Table of Contents
Our Mission
Land Acknowledgment
UC Berkeley sits on the territory of xučyun, the ancestral & unceded land of the Chochenyo-speaking Ohlone people, successors of the sovereign Verona Band of Alameda County.
Nondiscrimination
The University of California, in accordance with applicable federal and state law and University policy, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, medical condition (cancer related or genetic characteristics), ancestry, marital status, age, sexual orientation, citizenship, or service in the uniformed services.
Welcome
Finally, UC Berkeley Law is a very special community. It is a warm, collegial environment, not a competitive one. It is the most intellectually exciting law school that I have been part of, with a plethora of speakers and programs and symposia every week. It is part of a superb and beautiful campus in a great location.
I feel very proud to be the dean of UC Berkeley Law and am excited for you to learn more about it.
Warmly,
Dean and Jesse H. Choper Distinguished Professor of Law
Finally, UC Berkeley Law is a very special community. It is a warm, collegial environment. It is the most intellectually exciting law school that I have been part of, with a plethora of speakers and programs and symposia every week. It is part of a superb and beautiful campus in a great location.
I feel very proud to be the dean of UC Berkeley Law and am excited for you to learn more about it.
Warmly,
Dean and Jesse H. Choper Distinguished Professor of Law
Excellence, Public Mission, & Community
What are we looking at in the admissions process? In short, everything. We employ a holistic review process and we read every application, front to back. We want to know who you are, where you come from, what matters to you, and that you understand what makes UC Berkeley Law the right law school for you.
What sets us apart:
- You don’t need to wait until your second year to make a difference. Our 40+ Student-Initiated Legal Services Projects let you dig into legal work in your first year — from the Tenants’ Rights Workshop to the Homelessness Service Project to the Clean Energy Leaders in Law. You can join 12 of our 13 journals, 2 of our 15 clinics, or try out for one of our advocacy competition teams during the spring semester of your first year.
- We were among the first law schools to recognize the need for a First Generation Professionals student organization. This group offers community, alumni mentorship, social events, and support from faculty who are first-gen themselves.
- The UC Berkeley Law faculty is second to none, and their doors are always open. “The faculty here are extraordinary — I was not expecting to get lucky with such approachable, down-to-earth professors. There’s never been a point at all in my two semesters where I’ve felt concerned or nervous about going to introduce myself to a professor or to go to their office hours or to ask them a question. They’ve always been incredibly welcoming.”
— Ryan Campbell ’24 - We believe that law school is tough, but it doesn’t have to be brutal. Our nontraditional grading system means students are focused on doing their best work, not doing better than their classmates.
The Bay Area & Campus
@BerkeleyLAWLLM
@BERKELEYLAW
@UCBERKELEYSCHOOLOFLAW
@ucberkeleylaw
@BERKELEYLAW
@UCBERKELEYLAW
Innovative Curriculum
Courses by Subject
Our curriculum is rich in traditional subjects as well as innovative and specialized courses like the ones listed here. Course descriptions and requirements may change; not all courses are offered every year.
Business, Law & Economics
Clinics
Field Placements
Consumer Law & Economic Justice
Criminal Law
Environmental Law
Family Law
International & Comparative Legal Studies
Jurisprudence & Social Policy (JSP)
Law & Technology and Intellectual Property
Legal Ethics & Professional Responsibility
Legal History
Litigation & Procedure
Private Law & Theory
Public Law & Policy
Race and Law
Simulation Courses
Social Justice & Public Interest
Tax, Estates & Trusts
Wellness and Lawyering
Work Law
Student-Published Journals
1L
First year
- Civil Procedure
- Contracts
- Criminal Law
- Legal Research & Writing
- Torts
- Written & Oral Advocacy
- Electives
We recommend Constitutional Law and one other elective.
2L/3L
Upper Division
The second- and third-year curriculum offers a variety of topics and course styles, including core subjects, seminars, experiential courses, individual and group research projects, clinical work, and judicial externships. Students construct their upper-level schedules around their own interests and a few fundamental graduation requirements: Constitutional Law (which most upper-level students have completed already as a 1L elective), a course on professional responsibility, six units of experiential coursework, one or more classes to satisfy our writing requirement, and two units of coursework focusing on how laws and legal institutions shape and are shaped by racism and other forms of systemic inequality.
Academic Skills Program
UC Berkeley Law is committed to fostering an academic environment where all students can thrive. Our Academic Skills Program (ASP) — offering individual advising, small group workshops led by upperclass fellows, and skills-focused courses — helps students build the skills critical to success in law school and in practice. ASP is open to everyone.
We have anonymous grading at UC Berkeley Law. Students are assigned a unique exam number for every exam. Our system is curved but does not use A-F letter grades. Instead, students receive High Honors (HH), Honors (H), or Pass (P). It is possible to receive a sub-passing grade.
