Legal Education Opportunity Program

UC Hastings created the Legal Education Opportunity Program (LEOP) more than thirty years ago in order to make a top-tier legal education accessible to those who come from significantly adverse backgrounds. The LEOP program recognizes that the traditional numeric criteria used to determine admissions may not be sufficient indicators of academic potential for students who have experienced significant obstacles - educational, economic, social, or physical - that have restricted access to academic opportunities and resources. The academic median of incoming LEOP students was 155 (LSAT) and 3.51 (GPA).

In addition to completing the general application for admissions, those applying through the LEOP program are required to address questions on the LEOP Application Supplement and are strongly encouraged to submit a second personal essay detailing the adversity they have encountered. Approximately twenty percent of each entering class at Hastings is comprised of LEOP students.

Once at Hastings, students in the LEOP program are enrolled in the same courses as the rest of the student body, and participate fully in the life of the College. However, LEOP students are also provided with the opportunity to participate in a cooperative academic support program committed to their success in law school and in the legal profession. This academic support program, which begins with a week-long orientation prior to the beginning of school and spans a student's entire stay at Hastings, includes the following:

• Small, weekly study group sessions: The goal of these sessions is to develop students' independent learning strategies using a skills-based approach.
• Saturday Practice Exams: Each semester LEOP students are offered simulated exam workshops, during which they write four practice exams and receive written evaluations of their knowledge and exam-taking techniques.
• Academic Workshops: LEOP offers individual tutoring, academic counseling, and workshops on outlining, examination strategies, legal writing, and legal analysis.
• Programs for Second and Third Year LEOP Students: Small group sessions are conducted in some second-year courses. Each session uses problem solving as the means for reviewing substantive law and legal analysis.
• A Supplemental bar review course: For its graduating students, LEOP offers a supplemental bar review course, Bar None. The program emphasizes study techniques and exam-taking skills and practice, and provides constructive feedback.

The LEOP program also has an Academic Resources Center, which includes conference rooms for small group sessions and student meetings, a lounge/study area, and a kitchenette. The LEOP suite also houses a lending library of textbooks, study aids (flash cards, audio tapes, flash cards on disk, and video tapes), practice exams with sample answers, and student outlines.

For more information about the LEOP program, please contact the Admissions Office at at admiss@uchastings.edu.