University of California Irvine School of Law

Overview ^5-6

UC Irvine School of Law opened its doors to students in August 2009, the first new public law school in California in more than 40 years. UCI Law seeks to create the ideal law school for the 21st century by doing the best job of training lawyers for the practice of law at the highest levels of the profession. Recruited from prestigious schools, the faculty ranked sixth in the country in scholarly impact in a recent study. The student body has admissions qualifications comparable to those of student bodies at top 20 law schools. The school’s innovative curriculum stresses hands-on learning, interdisciplinary study and public service.

UC Irvine School of Law opened in August 2009 as the first new public law school in California in more than 40 years. Since the inception of the University of California, Irvine, which celebrates its 70th birthday in 2017, a law school was envisioned as part of the plan to become a full-service, interdisciplinary research institution.

Student-Faculty Ratio ⁷

6.8:1

Admission Criteria ⁸

	LSAT	GPA
25th-75th Percentile	160-165	3.32-3.68
Median*	163	3.54

The above LSAT and GPA data pertain to the fall 2016 entering class.

Director of admissions	Kathryn Espiritu
Application deadline	March 31

Law School Admissions details based on 2016 data.

*Medians have been calculated by averaging the 25th- and 75th-percentile values released by the law schools and have been rounded up to the nearest whole number for LSAT scores and to the nearest one-hundredth for GPAs.

Admission Statistics ⁹

Approximate number of applications	2035
Number accepted	553
Percentage accepted	27.2%

The above admission details are based on 2015 data.

Law School Cost ¹⁰

Fees are composed of Tuition; Professional Degree Supplemental Tuition; a Student Services Fee; and mandatory campus-based fees (recreation center, graduate student health insurance, etc.).

2016-2017 Estimated Nine-Month J.D. Student Budget:

	Living On Campus	Living Off Campus*
Housing/Living	$12,617	$20,432
Travel	$2,700	$2,700
Personal	$2,572	$2,572
Law Books	$1,800	$1,800
Total	$19,689	$27,504

Living Expenses and Books

UC Irvine School of Law estimates cost-of-living and book expenses based on a modest but adequate standard of living. These costs are updated annually. Cost of living depends upon a student’s personal situation and choices. Students have the choice to live on campus in a residence hall or off campus in an apartment. Each of the living arrangements has a different cost.

Class Ranking and Grades ¹¹

Class Rank

J.D. class rank will not be made public, as per the Academic Rules, Standards and Procedures (PDF).

Grading

UC Irvine School of Law grades on a scale of A+ (4.3) to F (0.0).

IP (in progress) will be assigned at the end of the first semester in all year-long courses.

After grades post to transcripts, the Law Registrar will generate a letter for each in-progress course offered during the semester, indicating the A to F level of performance for each student. In-progress letters will be available in the Law Registrar’s Office until the official grades for the class post at the end of the second semester.

Students can take up to 8 self-selected units of Law School upper-level courses on a credit/no-credit basis. Credit/no-credit grading options are at the instructor’s discretion and must be elected and enrolled in by the end of the second week of classes in any semester. In order to receive credit for a law course taken credit/no credit, a law student must obtain a minimum grade of C- (1.7).

All examinations will be graded anonymously.

Required Medians and Grade Distributions

All first-year courses have a required median of B+ and the following grade distibution:

A+	As outlined below.
A	19% - 23%
A-	19% - 23%
B+	19% - 23%
B	19% - 23%
B- or below	14% - 18%

Advanced, non-clinical courses with enrollment of 25 or more J.D. students have a required median of B+ (3.3) and the following grade distribution:

A+	As outlined below.
A, A-	33% - 39%
B+, B	41% - 45%
B- or below	14% - 18%

Instructors are encouraged, but not required, to give roughly the same number of, respectively, A, A-, B+, and B grades.

In all advanced, non-clinical courses with enrollment of 16 to 24 J.D. students, no more than 50% of grades shall be in the A-range (i.e., A+, A, or A-), and no more than 50% of grades shall be a B- or below.

In all advanced courses with enrollment of 5 to 15 J.D. students, and for all non-advanced clinical courses, the following restrictions apply:

• For courses with an even number of students, no more than 50% of students may receive grades of A+ or A, and no more than 50% of students may receive grades of B- or below.
• For courses with an odd number of students, the course median shall be between A- (3.7) and B (3.0).

All directed research courses, advanced clinics, and all upper-level courses with enrollments of 4 or fewer students shall be subject to no required median or grade distribution.