UC Berkeley Law does not rank its students. However, each summer rising 2Ls, rising 3Ls, and recent graduates will be sent an email from the Office of the Dean of Students notifying them that their academic distinctions are available. Information about students’ academic honors shall be made available solely for the purpose of aiding students who are applying for judicial clerkships and academic positions. Revealing the distinction in any other context is a violation of the honor code.
Academic distinctions are awarded to the Top 3 students (UC Berkeley Law Scholars), Top 5%, Top 10%, Top 15%, Top 25%, and Top 33% in each class based upon one academic year of grades.
Leaders in Law
Four senior scholars — Professors Brian Galle, Joy Milligan Ph.D. ’18, Bertrall Ross, and Kevin Washburn — join Assistant Professor Ryan Sakoda, Assistant Professor Jason Ferguson, and Clinical Professor Alina Ball as the school’s new hires. They’re the latest in a transformative wave of hiring since Dean Erwin Chemerinsky arrived in 2017.
“We had a spectacular year in faculty hiring. We’ve added terrific faculty in many different fields who will be great classroom teachers as well as influential scholars,” Chemerinsky says. “We are tremendously fortunate to have them join us.”
Ross, who is returning to the school after four years at the University of Virginia School of Law, says the time away helped him remember and appreciate its unique qualities.
The school’s storied history as a leader in many areas of legal academia and its commitment to serving the public was alluring to Washburn, a specialist in Indian law who counts the late professor and fellow Indian law expert Philip Frickey as a mentor.
“It’s a wonderful public law school,” he says. “I have always been a public servant in one way or the other, with my entire career in the federal government or in public law schools, and that really appealed to me.”
Ball, an East Bay native, leads the new Social Enterprise Clinic in the growing Clinical Program.
Tax law expert Galle is excited to be in the middle of UC Berkeley’s campus, where he can engage with “an incredible set of law colleagues” as well as scholars from the university’s Department of Economics, which is consistently ranked among the best in the country.
Ferguson will teach and advise students in the law school’s Jurisprudence and Social Policy Program (JSP), which he calls “one of the most unique Ph.D.-granting programs in the country” and a big draw for him.
“Both JSP and the affiliated Center for the Study of Law and Society were major resources for me and played an important role in my turn toward the critical study of law in context and law in action,” he adds.
An empirical researcher of crime and criminal justice policy, Sakoda dovetails with the law school’s deep bench of data-driven researchers, particularly those using the economist’s toolbox.
“The faculty has an incredible scope and depth of expertise, and I look forward to working with and learning from all of my new colleagues,” he says.
Research Centers & Initiatives
Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice
Advocating to ensure safe, equal, and fair access to the marketplace.
Berkeley Center for Law and Business
The hub of UC Berkeley Law’s cutting-edge research and teaching on the impact of law on business and national and global economies.
Berkeley Center for Law & Technology
Promoting the understanding and guiding the development of intellectual property and related fields of law and policy as they intersect with business, science, and technology.
Berkeley Center for Private Law Theory
Fostering insights into the legal building blocks of our social and economic life, including the laws of property, contracts, and torts as well as central aspects of family law, trust law, and work law.
Berkeley Center on Comparative Equality & Anti-Discrimination Law
A group of scholars, activists, and legal professionals from six continents working together to address the equality issues of the day.
Berkeley Judicial Institute
Building bridges between judges and academics to promote an ethical, resilient, and independent judiciary.
Robert D. Burch Center for Tax Policy & Public Finance
Promoting and disseminating research in tax policy and public finance to help stimulate informed discussion of tax policies of national significance.
California Constitution Center
The first and only center at any law school devoted exclusively to studying the constitution and high court of the state of California.
Center for Indigenous Law and Justice
Aiming to facilitate meaningful ways for interested students, faculty, and staff to work with tribal nations and on Indigenous issues, and to offer programming including conferences, networking events, training sessions, and student fellowships.
Center for Law, Energy, & the Environment
Fostering environmental law and policy research and translating it into pragmatic solutions.
Center for Law and Work
Promoting cross-disciplinary scholarship to address the pressing employment-related policy concerns of today.
Center on Race, Sexuality & Culture
Examining contemporary questions of identity and discrimination through the lens of intersectionality, considering how race, gender, and sexual orientation overlap to produce distinct experiences of vulnerability and resilience.
Center on Reproductive Rights and Justice
Broadening the conversation on reproductive rights and choices through legal scholarship, teaching, and conferences, and by bolstering law and policy advocacy efforts.
Center for the Study of Law and Society
Fostering empirical research and theoretical analysis concerning legal institutions, legal processes, legal change, and the social consequences of law.
Civil Justice Research Initiative
Using interdisciplinary, academically based, and independent research to explore how the civil justice system can be made more available to everyone seeking relief.
Criminal Law & Justice Center
A research and advocacy hub striving to transform the criminal legal system by centering the lived experience of communities most directly affected, providing support for impactful teaching, empirical analysis, and pragmatic training in criminal legal reform.
