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University of California College of the Law, San Francisco

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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. UC Hastings is also the first and oldest law school in California, and, like its neighbor McGeorge School of Law a few miles to the east, it is one of the few university-affiliated law schools in the United States which does not sit on a general university campus.

History

UC Hastings has a rather unusual and unique relationship with the University of California. When he gave $100,000 to UC to start the law school named after him, Justice Hastings imposed two conditions: (1) the school must be in San Francisco near the courts, and (2) 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 and not the UC Regents (as other UC chancellors must do).[1] Throughout much of the 20th century, Hastings' reputation as one of the best law schools in the United States was due largely to its shrewd tactic of hiring faculty who had been forced into mandatory retirement (due to age) from other elite institutions.[2] While these "65 Club" faculty would often only give a few years of service to the school, the culture and climate of San Francisco kept a steady stream of graying law professors coming through Hastings' doors. When laws against age discrimination came into existence in the 1970s, however, most universities abandoned their mandatory retirement policies, eliminating Hastings' major advantage.

Hastings ranked 43rd among the nation's "Top 100 Law Schools" by U.S. News & World Report in its 2007 publication.

Hastings also 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 are Hastings alumni).[3] Also, as of 2005, the school's large size means that more Hastings graduates (about 340) take the California bar exam than graduates of any other law school.

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. The college also offers a one-year LL.M. degree in U.S. legal studies for students holding law degrees from foreign law programs.

Publications

Inaugurated in 1997 as the publishing department at UC Hastings College of the Law, 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 nationally acclaimed journalist Daniel Schorr and The Traynor Reader, Essays by the Honorable Roger J. Traynor.

Journals:

Notable alumni

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.
  3. ^ Domino, 1.


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