University of California, Hastings College of the Law

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University of California, Hastings College of the Law
Image:hastings_seal.jpg
Established 1878
Type Public
Postgraduates 1300
Location San Francisco, California, USA
Dean Nell Jessup Newton
Website www.uchastings.edu
UC Hastings College of the Law - close to San Francisco courts and law firms
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UC Hastings College of the Law - close to San Francisco courts and law firms

University of California, Hastings College of the Law is a law school located in downtown San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1878 by Serranus Clinton Hastings, the first Chief Justice of California, as the first law school of the University of California (UC), and it remains affiliated with the University of California today. The University of California, Hastings College of the Law is also commonly referred to as "UC Hastings" or simply "Hastings." UC Hastings is the first and oldest law school in California, and is one of the few university-affiliated law schools in the United States which does not sit on a general university campus.

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[edit] History

Hastings has a unique relationship with the University of California. When he gave $100,000 to the University of California to start the law school named after him, Justice Hastings imposed two conditions: the school must remain in San Francisco near the courts; and it could not be governed by the Regents of the University of California. Thus, the school's leader (who holds the dual titles of Chancellor and Dean) must directly obtain funds from the California Legislature, not the UC Regents, as other UC chancellors must do.[1]

In the 1960s, Hastings began the "65 Club," the practice of hiring faculty who had been forced into mandatory retirement at age 65 from Ivy League and other elite institutions.[2] After the passage of age discrimination laws, however, the "65 Club" slowly phased out, and Hastings hired its last "65 Club" professor in 1998.

Hastings has constistently ranked in the first tier of law schools, and is currently ranked 43rd among the nation's "Top 100 Law Schools" by U.S. News & World Report in its 2007 publication. Its peak ranking was 20, in 1994.

UC Hastings enjoys an excellent reputation within California due to its large and active California alumni base, its nationally-renowned professors and gifted student body. The large size of the UC Hastings student body contributes to the success and reputation of the school. For instance, UC Hastings has the distinction of having supplied a plurality of actively practicing California lawyers. According to the State Bar of California, Hastings alumni form the largest proportion of the Bar's members. Hastings has also supplied more of California's current judges than any other law school--about a tenth of the state judiciary. Hastings consistently has one of the highest passage rates (between 80 and 90 percent) on the California Bar Exam.

[edit] Organization and Structure

UC Hastings is controlled by a nine-member Board of Directors. The UC Hastings Board of Directors exists independently of, and is not controlled by, the University of California Board of Regents. Pursuant to California law, eight of the directors are appointed by the Governor of California. Pursuant to the UC Hastings constitutive documents, the ninth director must be a direct lineal descendant of UC Hastings founder Clinton Serranus Hastings.

UC Hastings' detachment from the UC Regents gives it a broad degree of independence in shaping educational and fiscal policies; however, due to a shrinking California education budget, Hastings must also compete for limited educational funds against its fellow UCs. Despite the apparent competition between the UC law schools, Hastings has been able to maintain its traditionally high standards without having to decrease class size or raise tuition prices to higher levels than fellow UC law schools.

[edit] Location

UC Hastings is located at 200 McAllister Street, San Francisco, CA 94102.[1]

The university spreads among three main buildings, located along the 100 block of McAllister Street, in San Francisco's Civic Center. It is walking distance from the Civic Center BART and MUNI stations. UC Hastings is commonly but affectionately derided by students and alums as being located in the ugliest corner of the most beautiful city in the world. This corner, known as the Tenderloin, is site to a drifting homeless population, contributing to what some call a "rough" atmosphere. Nevertheless, UC Hastings offers a very safe learning environment. Located within a two-block radius of the campus is the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, the California Supreme Court, San Francisco City Hall, United Nations Plaza (and Federal Building Annex), the San Francisco Asian Arts Museum, and the San Francisco County Public Library. The heavy concentration of public administrative buildings within the Civic Center results in constant police presence in and around UC Hastings.

[edit] Academics

Hastings offers a three-year Juris Doctor program with concentrated studies available in five areas: civil litigation, international law, public interest law, taxation, and family law. Most JD students follow a traditional three-year plan. During the first year, students take required courses as well as one elective course. In the second and third years, students may take any course or substitute or supplement their courses with judicial externships or internships, judicial clinics, or study abroad. The college also offers a one-year LL.M. degree in U.S. legal studies for students holding law degrees from foreign law programs.

Hastings has one of most flexible opportunities for study abroad of any top American law school, as it approves most ABA-approved foreign study programs. This option allows students to create individual "study abroad" programs. UC Hastings' diverse student body consistently stretches the bounds of the flexible study abroad program. Students have been known to create unique study abroad arrangements with law faculties in China, Japan, India, Europe, Australia and Africa.

[edit] Publications

Inaugurated in 1997 as the publishing department at UC Hastings, the O'Brien Center publishes seven journals on various aspects of the law. The oldest journal out of the seven is the Hastings Law Journal, which was founded in 1949. The O'Brien Center also has published two books: Forgive Us Our Press Passes, by Daniel Schorr and The Traynor Reader: Essays, by the Honorable Roger J. Traynor.

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] Notable faculty members

[edit] References

  1. ^ Donna Domino, “Outgoing Dean Revitalized Troubled Hastings,” San Francisco Daily Journal, 6 April 2006, 1.
  2. ^ Charles Hillinger, "Hastings Faculty Is Anything But Retiring," Los Angeles Times, 14 December 1982, D12.

[edit] External links


University of California
Berkeley • Davis • Hastings • Irvine • Los Angeles • Merced • Riverside • San Diego • San Francisco • Santa Barbara • Santa Cruz
Universities and Colleges in San Francisco, California
Academy of Art University • Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry • California College of the Arts • California Institute of Integral Studies • City College of San Francisco • Golden Gate University • New College of California • San Francisco State University • University of California, Hastings College of the Law • University of California, San Francisco • University of San Francisco
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