Edley Center on Law & Democracy
Defending and strengthening democratic institutions in the United States through actionable research and public leadership.
Helen Diller Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies
Developing opportunities for research, programming, scholars, and classes to strengthen academic inquiry and discourse related to Jewish and Israeli topics across the Berkeley campus.
The Election Administration Research Center
Working to improve the administration of elections, both within the U.S. and internationally, through research, education, training, technical assistance, and public outreach.
Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice
Producing and fostering creative scholarship examining the law through a lens of social justice and working with communities to provide education to the general public.
Human Rights Center
Promoting human rights and international justice worldwide and training the next generation of human rights researchers and advocates.
Institute for Legal Research
Combining research, teaching, and public service in constitutional law and history, criminal justice, and environmental law and policy. Home to the Sho Sato Program in Japanese and U.S. Law and the Constitutional Law and History and Environmental Law and Policy programs.
Kadish Center for Morality, Law & Public Affairs
Promoting research and reflection on moral philosophical issues in law and public life, with special concern for the substantive aspects of criminal law.
Korea Law Center
Addressing the development of the Korean legal, constitutional, and political systems by bringing together scholars, judges, and others to foster a robust exchange of ideas.
Law, Economics, and Politics Center
Advancing interdisciplinary scholarship, ideas, and discussion in law, policy, economics, business, and government.
The Honorable G. William and Ariadna Miller Institute for Global Challenges and the Law
Supporting populations overlooked or unprotected by existing legal infrastructure, with a global focus on climate and energy justice, corruption, the rule of law, and human rights.
Public Law and Policy Program
Highlighting scholarship on issues of constitutional and administrative law and the judicial and legislative process.
The Robbins Collection
Promoting and sponsoring comparative research and study in the fields of religious and civil law, including Jewish and Islamic law and the various Christian traditions.
Statewide Database
The redistricting database for the State of California and a nonpartisan resource on census data, elections and election data, districting on all levels, and voting rights.
Experiential Education
- legal research and professional writing
- counseling
- interviewing
- litigation strategy and casework
- transactional tactics
- negotiation
- mediation
- legal drafting
- legal problem solving
- legislative drafting and lobbying
- other legal practice skills
Report Shows How Collecting Jurors’ Demographic Data Is Crucial to Diverse Juries
In particular, the report shows why the collection of prospective jurors’ self-identified race and ethnicity is vital to meeting state and federal fair cross-section guarantees and eliminating the discriminatory exercise of peremptory challenges.
Clinical Program
The Death Penalty Clinic offers students a rich opportunity for meaningful training, seeks justice for individuals facing the death penalty by providing them with high-quality representation, and exposes problems endemic to the administration of capital punishment. This year students led litigation and advocacy in California, Kansas, and Alabama, including amicus briefing, expert testimony, clemency support, and post-conviction litigation for clients facing or formerly on death row.
The Environmental Law Clinic strengthens our environmental law program by providing students with live-client experience in litigation, administrative agency practice, legislation, and policy analysis. This year, students partnered with grassroots organizations to pursue environmental justice through litigation and advocacy, holding the U.S. military accountable for toxic contamination in frontline communities from San Francisco’s Hunters Point to Alaska’s Sivuqaq Island.
The Global Rights Innovation Law Clinic (GRIL) is a multidisciplinary lab space reimagining human rights advocacy for the digital age, offering: (1) litigation support through data-driven legal analysis; (2) advanced data analysis and modeling to uncover patterns and drive accountability; and (3) digital storytelling for impactful advocacy. Starting fall 2025, student teams from law, information, and public policy will serve client organizations, gaining hands-on experience and using data for good.
The Human Rights Clinic designs and implements creative solutions to advance the global struggle to protect human rights. Students work on individual cases and campaigns in California and globally. Current projects include seeking justice for the assassination of Berta Cáceres, defending Indigenous land rights, addressing climate-driven migration, counterterrorism’s human rights impacts, and reproductive justice. Students contribute through legal research, litigation, and policy development.
The Policy Advocacy Clinic engages teams of law and public policy students to pursue non-litigation strategies to address systemic racial and economic injustice. Students were instrumental in advancing the Debt Free Justice movement — supporting California’s AB 1186 to eliminate youth restitution fines and uncollectable debt by providing critical research and legal expertise. They also led national efforts to unite partners across 15 states and launch new initiatives aimed at ending adult criminal justice fees.
The Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic gives students hands-on experience tackling complex technology law issues while advancing the public interest in tech law and policy. The clinic recently defended FCC rules capping prison communication rates in five federal circuits, secured expanded DMCA exemptions for digital humanities researchers, and analyzed federal use of digital evidence at mass protests to highlight the importance of transparency in law enforcement practices.
