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School of Law
916-752-6477
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The School of Law offers a three-year professional curriculum leading to the degree of Juris Doctor. In addition to the traditional professional curriculum, the School provides professional skills training in interviewing and counseling, negotiation and dispute resolution and trial practice. It also offers opportunities for practical experience through clinical programs and for in-depth study of an area of law in an individualized program of classroom work, research, writing, or experience in the community. The School seeks to promote critical evaluation of law and legal institutions in a broad perspective, integrating non-legal disciplines with professional legal education.
The School is fully accredited by the American Bar Association, is a member of the Association of American Law Schools, and has a chapter of the Order of the Coif.
No specific college major is required for admission to the School of Law, and there is no prescribed pre-legal program. Your college record and Law School Admission Test (LSAT) score must, of course, demonstrate that you are highly qualified for the study of law.
As a pre-law student, you should plan a course of study that will give you a broad cultural background and include intensive work for a substantial period of time in a selected field of study. Pre-law students should develop the ability to think critically. They should gain an understanding of people and institutions and know how to gather and weigh facts, to solve problems and think creatively. They should be able to read rapidly with comprehension, and express themselves clearly, completely and concisely, both orally and in writing.
You can get help with program planning from the Pre-Law Advising Office, 227 Voorhies Hall, 916-752-3009.
For additional information, see the Official Guide to U.S. Law Schools, a publication of the Law School Admission Council and Law School Admission Services. This book includes material on the law and lawyers, pre-law preparation, applying to law school and the study of law, together with individualized information on all ABA approved law schools. It can be found at college and major bookstores or ordered from Law Services, Box 2400, Newtown, PA 18940-0977.
February 1 Deadline for filing applications for admission for 1997-98 to the School of Law
1. Request application forms and the school catalog from the Office of Admissions, School of Law, University of California, Davis, CA 95616-5201. Return your completed application to that office, plus a $40 nonrefundable application fee, in the form of a check or money order made payable to the Regents of the University of California.
The last date for filing completed application forms, together with all supporting documents, including LSAT scores, Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS) reports and letters of recommendation, is February 1 of the year in which admission is sought. Early filing of all application materials is strongly recommended and will materially assist the School of Law Admissions Committee in its considerations. Applications postmarked after February 1 will be returned to the applicant.
2. You must take the Law School Admission Test and register with the Law School Data Assembly Service so that the score will be reported to the school. You are urged to take the test as early as possible, and no later than December preceding the year in which admission is sought.
Testing centers are located in all parts of the United States and in many foreign countries. Tests are given four times a year: February, June, October and December. The completed test application blank, accompanied by the required fee, must be postmarked approximately six weeks before the date of the test to ensure that you will be registered for that test date.
To obtain application forms, information about the test, specific test dates and the location of testing centers, write to: Law Services, Box 2000, 661 Penn Street, Newtown, PA 18940-0998. You can also contact Law Services via e-mail at lsacinfo@lsac.org. The LSAT/LSDAS Registration and Information book is also available in the Law School Admission Office and the Pre-Law Advising Office on campus.
3. Register with the LSDAS no later than December 1 by completing and mailing the registration form supplied in each LSAT/LSDAS Registration and Information book book. Have a transcript from each college or university you have attended sent directly to Law Services, Box 2700, 661 Penn Street, Newtown, PA 18940-0978.
4. Submit an official transcript of college work completed during the first semester or quarter of your senior year directly to the School of Law as soon as it is available. Failure to do so may delay consideration of your application materials. Successful applicants must submit directly to the School of Law a final transcript showing the award of a bachelor's degree.
5. Provide two letters of recommendation from objective and responsible persons to whom you are well known. At least one of these letters should come from a faculty member under whom you studied while in college. These letters of recommendation should be enclosed in sealed envelopes, the recommender must sign across the seal, and the letters should be submitted along with the application for admission; or they may be sent directly from a college placement center, career center, or college pre-law office. Your application cannot be considered until two letters have been received.
Your application will be reviewed by the School of Law Admissions Committee, which seeks students of demonstrated academic ability, as evidenced by LSAT scores and the undergraduate grade point average (GPA). The committee seeks students of diverse backgrounds and considers economic factors, advanced degrees or other advanced studies, significant work experience and extracurricular and community activities during and after the college years. An applicant's growth, maturity and commitment to the study of law are also major considerations. Students are admitted only on a full-time basis and only in August.
6. When accepted by the School of Law, you are simultaneously admitted to Graduate Studies on the Davis campus of the university for the program leading to the degree of Juris Doctor. If you intend to pursue studies leading to other graduate degrees, or wish to become a candidate for a Combined Degree Program (see below), you must make separate application to Graduate Studies before commencing such studies.
If you have completed at least one year of full-time law coursework in another approved law school, you may be considered for admission to advanced standing with credit for not more than one year of such work. The application filing period is June 130. No application for advanced standing will be considered until the Office of Admissions has received transcripts for all prior law school work.
Application procedures for advanced standing are the same as described above with the addition of (1) a letter of good standing including class rank from the dean of any law school previously attended; (2) at least one letter of recommendation from a law professor; (3) transcripts of all law school work; (4) LSAT score (no need to register with LSDAS--a copy of the report previously submitted to the school you are presently attending will suffice); and (5) an official transcript from the school where you earned your undergraduate degree, stating the date the degree was conferred. The deadline for transfer applications is June 30 of the year for which transfer is sought. Committee decisions on advanced standing are normally made in late July or early August of the year in which admission is sought.
