Juris Doctor Program

The UC Hastings Juris Doctor program provides a strong practical foundation, plus the flexibility to tailor your legal education to match your professional goals.

The J.D. program is the heart of academic life at UC Hastings. During three years of intensive study and hands-on practice, students are immersed in the history, theory, and complex reality of the living law. Students can tailor their education through eight concentrations, including International Law, Criminal Law, and Law and Health Sciences. Practical and professional skills are honed by working directly with clients in the College's community clinics or by joining the best Moot Court Team in the country. The J.D. program at UC Hastings provides a transformative legal education in one of the greatest cities on Earth.

Apply to the J.D. Program.

J.D. Curriculum

The J.D. curriculum at UC Hastings is grounded in fundamentals: research and writing, appellate advocacy, criminal and tort law, and practical lawyering skills. It is an intensive three-year, full-time degree program of increasingly complexity and depth, but with the flexibility to let you focus on your greatest professional and intellectual interests.

Concentrations

Dig deeper into the subjects you love and work closely with professors who are renowned experts in their fields. As a J.D. student at UC Hastings, you have the option of earning a certificate of concentration in eight distinct areas of the law:

• Civil Litigation and Dispute Resolution
• Criminal Law
• Intellectual Property
• Government Law
• International and Comparative Law
• Law and Health Sciences
• Social Justice Lawyering
• Taxation Law

Lawyering Skills and Experience

Lawyering is the real work of practicing law. As a student in UC Hastings’ J.D. program, you will gain professional and practical lawyering experience cross-examining a witness, writing an appellate brief, negotiating a contract, mediating a dispute, filing a patent and protecting the civil rights of a real client. Build confidence through hands-on simulation courses, compete on one of our professional skills teams, serve clients in the community through our law clinics, or contribute to one of the College's nine law journals, more than almost any other law school in America.

Special Opportunities

Take advantage of the incredible opportunities available to you as a UC Hastings student. You will live, study and work in the heart of San Francisco, one of the most diverse and dynamic cities in the world. Take advantage of externship opportunities with state legislators and human rights advocates, the Department of Justice, or the Sierra Club. Engage in pro bono and public interest initiatives right here in the Civic Center and Tenderloin neighborhoods. Or study abroad at 16 partner universities for a semester or full-year exchange.

Contact Us

Contact the Admissions Office to learn more about the distinct advantages of the UC Hastings J.D. program.