The Social Enterprise Clinic serves as transactional counsel for social enterprises — both for-profit and nonprofit businesses that use market-based strategies to advance racial and economic justice. Students will draft and review contracts — essential for joint ventures, leases, and supplier agreements — and provide legal guidance on corporate structure, acquisitions, intellectual property, and financing to prevent disputes and reduce liability.
The East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC) is the community-based component of our Clinical Program, and trains students to provide legal services and policy advocacy that are at once innovative and responsive to the needs of low-income communities. As a women of color–led organization, EBCLC affirms that uplifting Black and brown women, who serve as the organization’s primary clientele, will lead to more thriving, healthy, and dignified communities.
There are eight EBCLC clinics:
The Consumer Justice Clinic provides assistance and representation to low-income Alameda County residents on a variety of consumer issues, including debt-collection defense, student loans, car fraud, predatory lending, and consumer scams.
Education Defense Clinic and Advanced EDJY Community Lawyering Clinic work together to provide holistic representation to youth ensnared at the intersection of the juvenile legal and education systems, representing clients in delinquency, school expulsion, and special education matters.
The Health & Welfare Clinic provides critical legal services to individuals at risk of poor health outcomes due to poverty, unsafe housing conditions, discrimination, homelessness, and/or inadequate health coverage.
The Homelessness Advocacy Clinic deals with the intersection of lack of economic opportunity, displacement, and the criminal legal system. The scope of works civil litigation and probate guardianship to support unhoused pregnant people, and a wide scope of advocacy work for unhoused and those at high-risk of becoming unhoused.
The Housing Law Clinic is a high-volume litigation practice designed to protect and promote safe, healthy, and affordable housing for low-income tenants through eviction defense and affirmative litigation.
The Immigrant Youth Defenders Clinic directly assists clients at the intersection of immigration, family, probate, and criminal law. Clinic students focus on the unique opportunities and challenges faced by undocumented and unaccompanied immigrant youth, and gain deep experience providing holistic legal services in partnership with our Social Work team.
The Immigration Community Justice Clinic provides legal services focusing on the most vulnerable populations — people with disabilities and chronic illness, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and youth. Students focus on the rights, benefits, and remedies available to immigrant adults and mixed-status families in our community.
In 2025, EBCLC staff and clinic students helped achieve the following victories:
Legal Leadership: Faculty Help Bolster the School’s Pro Bono Culture
That culture includes a smorgasbord of options for students, including more than 40 Student-Initiated Legal Services Projects (SLPS) supervised by faculty or outside lawyers. In the 2024-25 academic year, students logged more than 12,000 hours of pro bono work.
There’s no tracking for faculty, but a broad swath of professors, adjunct faculty, and staff, from Dean Erwin Chemerinsky to Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice Legal Director David Nahmias ’18, engage in pro bono efforts.
Pro Bono Program
Want to pursue pro bono work outside of the Bay Area? Try BLAST! Our UC Berkeley Law Alternative Service Trips allow students to spend their spring break serving clients in different regions of the country. Past trips include Alaska, Atlanta, California’s Central Valley, Hawai’i, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, South Texas, and Tijuana, Mexico. Students engage in an intensive week of service on issues ranging from immigrants rights to environmental justice.
Another way students can engage in pro bono legal services is through Call for Necessary Engagement in Community & Timely Response (CNECT). These projects are initiated by our community partner legal services organizations, which identify legal needs students can respond to as they arise throughout the year.
- Animal Law and Advocacy
- Arts and Innovation Representation
- Berkeley Immigration Group
- Berkeley Law Anti-Trafficking Project
- Berkeley Law and Organizing Collective
- California Asylum Representation Clinic
- Clean Energy Leaders in Law
- Climate Migration & Displacement Project
- Consumer Protection Public Policy Order
- Contra Costa Reentry Project
- Digital Rights Project
- Disability Rights Project
- Drug Policy, Education, and Decriminalization Project
- East Bay Dreamers Project
- Environmental Conservation Outreach
- Family Defense Project
- Food Justice Project
- Foster Education Project
- Freedom of Information Advocates
- Gun Violence Prevention Project
- Homelessness Service Project
- International Human Rights Workshop
- International Refugee Assistance Project
- La Alianza Workers’ and Tenants’ Rights Clinic
- Legal Automation Workshop
- Legal Obstacles Veterans Encounter
- Name and Gender Change Workshop
- Native American Legal Assistance Project
- Palestine Advocacy Legal Assistance Project
- Police Review Project
- Political and Election Empowerment Project
- Post-Conviction Advocacy Project
- Queer Justice Project
- Reentry Advocacy Project
- Reproductive Justice Project
- Startup Law Initiative
- Survivor Advocacy Project
- Tenants’ Rights Workshop
- Workers’ Rights Clinic
- Youth Advocacy Project
- Animal Law and Advocacy
- Arts and Innovation Representation
- Berkeley Immigration Group
- Berkeley Law Anti-Trafficking Project
