What Makes UC Hastings Stand Out?

It might be our location in the heart of San Francisco, near the Civic Center and the local, state, and federal courts. UC Hastings is steps away from every manner of transportation, from streetcars and cable cars, to ferries and BART, San Francisco's subway. Our urban campus is comprised of three buildings containing classrooms, offices, our award-winning library, conference space, student apartments, and numerous amenities, such as the Law Café, the Skyroom, several lounges and study spaces, a basketball court and fitness center.

It might be the way we have built on our heritage to create one of the best law schools in the country. UC Hastings was founded in 1878 as the law department of the University of California and, as such, was the first UC law school and the first law school in California. UC Hastings has a proud history. In the years following World War II, the College was known for its Sixty-Five Club, a group of eminent scholars and jurists who provided Hastings with one of the most distinguished faculties of any American law school. Today, UC Hastings' faculty is comprised of a diverse and exciting group of outstanding teachers and nationally acclaimed scholars who range in experience from entry level professors to distinguished senior professors.

On the other hand, it might be the breadth and depth of our curriculum enabling students to master the complexity of contemporary legal doctrines and evolving lawyering skills and gain the theoretical tools necessary to re-conceptualize entire fields of law. Our graduates are ready to take on the challenges of a changing economy and the global practice of law. UC Hastings offers seven subject area concentrations, fourteen clinics and a wide variety of externship programs, including one of the most extensive judicial externship programs in the country; study abroad programs with sixteen law schools in Asia, Europe, and the Americas; four nationally recognized research and advocacy centers focusing on local government law, negotiations and dispute resolution, worklife law, and gender and refugee studies; opportunities to work on nine student-edited scholarly journals or on one of our award-winning skills teams, including trial advocacy, negotiation and mediation, and the #1 moot court program in the country.

It might be our outstanding alumni who work at the highest level of law practice, innovate in business and make policy in every state of the union and throughout the world. UC Hastings has produced more judges than any other law school in California and outstanding public servants at every level of government service. UC Hastings alumni are always ready to offer a helping hand to students as formal and informal mentors.

All of these qualities are impressive, but I believe that what makes UC Hastings stand out is the quality and passion of our students. UC Hastings students hail from more than 120 universities and colleges across the country, many with advanced degrees or several years' experience in the workplace. They bring a wide variety of perspectives to discussions in and outside of class and a great deal of energy to over 70 student organizations. UC Hastings student leaders are as creative and innovative at organizing informational events, conferences, and lectures at Hastings as they are at organizing great social events. UC Hastings students look out for each other and they make their mark as alumni in California and throughout the world.

For those first learning about our law school, I hope you will visit our campus and learn about our programs. If you are a graduate, it's time to get connected to all the great things happening here at UC Hastings.

Frank H. Wu
Chancellor & Dean