0	2	0	28	0
LSAT score 125–129	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	0
LSAT score 120–124	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	743	519	1292	566	1238	240	860	96	462	25	253	11	136	3	42	1	5	0	123	25	5154	1486

Apps = Number of Applicants
Adm = Number Admitted
Reflects 99% of the total applicant pool; highest LSAT data reported.