- Berkeley Law and Organizing Collective
- California Asylum Representation Clinic
- Clean Energy Leaders in Law
- Climate Migration & Displacement Project
- Consumer Protection Public Policy Order
- Contra Costa Reentry Project
- Digital Rights Project
- Disability Rights Project
- Drug Policy, Education, and Decriminalization Project
- East Bay Dreamers Project
- Environmental Conservation Outreach
- Family Defense Project
- Food Justice Project
- Foster Education Project
- Freedom of Information Advocates
- Gun Violence Prevention Project
- Homelessness Service Project
- International Human Rights Workshop
- International Refugee Assistance Project
- La Alianza Workers’ and Tenants’ Rights Clinic
- Legal Automation Workshop
- Legal Obstacles Veterans Encounter
- Name and Gender Change Workshop
- Native American Legal Assistance Project
- Palestine Advocacy Legal Assistance Project
- Police Review Project
- Political and Election Empowerment Project
- Post-Conviction Advocacy Project
- Queer Justice Project
- Reentry Advocacy Project
- Reproductive Justice Project
- Startup Law Initiative
- Survivor Advocacy Project
- Tenants’ Rights Workshop
- Workers’ Rights Clinic
- Youth Advocacy Project
Field Placement Program
Second- and third-year students gain experience, academic credit, and key connections in our Field Placement Program. Students work with supervising attorneys in public interest organizations, government agencies, and judicial chambers in the San Francisco Bay Area, domestically and internationally.
Judicial Externships: Students conduct full-time or part-time legal work for local, state, or federal judges, in chambers throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.
Criminal Field Placements: Students engage in criminal legal work for district attorney offices, public defender offices, and criminally-related nonprofits and government agencies.
Away Field Placements: Students receive up to 12 units of academic credit during a semester for legal work with approved NGOs/nonprofits and government agencies across the country and around the world.
UCDC Law Program: This semester externship in Washington, D.C., allows students to gain legal experience in person and remotely (for part-time opportunities) with all three federal government branches, regulatory agencies, and advocacy nonprofits. The externship is in conjunction with a course component composed of guest speakers, readings, and topics relevant to the federal government.
Domestic Examples
Public Interest
- American Civil Liberties Union
- Bay Area Legal Aid
- Earthjustice
- Equal Rights Advocates
- Electronic Frontier Foundation
- Homeless Action Center
- Public Advocates
- Public Justice
Government
- California Attorney General’s Office
- Federal Trade Commission
- County District Attorney and U.S. Attorney offices
- County, state and federal public defender offices
- San Francisco City Attorney’s Office
- Securities and Exchange Commission
- U.S. Department of Justice
Courts
- California: Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, and Superior Court
- Federal: U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, and U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
- Administrative Courts: U.S. Department of Justice and Department of Labor
Global Reach
Quincy Blair ’23 worked with the nonprofit No Peace Without Justice in Belgium (left). Brock Williams ’23 worked with the United Nations Environment Program Law Division in Nairobi, Kenya (right).
Advocacy Competitions Program
Internal Competitions
Introductory and advanced opportunities are available. Designed exclusively for UC Berkeley Law students, these experiences provide a space to hone your skills in the areas of appellate law, negotiations, and trial advocacy.
- Bales Trial Competition: an introductory tournament designed for 1Ls and focused on criminal law.
- Halloum Business Competition: an advanced transactional tournament that pairs UC Berkeley Law students with UC Berkeley Haas MBA students.
- Halloum Negotiation Competition: an introductory tournament designed for 1Ls and focused on a complex business deal.
- McBaine Honors Moot Court Competition: an advanced appellate tournament designed to test and hone students’ written and oral appellate advocacy skills.
- Pahlke Internal Trial Competition: an advanced trial tournament for Trial Team members.
External Competitions
Students who want to expand on their skills can participate in our external competitions program through the student-run Board of Advocates. These teams travel across the country and receive extensive coaching from professors, practitioners, and fellow students. Our students frequently thrive at regional, national, and international events and consistently out-perform other top law schools.
- ABA Representation in Mediation Competition
- ABA Negotiations Competition
- National Sports Law Negotiation Competition
- CLA Environmental Negotiations Competition
- Jeffrey G. Miller Pace National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition
- Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition
- ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition
- National Moot Court Competition
- Roger J. Traynor California Appellate Moot Court Competition
- National Civil Trial Competition
- TYLA National Trial Competition
- AAJ National Student Trial Advocacy Competition
- Top Gun National Mock Trial Competition
- NBTA Tournament of Champions
Discover More
UC Berkeley Law Team Wins National Civil Trial Competition, William Clark ’25 Named Best Advocate
William Clark ’25, Melissa Molloy ’25, Angela Ma ’25, and Rachel Talkington ’26 bested 15 teams from law schools around the country in the contest, which was hosted by Loyola Law School and sponsored by the Los Angeles plaintiffs’ law firm Greene Broillet & Wheeler.
