Law
School of Law
Office of JD Admissions: 2850 Telegraph Avenue, (510) 642-2274
Dean (on leave): Christopher Edley Jr., JD, MPP
Acting Dean: Gillian Lester, LLB, JSD
School Website: School of Law
Programs
The UC Berkeley School of Law offers a broad, three-year curriculum leading to the Juris Doctor (JD) degree. Berkeley Law educates men and women not only for the practice of law, but also for all the varied roles lawyers perform in modern society. The law school provides an intellectually challenging course of study that imparts the theoretical and practical skills necessary for effective, creative, and responsible legal counseling and advocacy. To this end, Berkeley Law's curriculum is continually evolving. It currently includes specialized curricular programs in Business, Law and Economics; Environmental Law; International and Comparative Legal Studies; Law and Technology; and Social Justice and Public Interest.
The school is a member of the Association of American Law Schools and is accredited by the American Bar Association. Its graduates are qualified to become applicants for admission to practice in any state of the United States.
Berkeley Law does not require or even recommend a specific pre-law major. To prepare for law school, students should take courses that help them develop written and oral communication skills; increase analytical and problem-solving skills; obtain broad exposure to the humanities and social sciences in order to understand the social context within which legal problems arise; and acquire a general understanding of economics, because many legal problems relate to the economic functioning of society.
In selecting specific courses, consultation with an undergraduate adviser may be desirable. Berkeley Law seeks a student body with a broad set of interests, backgrounds, life experiences, and perspectives.
The school also offers programs, mainly for foreign-educated attorneys, that lead to the degree of Master of Laws (LLM) or the degree of Doctor of the Science of Law (JSD).
For further information, contact the Berkeley Law JD Admissions Office at (510) 642-2274 or visit the website.
Jurisprudence and Social Policy Program
Berkeley Law is unique among major US law schools in housing its own interdisciplinary graduate program in the social, philosophical, and humanistic study of law, leading to MA and PhD degrees in jurisprudence and social policy (JSP). The JSP Program promotes the study of law and legal institutions through the perspectives of several disciplines, including history, economics, philosophy, sociology, and political science. The first law and society program of its kind in North America, the JSP Program remains the clear leader of a vibrant and growing body of such programs, because of its deep curricular resources and its scholarly accomplishment.
Members of the Berkeley Law faculty with primary responsibility for the JSP Program are trained in a variety of academic disciplines, and also are affiliated with other Berkeley departments and research centers.
Additional information is available on the JSP website. Applications are available online or by email at jsp@berkeley.edu .