Students who have been disqualified at another law school will not be admitted to this school.
The students and faculty of the UC Davis School of Law recognize the great need for lawyers from underrepresented groups. The School, therefore, actively solicits applications from those groups that reflect the many diverse populations of California but, traditionally, have been underrepresented in the law school population.
The School of Law, in cooperation with the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) and the Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO), participates in programs designed to increase the number of law students from underrepresented groups. CLEO applications may be obtained by writing to: Council on Legal Education Opportunity, 1420 N Street, N.W., Terrace One, Washington, D.C. 20005.
Scholarships for Indian and Alaskan natives are available from American Indian Graduate Center, 4520 Montgomery Blvd., N.E., Suite 1B, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87109, (505) 881-4584. Applicants must be enrolled members of federally recognized Indian tribes or Alaskan native villages or possess 1/4 recognized blood and must demonstrate need. The deadline for applications is April 30.
The Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) has monies available for Hispanic students who have applied to law school. Applications may be obtained by writing to: Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund, 634 South Spring Street, 11th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90014, Attention Scholarship Fund.
The course of study in the professional curriculum requires six semesters for completion and extends over a period of three years. It is designed for full-time students only; no part-time or evening program is offered. New students are admitted only at the beginning of the fall semester.
After satisfactorily completing the professional curriculum of 88 semester units and the required period of resident study, you will receive the degree of Juris Doctor.
The first year's work is prescribed and provides the essential foundation for subsequent legal study. Satisfactory completion of the first-year courses is, in all cases, prerequisite to second- and third-year courses. The work of the second and third years is elective. Students who fail to attain satisfactory grades may be required to withdraw from the School at the end of any academic year.
Courses taken in summer sessions at other accredited law schools may, with prior permission, be credited toward the units required for the professional degree.
The courses of the professional curriculum are listed in the Programs and Courses section of this catalog.
Students may find a combined degree involving law and another discipline such as economics, business, sociology, or science advantageous. In order to encourage this kind of study, the School, in conjunction with other schools and university departments, has established Combined Degree Programs. Under these programs, a student may work toward a J.D. degree and a master's degree in another discipline at the same time. In some instances it may be possible to work on a Ph.D. degree as well.
Normally, a Combined Degree Program will take at least four years. You will usually be able to earn up to 10 semester-hours of law school credit for work in the related discipline and normally can complete the combined degrees in less time than it would take to earn the two degrees separately. The first year of the Combined Degree Program must be taken entirely in the School of Law. During the remaining years, coursework may be divided between the Law School and the related discipline. You must satisfy the admission requirements for both programs and file applications with both units.
Students have pursued degree programs in combination with UC Davis departments for the M.A. degree in economics and sociology, and with the School of Management for the M.B.A. degree. The Law School will attempt to work out an additional program if you are interested in other disciplines. You may enroll in the Combined Degree Program any time before the beginning of your third year in law school. If you are interested in pursuing a Combined Degree Program, and have made a separate application to another school or department, you should notify the School of Law if that application is accepted.
These are the proposed fees for the 1996-97 academic year. Because fees are subject to gubernatorial, legislative and regental action, these fees may change without notice.
| Per Semester | Annually | |
|---|---|---|
| University Registration Fee | $356.50 | $713.00 |
| Educational Fee | $1,543.00 | $3,086.00 |
| Law Student Assn. Fee | $10.00 | $20.00 |
| Memorial Union Fee | $42.75 | $85.50 |
| Health Insurance* | $224.50 | $449.00 |
| Student Facilities Safety Fee | $33.00 | $66.00 |
| Professional School Fee | $3,188.00 | $6,376.00 |
| Total for CA residents | $5,397.00 | $10,795.50 |
| Nonresident Tuition | $4,197.00 | $8,394.00 |
| Total for nonresidents | $9,594.75 | $19,189.50 |
* Students must purchase the Graduate Student Health Insurance Plan unless they are able to prove comparable coverage under another plan.
Students previously admitted
The Professional School Fee for students admitted to the School of Law in previous years is as follows:
PELP students are considered continuing students.
Readmitted students are considered new (entering) students.
The School of Law operates on a semester system rather than the quarter system used on the remainder of the Davis campus.
| FALL 1996 | SPRING 1997* | |
| Introduction Week | Mon-Fri,Aug 19-23 | |
| Law School instruction begins | Mon, Aug 26 | Mon, Jan 13 |
| Labor Day holiday | Mon, Sept 2 | |
| Thanksgiving holiday | Thurs-Fri, Nov 28-29 | |
| Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday | Mon, Jan 20 | |
| President's Day holiday | Mon, Feb 17 | |
| Spring recess | Mon-Fri, Mar 24-28 | |
| Law School instruction ends | Fri, Dec 6 | Fri, May 2 |
| Reading period | Sat-Mon., Dec 7-9 | Sat-Thurs, May 3-8 |
| Law School examination period | Tues.-Sat., Dec 10-21 | Fri-Fri, May 9-23 |
| Law School Commencement | Sat, May 24 | |
*Friday, February 21 is treated as a Monday for class schedule purposes.
We welcome your comments.
UC Davis 1996-97 Online General Catalog