The case focused on the intricacies of ADA compliance and the hospital’s decision to modify the accommodation, which the nurse claimed was ineffective and caused their mental health and job performance to deteriorate so much that they were eventually fired.
All four students say their prior competitive experience and painstaking preparation paid huge dividends, giving them a calm and confident demeanor from the first argument.
Alumni & Careers
JUDICIAL CLERKSHIPS
*Includes the District of Columbia and Guam
*Includes the District of Columbia and Guam
JOB TYPE
LAW FIRMS BY SIZE
Career Development Support
Customized, one-on-one career counseling from an expert team of former practicing attorneys.
A team of three Public Interest/Public Sector Attorney Counselors to help support students who are interested in working for non-profit organizations, government agencies, public defender and district attorney offices, plaintiff-side law firms, and other social justice oriented legal positions.
A team of three Private Sector Attorney Counselors to support students seeking summer and post-graduate positions in law firms of all sizes and in all markets as well as in-house positions with corporate legal departments.
A dedicated Director of Judicial Clerkships to help guide students and alumni through each step of the complex process of applying for post-graduate judicial clerkships.
On-Campus Interview Programs and Employer Engagement Events featuring networking and job opportunities with a host of legal employers across different sectors and geographical markets.
A robust online database of current job postings for students and alumni.
Expert advice on job application materials and extensive preparation for job interviews.
Programs, panels, and workshops to educate students on different career paths and job search techniques.
Using the Tools: Paul Monge ’18 Draws on His UC Berkeley Law Training to Improve City Services in Long Beach
After volunteering during Richardson’s 2022 campaign and advising him on several issue platforms, Monge joined his administration as policy director. In that role, he manages implementing the mayor’s policy and legislative priorities, coordinates statewide and national advocacy efforts to promote the city’s interests, and helps develop a $3.3 billion annual operating budget.
“It’s large enough where we can develop substantive policy initiatives that are scalable and are often replicated in other parts of the country, yet nimble enough where we can stand up new and impactful citywide programs in a relatively short amount of time,” Monge says.
His work has focused on progressing the mayor’s vision for accelerating economic growth and affordable housing opportunities, advancing climate resilience and green infrastructure, and improving community health and public safety. Monge also develops ordinances, regulations, and position papers, manages relationships with city council members, and works with city departments.
Coordinating legislative advocacy efforts to advance budget and policy priorities in Sacramento and Washington D.C., he tracks the impacts of state and federal legislation. In doing so, he works with members of Congress and the state legislature, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and county departments, state regulatory agencies, local funders and foundations, labor groups, business associations, and nonprofits.
Monge has managed the design and implementation of new public health, sustainability, and economic mobility programs and helped fuel the development and approval of citywide ballot measures. One created one of the nation’s highest minimum wage standards for hospitality industry workers, and another enabled Long Beach to implement one of the most comprehensive city job preference systems for local residents and college graduates in the country.
Berkeley to the Bench
U.S. District Court Senior Judge Edward M. Chen ’79, Northern District of California
In April 2001, he was named to an eight-year term as a U.S. Magistrate Judge, then nominated by President Barack Obama to the district court and confirmed in 2011.
U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Ana de Alba ’07
Then-Gov. Jerry Brown appointed de Alba to the Superior Court of California in Fresno County in 2018. She was nominated and confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California in 2022 — the first Latina to serve there — and confirmed to the Court of Appeals the following year.
APPLYING
Juris Doctor (J.D.) Program
First-Year Applicants
The application for each fall term is available online via the LSAC website (www.lsac.org) from September 1 – February 10. As we employ a rolling review process, you are strongly encouraged to submit a completed application as early as possible, so long as it represents you accurately and fully.
Binding Early Decision Program (BED)
If you have determined that UC Berkeley Law is your first-choice law school, you may apply through the Binding Early Decision Program. A different application timeline and deadline apply for those applying to our BED program, and a signed BED Agreement acknowledging all terms and conditions is required with your application for admission. If you are admitted, you must enroll at UC Berkeley Law the following fall. No deposit will be required, but you must withdraw all other law school applications and may not initiate any new applications. There is no application fee to apply to BED. If you are not admitted through BED, your application will be rolled over into Regular Decision. All BED applicants will receive a decision in early December, and if admitted, are automatically awarded $105,000 in gift aid (distributed as $35,000 per year for three years).
Transfer Students
Transfer students come from law schools across the country and make a substantial and welcome contribution to the UC Berkeley Law community. Applicants are considered for the fall term only and may apply either through the binding early decision program for transfer students or through regular decision.
Visiting Students
The law school admits a few visiting students who study here for a year but receive their law degrees from their schools of origin. Visiting students admission is available to approximately five students who have completed two years of high-quality work at another law school and have demonstrated a compelling need to spend their third year at UC Berkeley Law.