Incomplete Courses

If a student is unable to complete the requirements for a course for reasons that the student has disclosed to the Assistant Dean for Student Services, the Assistant Dean for Student Services will consult with the instructor in order to arrange for the student to receive a grade of Incomplete for the course. The instructor and the student will agree on a deadline date for the completion of the course requirements in a written and signed document which will be placed in the student’s file until such time as he or she completes the course requirements and the Incomplete grade is changed by the instructor to a letter grade.

Failure to complete the course requirements within agreed deadline date will result in the Incomplete grade transformed to the letter grade of "F" and will appear on the student transcript, as per the Academic Rules, Standards and Procedures (PDF).

Grade Normalization (Curve)¹²

In all advanced courses, including clinics, and all first-year courses there shall be a required number of A+ grades equal to the following. This chart lists the minimum and maximum number of A+ grades. For example, a course with between 21 and 40 J.D. students must have at least one A+ and at most two A+ grades.

Number of Students	Faculty shall give at least the following number of A+ grades:	Faculty shall give no more than the following number of A+ grades:
1-20	0	1
21-40	1	2
41-60	2	3
61-80	3	4
81-100	4	5
101-120	5	6
121-140	6	7

Non-J.D. students are not counted in or graded to the required median. UCI non-law students will be graded according to the Academic Senate grading standards.

J.D. GPAs will not include grades for non-law coursework.

Honors ¹³

Honor	Percentage of Class Receiving
Order of the Coif	N/A
summa cum laude	The top 5 percent of the graduating class will be designated summa cum laude
magna cum laude	the next 7.5 percent will be designated magna cum laude
cum laude	the next 10 percent will be designated cum laude
Dean’s List

Awards ¹⁴

Faculty Award (Fall 2015)	highest performance in course
Dean's Award (Fall 2015)	second-highest performance in course

Journals ¹⁵

The UC Irvine Law Review (ISSN 2327-4514) was founded in the spring of 2010, during the inaugural year of the UC Irvine School of Law. We aim to promote exceptional legal scholarship by featuring contributions from a spectrum of academic, practical, and student perspectives. The Law Review launched its inaugural volume during the 2010–2011 academic year.

Moot Court ^16-17

UCI Law Moot Court Competition

Moot Court is a competition in which students write a brief and argue a case before an appellate court, usually the United States Supreme Court. UCI Law's Moot Court program is a student-run program with two faculty advisors, and the focal point is its intra-school competition, in which students write their briefs in teams of two, but argue as individuals.

Students advance in the competition based on a combination of their brief and oral argument scores. Awards are given to the teams writing the top two briefs and to the two students reaching the final round of the competition.

Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition

With participants from over 500 law schools in more than 80 countries, the Jessup Competition is the world’s largest moot court competition. The competition is a simulation of a fictional dispute between countries before the International Court of Justice, the judicial organ of the United Nations.The Jessup Competition is a demanding but very rewarding competition that offers an excellent opportunity for improving oral advocacy, writing, research, and collaboration skills, and for developing expertise on cutting-edge international legal issues.

Clinical Programs ¹⁸

Practicing law under close supervision and with time for reflection is a fundamental goal of the UC Irvine School of Law curriculum, and the clinical program, ranked No. 13 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, is the most important means by which students achieve this goal.

The heart of the UCI Law experiential learning program is the 6-unit core clinical course required of every student. Students may choose one of seven different clinics in which they act as the primary legal representative for their clients. Each of the seven core clinics is taught by one or more members of our full-time faculty, all of whom have come to UCI Law after teaching in top-tier clinical programs around the country. The clinical faculty collaborate to ensure that the program offers a vibrant and diverse set of learning opportunities that will train our students to practice law in a wide array of subject matter and work environments. In addition to a guaranteed placement in one of UCI Law’s seven core clinics, second- and third-year students have the opportunity to enroll in an elective clinic. Second- and third-year students may also enroll in their core clinic for additional semesters.

Students in our core clinics work to solve problems facing individual clients and problems that affect a larger community, whether within a neighborhood, city, state, country or the world. Although the types of legal issues vary, the essential features of every core clinic at UCI Law include:

In BC Law's clinics, students work in civil litigation, criminal justice, juvenile rights, immigration law, issues affecting women, the wrongly convicted, government practice, community development, the prevention of homelessness, the role of the judiciary, and many other individually selected areas, along with programs permitting students to practice law in London, Paris, and in many other locations around the world.

• Students are the primary legal representatives for their clients;
• Students engage in work on complex matters encompassing a wide range of advocacy methods, including litigation, transactional facilitation, policy advocacy and community education;
• Students confront professional and ethical challenges in the course of their practice and learn how to exercise judgment;
• Students work closely with clinic partners to protect and advance client and community interests; and
• Students provide pro bono legal services to clients who otherwise would not receive them.

