University of California-Irvine - School of Law

Founded on the ideas of revolution and innovation, the University of California-Irvine School of Law is a “young and hungry” institution , having celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2018. The school is “justice-oriented and actively broadening access to legal education and the legal field,” and places high importance on both public service and diversity—46 percent of UCI graduates are students of color. To that end, the school seeks out students who want a different kind of legal education, and students note that “Practical experience is very easy to obtain here.” In additiona, all first-years receive an introduction to a broad array of practical settings through a Legal Profession course. Students at UCI are all required to complete at least one semester of in-house legal clinic experience (“so there are spaces for everyone in clinics”), and are uniquely able to begin taking electives as early as the second semester of their first year. “Meeting with professors is built into the curriculum throughout the first year,” and they “have intentionally cultivated an atmosphere in which students can interact with them casually.”

Professors at UCI are “top theorists and practitioners” who “update their material to align with new changes” and “teach with passion and care about their students’ success outside of the classroom.” The first-rate faculty “truly bring the widest variety of experiences,” which means “you are guaranteed to get incredibly qualified professors who will make sure you learn the material you need to for the bar.” The school’s “geographic location and strong reputation provides students with various opportunities to explore their career interests,” especially in public service: there's a pro bono program that “is fantastically run" and students “can easily access the L.A., San Diego, and San Francisco [legal] markets.”

“The administration puts in a lot of effort to be helpful and accessible to students,” and “everything is operated with a great amount of clarity and information available to students.” For those needing additional help, seniors are “always willing to share outlines, give advice, and so forth,” and the Academic Skills Program is a resource available to all students, providing general workshops, advising, and upper-division courses on bar preparation and legal writing.