Concurrent Degrees/Combined Degrees
An applicant interested in earning concurrent degrees must gain separate admission to UC Berkeley Law (using the J.D. application) and the other participating UC Berkeley school or department. The latter is accomplished by filing a separate application with the UC Berkeley Graduate Division. Examples: J.D./MPP at Goldman, J.D./MBA at Haas
An applicant interested in earning combined degrees must gain separate admission to UC Berkeley Law and the other participating school. Example: J.D./MPP at Harvard Kennedy School
Jurisprudence and Social Policy Program
Although it is a part of the law school’s academic program, the Jurisprudence and Social Policy (JSP) Program is a separate graduate program with its own admission criteria and procedures. Admissions information is available online.
1L APPLICATION CHECKLIST
☐ $75 non-refundable application fee or receipt of an application fee waiver
☐ 2–4 letters of recommendation submitted through lsac
☐ Personal statement ((up to four double-spaced pages, three pages recommended)
☐ Resume (no page limit)
☐ Video interview by invitation only (optional)
☐ Short answer questions (optional)
☐ Other addenda as required (e.g. character & fitness explanation, scholarship essays)
☐ A copy of your SAT or ACT score report if writing an addendum regarding standardized test scores
☐ LSAT or GRE score (with supplemental form) taken within the last 5 years and no later than the January test
☐ A gmat (if you meet the criteria to apply without an LSAT or GRE score) and supplemental form
☐ Credential Assembly Service (cas) report (i.e., your transcript summary) sent directly from lsac
☐ If applying Binding Early Decision, a signed BED agreement
TRANSFER APPLICATION CHECKLIST
☐ Two letters of recommendation from law professors
☐ Personal statement (2–4 double-spaced pages)
☐ Resume (no page limit)
☐ Video interview by invitation only (optional)
☐ Short answer questions (optional)
☐ Letter of good standing from your home law school
☐ First-year law school transcript with both fall and spring grades
☐ Credential Assembly Service (cas) report (i.e., your transcript summary) from lsac
☐ Other addenda as required (e.g. character & fitness explanation)
☐ If applying Binding Early Decision, a signed BED agreement
Application Calendar
2025
Decision Applications Open
Application Fee Waiver
Requests Open
(Recommended test date for Early Decision Applicants)
Writing Sample
(Recommended for Early Decision Applicants)
Application Deadline
(Last score accepted for BLOS applicants)
Writing Sample
(Due for Early Decision, BLOS, and Public Interest Scholars Applicants)
Notification
Decision Applications Open
Application Fee Waiver
Requests Open
(Recommended test date for Early Decision Applicants)
Writing Sample
(Recommended for Early Decision Applicants)
Application Deadline
(Last score accepted for BLOS applicants)
Writing Sample
(Due for Early Decision, BLOS, and Public Interest Scholars Applicants)
Notification
2026
Request Deadline
(Last score accepted for regular decision applications)
Writing Sample
(Due for regular application)
Application Opens
Student Events
Students Events
Visiting Status Application Opens
(5 p.m. PDT)
2L Transfer and 3L Visiting Status Application Opens
Students Events
(5 p.m. PDT)
Application Deadline
Orientation
Classes Begin
Request Deadline
(Last score accepted for regular decision applications)
Writing Sample
(Due for regular application)
Application Opens
Student Events
Students Events
Visiting Status Application Opens
(5 p.m. PDT)
2L Transfer and 3L Visiting Status Application Opens
Students Events
(5 p.m. PDT)
Application Deadline
Orientation
Classes Begin
Financial Aid & Tuition
Binding Early Decision Awards (BED) are for applicants admitted through BED. Recipients are guaranteed gift aid in the amount of $105,000 ($35,000 per year for three years). Terms and conditions apply, and the deadline to apply is November 14.
Center Scholars will receive at least $10,000 per year in gift aid, be recognized as Center Scholars, and be provided faculty and alumni mentorship, support, and programming. There is no separate application for the Center Scholars programs; recipients are selected based on their original application for admission.
Continuing Student Scholarships provide several supplemental scholarships for current J.D. students. Application timelines are announced to all current students. Award amounts vary.
Donor-Based Awards are awarded to incoming and current students. The awards are based on specific eligibility requirements, such as demonstrated financial need and academic focus. Additional essay may be required. Examples include: Pahlke Trial Advocacy Scholarship and Sonsini Strategic Recruitement Fund.
Gift Aid is non-loan aid administered by UC Berkeley Law. To help students plan financially, the majority of gift aid offers are made as three-year awards. Awards are based on a comprehensive review of financial need, merit, or a combination. All students are automatically considered for gift aid based on a holistic review of materials in the original application for admission, but financial need consideration requires supplemental gift aid application after admission.