Core Clinics

• Appellate Litigation Clinic
• Community and Economic Development (CED)
• Criminal Justice Clinic
• Domestic Violence Clinic
• Environmental Law Clinic
• Immigrant Rights Clinic (IRC)
• Intellectual Property, Arts, and Technology Clinic
• International Justice Clinic

Elective Clinics

• CA Department of Fair Employment & Housing Civil Rights
• Civil Rights Litigation Clinic
• International Human Rights Clinic
• Reproductive Justice Clinic
• Veterans Clinic

Placement Facts ¹⁸

Starting Salaries (2015 Graduates Employed Full-Time)

Private sector (25th-75th percentile)	$75,000 - $160,000
Median in the private sector	$112,500
Median in public service	$58,562

Employment Details

Graduates known to be employed at graduation	55.5%
Graduates known to be employed ten months after graduation	66.4%

Areas of Legal Practice

Graduates Employed In	Percentage
Law Firms	38.3%
Business and Industry	3.2%
Government	21.3%
Judicial Clerkships	17%
Public Interest Organizations	19.1%
Academia	1.1%
Unknown	0%

Externships/Internships

Externships¹⁹

TUC Irvine School of Law places a strong emphasis on experiential learning and offers various opportunities for students to provide legal services directly to the community. A key component is the Externship Program, which provides academic credit for students doing legal work for judges, non-profit organizations, and government agencies.

Internships²⁰

UCI Internship Programs

For students that are interested in getting involved, an internship on campus can be a great way to get started. There are various departments that offer diverse internship opportunities to help you gain valuable experience and develop transferable skills.

Internship Programs

• UCDC Summer Internship Program
• Sacramento Internship Program
• UCI Career Center Peer Program
• UCI Professional Internship Program in the School of Social Sciences
• Social Ecology Field Study
• Public Health Practicum – School of Social Ecology
• Film & Media Studies Internship Program, School of Humanities
• Administrative Intern Program
• UCDC Academic Internship Program
• SAGE Scholars Program
• Center for International Education
• UCCS- University of California Center Sacramento Internship

Student Organizations ²¹

• Adelphi Christian Fellowship
• Alternative Dispute Resolution Society
• American Constitution Society
• Asian Pacific American Law Student Association
• Barley Legal
• Biotechnology and Global Health Policy Law Club
• Black Law Student Association
• Business Law Society
• Children's Advocacy Group
• Creative Lawyering Club
• Criminal Law Society
• Employment and Labor Law Society
• Entertainment and Sports Law Society
• Environmental Law Society
• Global Justice Summit
• If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice
• In Vino Veritas
• Intellectual Property and Cyberlaw Society
• International Law Society
• International Refugee Assistance Project
• Jewish Law Association
• Land Use and Real Estate Society
• Latinx Law Students Association
• Mental Health and Wellness Association
• National Lawyers Guild
• Native American Law Students Association
• OutLaw
• Public Interest Law Fund
• Student Animal Legal Defense Fund
• Student Bar Association (SBA)
• Students for Sensible Drug Policy
• Tax Law Society
• The Federalist Society
• Trial Advocacy Club
• underRepresented Student Alliance
• Veterans' Advocacy Society
• Women's Law Society

References

1. http://www.law.uci.edu/
2. http://www.law.uci.edu/academics/registrar/
3. http://www.law.uci.edu/admission/
4. http://www.law.uci.edu/about/administration/career-development/
5. http://www.law.uci.edu/about/
6. http://www.law.uci.edu/about/our-history/
7. https://premium.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/university-of-california-irvine-03201
8. https://premium.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/university-of-california-irvine-03201/admissions
9. https://premium.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/university-of-california-irvine-03201/admissions
10. http://www.law.uci.edu/admission/tuition-aid/
11. http://www.law.uci.edu/academics/registrar/grades.html
12. http://www.law.uci.edu/academics/registrar/grades.html
13. http://www.law.uci.edu/academics/registrar/uci-law-academic-rules.pdf
14. http://www.nalplawschoolsonline.org/employer_profile?FormID=266&QuestionTabID=38&SearchCondJSON
15. http://www.law.uci.edu/lawreview/about.html
16. http://www.law.uci.edu/academics/professional-skills/ucilaw-moot-court/
17. http://www.law.uci.edu/academics/professional-skills/jessup-moot-court/
18. https://premium.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/university-of-california-irvine-03201/career-prospects
19. http://www.law.uci.edu/academics/real-life-learning/externships/
20. http://www.career.uci.edu/students/uci-internship-programs.html
21. http://www.law.uci.edu/campus-life/student-organizations/orgs/