Information:
School of Law-Admission Office
530-752-6477; http://kinghall.ucdavis.edu;
lawadmissions@ucdavis.edu
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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, 752-3009.
For additional information, see the Official Guide to U.S. Law Schools, a publication of the Law School Admission Council in cooperation with the American Bar Association and the Association of American Law Schools. 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, http://www.lsac.org; 215-968-1001; Box 2400, Newtown, PA 18940-0977.
February 1 Deadline for filing applications for admission for 1999-2000 to the School of Law
1. Request application forms and the school catalog from the Office of Admissions, School of Law, University of California, 400 Mrak Hall Drive, Davis, CA 95616-5201 or post an e-mail request to: lawadmissions@ucdavis.edu. 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, September and December. The completed test application blank, accompanied by the required fee, should 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. 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. There are three options for submission of recommendations: (1) use the envelopes provided in the School of Law catalog and follow the instructions for submission of recommendations with the admission application; (2) submit recommendations to LSAC for inclusion with your LSDAS report; (3) have your career center, prelaw office, or other campus recommendation service send the letters directly to the School of Law. 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 course work 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 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.
Applications for the Prelaw Summer Institute for American Indians and Alaskan Natives may be obtained from the American Indian Law Center, P.O. Box 4456-Station A, Albuquerque, NM 87196 (505-277-5462).
The Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) has scholarships available for Latino students who have applied to law school. Applications may be obtained by writing to MALDEF, 634 So. Spring Street, 11th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90014 (213-629-2512, ext. 146).
These are the proposed fees for the 1999-2000 academic year. Because fees are subject to gubernatorial, legislative and regental action, these fees may change without notice.
| Fee | Per Semester | Annually |
| University Registration Fee | $356.00 | $713.00 |
| Educational Fee | $1,543.00 | $3,086.00 |
| Law Student Association Fee | $10.00 | $20.00 |
| Memorial Union Fee | $42.75 | $85.50 |
| Student Health Services Fee | $48.00 | $96.00 |
| Health Insurance** | $208.00 | $416.00 |
| Student Facilities Safety Fee | $33.00 | $66.00 |
| Professional School Fee | $3,188.00 | $6,376.00 |
| Legal Education Enhancement and Access Program Fee | $15.00 | $30.00 |
| Total for California residents | $5,444.25 | $10,888.50 |
| Nonresident Tuition | $5,161.00 | $10,322.00 |
| Total for nonresidents | $10,605.25 | $21,210.50 |
| ** Students must purchase the Graduate Student Health Insurance Plan unless they are able to prove comparable coverage under another plan. | ||
| * These fees apply to students admitted to the School of Law in 1999-2000, 1998-99, 1997-98, or 1996-97. | ||
| 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 1999 | SPRING 2000* | |
| Introduction Week | Mon-Fri, Aug 16-20 | |
| Law School instruction begins | Mon, Aug 23 | Mon, Jan 10 |
| Labor Day holiday | Mon, Sept 6 | |
| Thanksgiving holiday | Thurs-Fri, Nov 25-26 | |
| Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday | Mon, Jan 17 | |
| President's Day holiday | Mon, Feb 21 | |
| Spring recess | Mon-Fri, Mar 27-31 | |
| Law School instruction ends | Fri, Dec 3 | Fri, April 28 |
| Reading period | Sat-Tues, Dec 4-7 | Sat-Thurs, April 29-May 4 |
| Law School examination period | Wed-Wed., Dec 8-22 | Fri-Fri, May 5-19 |
| Law School Commencement | Sat, May 20 | |
| *Friday, February 25, is treated as a Monday for class schedule purposes. | ||
UC Davis 1999-2000 Online General Catalog. Posted July 30, 1999.
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Molly Theodossy, Keitha Hunter and Barbara Anderson, Editors
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