Hyundai-Kia Scholarships are awarded to select students demonstrating academic merit, leadership experience, and an interest in and commitment to the field of law and technology. Additional essay required.
The Native American Opportunity Plan+ ensures that in-state systemwide tuition and student services fees are fully covered for students who are both California residents and enrolled members in a federally recognized Native American, American Indian, or Alaska Native tribe. At UC Berkeley Law, we provide additional funding for eligible Native American Opportunity Plan students by covering the Professional Degree Supplemental Tuition, making law school fees nearly fully funded.
Outside scholarships are available to law students. Each agency has its own scholarship application, criteria, and deadline. Use keywords to search for scholarships for which you may qualify on our financial aid website.
UC Scholarships are offered by the UC Berkeley Graduate Fellowships Office, which provides several scholarships for graduate students.
Veterans Educational Benefits
Veterans and their dependents may qualify for tuition waivers. We also provide personalized support through our Military Promise Program.
Loans
Various student loan options are available to UC Berkeley Law students, which include but are not limited to Federal Unsubsidized Loans, Private Student Loans, UC Emergency Loans, and California DREAM Loans. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is required for federal student loans and California DREAM application for DREAM loans.
Other support
We are always innovating in an attempt to identify and support outstanding students and those with financial need. New programs may be announced at any time.
RESOURCES SUPPORTING PUBLIC INTEREST CAREERS
Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP)
LRAP provides eligible graduates working in public interest careers with assistance repaying their loans. LRAP is integrated with the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF) and Income-Driven Repayment. Through LRAP, public interest graduates earning up to $120,000 can get funding to make their student loan payments from UC Berkeley Law, and after 10 years, can apply to have their remaining loan balance fully forgiven through PSLF. This program and eligibility could change. Please check our website for the most up-to-date information.
Summer Fellowships
UC President’s Public Service Summer Fellowships provide a stipend in the amount of $5,500 to $6,500 to all J.D. students who are employed in a qualifying position during the summer after their first or second year. Students must complete 25 hours of pro bono work to be eligible to apply.
Post-Graduate Public Interest Fellowships
Bridge Fellowship Program provides short-term financial support while the graduate is searching for permanent public interest positions after taking the bar exam.
Public Interest Fellowship Program participants work in an apprentice role for a full year, during which they are committed to staying in their placement.
2025–26 Estimated Tuition and Fees
2025–26 Estimated Nine-Month Academic Year Living Expenses
Estimated Total**
* For students who establish California residency during their first year of law school, UC Berkeley offers a notable advantage during years two and three: fees drop from the nonresident rate to the California rate.
** At the University of California (UC), health insurance is mandatory for all students, with enrollment in the UC Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) being automatic. The estimated cost of SHIP for the 2025-26 academic year stands at $7,848. However, students are provided with the flexibility to either retain SHIP or waive enrollment if they possess alternative coverage that meets the specific criteria outlined by the University.
Scholarship Programs
Berkeley Builders Fellowship is awarded to students interested in and likely to make a contribution to the fields of business and corporate law such as: ESG and corporate sustainability, tax law & policy, start-up and venture capital law, competition law, corporate governance, trade law and policy, business dispute resolution, commercial law, real estate, cannabis law, student loan law, consumer protection law, community economic development, and entertainment/media or sports law.
Berkeley Scholars-in-Law is intended for students both prepared for, committed to, and demonstrably planning to do at least one of the following three things: (1) Designing, conducting, and publishing scholarly research related to the field of law, (2) Entering legal academia or another academic field in which they will make significant use of their legal training, (3) pursuing a concurrent UC Berkeley Law J.D./JSP or another PhD in addition to their J.D. from UC Berkeley Law (although not necessarily in a combined or concurrent enrollment plan).
Berkeley Justice Fellows are students interested in and likely to make a contribution to the area of social justice, such as: civil rights, criminal justice, Federal Indian or tribal law, racial justice, disability law, plaintiff-side impact litigation, work law, refugee and immigration law & policy, reproductive justice and body autonomy, food insecurity, income inequality, and/or another social justice-related area.
Berkeley Innovation Scholars are students interested and experienced in, and likely to make a substantive contribution toward, areas related to the intersection of law, technology, and society. This includes: patent law, cybercrime and cybersecurity law, data protection and privacy law, regulation of emerging technologies, AI law, biotech law, telecommunications law and policy, science and evidence, arts and media law, and other tech-related regulatory and policy areas.
Leadership Initiative will provide (1) a platform for identifying and incubating the next generation of transformational leaders and (2) leadership training and resources to all students.
There is no essay or other required materials for consideration. Your application for admission is your application for these awards. Consideration will be based on the recommendation of your application reviewer, and final selection is made by a Scholarship Committee. The number of recipients may vary; there is no fixed minimum or maximum number. Selection for one of these awards may make you eligible for ancillary programming.
will
you go?
Congressman and NFL Player,
2025 Commencement Speaker.
