University of California, Los Angeles School of Law

University of California, Los Angeles School of Law
Original University of California seal: probably Tiffany & Co,; This SVG file: C · Public domain · source
Name	UCLA School of Law
Established	1949
Type	Public
Parent	University of California, Los Angeles
Dean	Michael Waterstone
Location	Westwood, Los Angeles, California, United States
Students	~1,000
Faculty	~100
Website	Official website

University of California, Los Angeles School of Law is a professional graduate school located in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, and is part of the larger University of California, Los Angeles system. The school offers jurisprudential instruction and legal training through a Juris Doctor program, advanced degrees, and a networked set of clinics and centers that interact with courts and agencies across California and the United States. Its alumni and faculty include judges, legislators, corporate counsel, public defenders, and scholars who have participated in landmark litigation, federal appointments, and non‑profit leadership.

History

Founded in 1949 during the postwar expansion of the University of California system, the law school opened as an urban institution responding to demands in Los Angeles, and quickly established ties to state and federal institutions such as the California Supreme Court, the United States District Court for the Central District of California, and the California State Legislature. Early faculty recruits included scholars and practitioners with backgrounds at institutions like Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, and the University of Chicago Law School, fostering comparative curricula that referenced cases from the United States Supreme Court and statutes such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964. During the 1960s and 1970s the school expanded clinics and public-interest programs influenced by litigation before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and landmark decisions from the Supreme Court of California, while alumni entered administrations including the White House and the California Governor's Office.

Campus and Facilities

The law school is situated near the main UCLA campus in Westwood, adjacent to facilities like the California Natural History Museum and the Hammer Museum and within commuting distance of downtown hubs including the Los Angeles County Superior Court complex and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit courthouse in Pasadena. The facility houses classrooms, a law library with collections emphasizing federal and state materials including volumes related to the United States Constitution and state codes, faculty offices formerly used for visiting scholars from institutions like Oxford University, and moot courtrooms modeled on settings for arguments before the United States Supreme Court. The campus environment provides proximity to legal employers such as the American Civil Liberties Union, Public Counsel, and major law firms with offices on Wilshire Boulevard and in the Century City district.

Academics and Degree Programs

The school offers the Juris Doctor (J.D.), Master of Laws (LL.M.), Master of Legal Studies (M.L.S.), and Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) degrees, as well as joint degrees with the Anderson School of Management, the School of Law, and other UCLA units that connect to public policy and health law frameworks. Curricula include doctrinal courses referencing precedents from Brown v. Board of Education, Miranda v. Arizona, and statutory instruction tied to acts such as the Affordable Care Act, complemented by seminars authored by visiting faculty from Columbia Law School, Stanford Law School, and New York University School of Law. Specialized programs cover areas including environmental law with ties to litigation in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, entertainment law connected to studios on Sunset Boulevard, and international law engaging organizations such as the International Court of Justice and the United Nations.

Admissions and Rankings

Admissions are competitive, drawing applicants from feeder institutions including University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, University of Michigan, University of Texas at Austin, and New York University, with selection factors that reference LSAT scores, undergraduate records from colleges like Harvard College and Princeton University, letters of recommendation from judges and practitioners at institutions such as the Federal Public Defender offices, and personal statements discussing clerkships with judges on the Ninth Circuit or work at non‑profits like Public Counsel. National rankings by outlets that evaluate law schools alongside peers such as Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, Columbia Law School, and University of Pennsylvania Law School place the school among leading public law faculties, with strength indicators in specialties tracked by legal periodicals and bar passage reports in the State Bar of California.

Clinical Programs and Centers

Clinical offerings include litigation clinics engaging state and federal court dockets including matters before the United States District Court for the Central District of California, immigration clinics addressing cases under the Immigration and Nationality Act, and policy centers working on issues before the California Public Utilities Commission, the California Coastal Commission, and federal agencies. Research centers focus on areas such as civil rights, criminal justice reform with analyses referencing landmark cases like Gideon v. Wainwright, environmental law linking to litigation over the National Environmental Policy Act, and technology and privacy law examining regulations influenced by the Federal Communications Commission and rulings from the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Student Life and Organizations

Student organizations span interest and identity groups, including chapters affiliated with national bodies like the American Bar Association Student Division, advocacy groups coordinating with the National Lawyers Guild, and journals that publish scholarship cited by courts and agencies, modeled after prestigious periodicals such as the Harvard Law Review and the Yale Law Journal. Performance teams compete in moot court competitions including the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition and the National Moot Court Competition, while pro bono projects partner with legal services providers such as Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles and the Public Defender Service.

Notable Alumni and Faculty

Alumni include judges appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, members of the United States House of Representatives, state attorneys general who argued before the United States Supreme Court, general counsels for corporations on Wilshire Boulevard and executives at entertainment companies on Sunset Boulevard, as well as leaders at non‑profits like ACLU affiliates, and academia with faculty appointments at Yale Law School, Stanford Law School, and Harvard Law School. Faculty have included scholars who testified before congressional committees such as those in the United States Senate and who have lectured at international forums like the International Bar Association, with expertise spanning constitutional litigation, administrative law, and transactional practice.

Category:Law schools in California