Social Justice Lawyering Concentration

Concentration Advisor: Professor Ascanio Piomelli

The Social Justice Lawyering Concentration prepares students for careers (or pro bono efforts) by immersing them in both the theory and practice of lawyering for and with under-represented clients and communities. Reflecting the Hastings faculty’s deep commitment to social justice, the concentration’s rich array of more than 90 qualifying classes are taught by over thirty full-time Hastings faculty members, augmented by adjunct faculty drawn from many of the Bay Area’s (and U.S.’s) preeminent public interest lawyers.

The cornerstone of the concentration is its year-long seminar that enables students in their second year of law school to deepen their understanding of and commitment to social justice practice and to forge supportive ties with peers and faculty who affirm and share a passion for lawyering that acts on one's values and vision of the world as it should be (and can become). The concentration's distributional requirements ensure that all concentrators are exposed to at least one substantial clinical experience (where they can engage hands-on in real-world lawyering and reflect upon the experience to refine a personal vision of the sort of lawyer they aim to become), a dispute resolution skills class, and a class exploring the roles that race plays in our society.