University of California Hastings Law (San Francisco)

UC Hastings Law (San Francisco) offers a one-year LL.M. degree program in United States Legal Studies for students who are licensed to practice law and/or have a law degree from outside the United States. LL.M. students at UC Hastings come from over 40 countries, and have a wide variety of experience both abroad and in the United States. Our LL.M. class is a close-knit group who find social and academic support within their cohort, while creating lasting friendships with their Juris Doctor (JD) peers.

Our LL.M. students are fully integrated with all of our law students on campus, and take all but two classes together with our JD students. With over 175 courses offered each year, few other US law schools offer as wide a selection of courses open to LL.M. and JD students alike, including our hands-on experiential courses and clinics. Our LL.M. students receive one-on-one academic and career counseling and choose courses based on their personal and professional interests. In addition, our LL.M. students may also elect to specialize in one of the following eight areas, receiving both an LL.M. degree and a Certificate of Specialization upon graduation: 

• Criminal Law

• Dispute Resolution and Legal Process

• Environmental Law

• Health Law and Policy

• International Business and Trade

• International Law and Human Rights

• Taxation

• Science, Technology, and Intellectual Property

Students may also choose to complete a Practice Training Track to develop basic lawyering skills in a field of interest to them, which must include at least one legal clinic or the Start-Up Legal Garage. LL.M. students can choose to complete both the Practice Training Certificate and another specialization area. 

With the premier LL.M. program in San Francisco, one of the largest alumni networks in the United States, access to our awarded-winning faculty, and all of San Francisco's amenities, UC Hastings provides a unique and powerful learning experiences to its LL.M. students. 

For additional information, please visit www.uchastings.edu/llm or contact us by e-mail at llm@uchastings.edu.

The University of California Hastings Law, located in the heart of San Francisco, California, was established in 1878 as the first law department of the University of California system. For more than 125 years, UC Hastings has educated prominent leaders in the judiciary and the bar, in government and business, and in education.

UC Hastings prides itself on its academic curriculum, and our innovative, hands-on clinical legal education offerings. UC Hastings is home to several nationally acclaimed legal centers such as the Center for Negotiation and Dispute Resolution, the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies, the Center for WorkLife Law, and our Start-Up Legal Garage. Our cutting-edge programs, such as the Center for Innovation and LexLab allow our students to take advantage of our key location in the center fo the technology corridor of San Francisco and Silicon Valley. 

In March 2020, UC Hastings opened the doors of our brand new modernized academic building, fit for a 21st century legal education. This state-of-the-art academic hub features smart classrooms and conference rooms, serves as home to our over 15 legal clinics, and provides shared community spaces for students, faculty, and alumni. The building includes a rooftop floor complete with premier event space with stunning views of City Hall and the iconic San Francisco skyline. This is the first step in the development of the brand new UC Hastings Academic Village in the heart of San Francisco. 

Our other newly renovated classrooms and library buildings feature cutting-edge technology, cafes, and many spaces in which students may study and socialize. Our extraordinary library collection is backed by the wealth of scholarly resources of the entire University of California and a library staff specially trained in international research. 

At UC Hastings, LL.M. students will have ready access to some of the leading law professors in the United States. Our faculty prides itself on its teaching and scholarship.

More than 20 of the leading law textbooks used by most law schools in the United States are authored by UC Hastings faculty. Our professors include leading figures in a wide range of fields. Most have clerked for US Supreme Court justices or other prominent federal or state judges. Many have worked as prosecutors or practiced with top national and international law firms. Several have served in the federal government, and many have studied or taught in other countries and draw upon their international experience in their classes and writing. Numerous faculty members are regular commentators on legal developments on television or the Internet or in the print media.

To apply to the UC Hastings LL.M. program, you must be an attorney licensed outside of the US or have completed (or expect to complete prior to enrollment at UC Hastings) a first degree in law outside the US. Visit LSAC to see a list of minimum degree requirements by country.

If English is not your primary language, you must submit a TOEFL (preferred score of at least 90) or iBT or IELTS (preferred score of at least 7.0).

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis from September 1 through June 15. Our priority deadline for scholarship consideration is March 1.

Enrollment is limited to the fall semester, which begins in August. Learn more about application requirements and submission procedure.

At UC Hastings Law, we are proud to be able to offer generous need and merit-based scholarships to our LL.M. students. Visit our Cost of Attendance page for more information on tuition, fees, and scholarships for the UC Hastings LL.M. Program.

UC Hastings is located in the center of San Francisco, one of the most beautiful, vibrant, and innovative cities in the nation. UC Hastings is walking distance from San Francisco City Hall and all levels of the local, state, and federal courts (other than the US Supreme Court). This proximity gives UC Hastings students the opportunity to experience the law in the forums where it is practiced and determined, and provides a level of relevancy to their education that is unparalleled in most law schools.

UC Hastings is also just a short walk from the San Francisco Opera, the Asian Art Museum, Davies Symphony Hall, and the Union Square shopping district. Using the city's extensive public transportation system, students can easily access a variety of San Francisco's most popular tourist attractions, such as Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, Oracle Park (home of the baseball team San Francisco Giants), and Chase Center (home of the basketball team Golden State Warriors). Our students are able to take day trips to beautiful national parks, including Muir Woods National Monument, Point Reyes National Seashore, and Pinnacles National Park. Students can spend weekends exploring Napa Valley, Lake Tahoe, and Big Sur near Carmel.  

UC Hastings is one of a limited number of urban law schools with housing devoted exclusively to its students. UC Hastings' housing department also offers resources to assist our students in finding off-campus housing. 

The diversity and variety of student clubs and organizations that thrive at UC Hastings are reflective of the intellectual energy, passion, and sense of community that defines student life on our campus. In addition to playing an active role in the everyday functioning of the law school, as well as representing the school with distinction at conferences, seminars, competitions, and other events across the world, our students are founders of and active participants in more than 60 organizations. Addressing everything from specific legal specialties to diverse political, ethnic, and cultural issues and interests, these organizations enable our students to forge lifelong connections with one another, pursue their extracurricular interests, and gain invaluable leadership skills.