Juris Doctor

To earn the Juris Doctor degree, you must complete six semesters of study in residence, earn 88 semester credits, pass all required courses and have a minimum 2.0 grade-point average. The three-year curriculum is designed for full-time day students.

The school uses a four-point letter grading system with plus and minus grades; some classes are graded satisfactory/unsatisfactory. Regular class attendance and preparation are required.

The work during years two and three is elective, except for required courses in professional responsibility, lawyering skills, and a writing requirement. A wide-range of elective courses and seminars are offered, although every class may not be taught each year. Courses below listed with an asterisk (*) will be offered in the 2015-2016 academic year. While students are free to choose their own upper division electives, students wishing to focus on specific practice areas may wish to consider the following lists:

Business Law

• Accounting for Lawyers*
• Antitrust*
• Basic Finance
• Business Associations*
• Business Planning and Drafting*
• Commercial and Bankruptcy Law
• Commerical Arbitration Seminar*
• Corporate Finance
• Law of Corporate Governance Seminar*
• Corporate Tax
• Estate and Gift Taxation
• Estate Planning Seminar
• Federal Income Taxation*
• Financial Regulations Seminar
• Globalization and the Law
• International Aspects of U.S. Taxation
• International Business Transactions*
• International Economics
• International Finance
• International Investment Dispute Seminar
• International Tax
• Introduction to Bankruptcy Law*
• Issues in Setting Up and Maintaining Solo Law Practice*
• Law of Financial Markets
• Law and Economics*
• Law and Statistics*
• Law of E-Commerce
• Life-Cycle Transactions and Drafting*
• Mergers and Acquisitions
• Nonprofit Organizations and Drafting
• Nonprofit Organizations: State and Local Governance Issues
• Nonprofit Organizations: Tax Exemptions and Taxation Focus
• Pension and Employee Benefit Law
• Private International Law (Conflict of Laws)*
• Products Liability
• Public Finance: Theory and Practice*
• Real Estate Finance
• Regulated Industries
• Secured Transactions*
• Securities Regulation I*
• Securities Regulation II*
• Taxation of Partnerships and LLCs
• The Business of Lawyering*
• Trade Secrets*
• Trusts, Wills and Decedents' Estates*

Criminal Law

• Administration of Criminal Justice Externship*
• Advanced Criminal Procedure*
• Aoki Federal Public Defender Clinic/Seminar*
• Corporate and White Collar Crime*
• Criminal Justice Administration Seminar*
• Criminal Procedure*
• Death Penalty
• Juvenile Justice*
• Law and Religion
• Legal Theory Workshop – Aoki Center Race and Nations Research Seminar*
• Seminar in Legal Psychology
• Sexual Assault Seminar*
• Sociology of Criminal Procedure*
• Policing Seminar
• Scientific Evidence
• Topics in California Criminal Practice
• Transnational Criminal Law

Constitutional Law

• Advanced Constitutional Law Seminar
• California Constitutional Law*
• Civil Rights Law
• Constitutional Law II*
• Constitutional Law II – Equal Protection
• Constitutional Law II - First Amendment
• Constitutional Theory Seminar*
• Indian Gaming Law
• Law of the Political Process
• Law and Religion
• Law and Rural Livelihoods*
• Law Making and Law Changing in the Nation's Capital*
• Native American Law*
• Native American Law Seminar
• Privacy, Surveillance, and “Sousveillance”*
• Supreme Court Simulation Seminar
• Surveillance and States*
• Topics in Constitutional Law: Habeas Corpus and 11th Amendment

Environmental and Natural Resources Law

• Administrative Law*
• Administrative Law and Policy Seminar
• Agricultural Law and Policy
• Biotechnology Law and Policy
• California Environmental Issues Seminar
• Climate Change Law and Policy*
• Energy Law*
• Energy Law Seminar
• Environmental Justice
• Environmental Law*
• Environmental Law Externship*
• Environmental Law Moot Court Competition
• Environmental Practice
• Environmental Law Seminar: Emerging Technologies and the Environment*
• Farmworkers and the Law
• Free Trade and the Environment
• International Environmental Law
• Land Use Planning*
• Land Use Planning and the California Environmental Water Quality Act
• Law and Religion
• Native American Law*
• Natural Resources Law
• Ocean and Coastal Law
• Public Land Law*
• Renewal Energy Seminar
• Water Law*
• Wine and the Law*

Estate Planning

• Estate and Gift Tax
• Estate Planning Seminar
• Trusts, Wills and Decendents' Estates*

Family Law

• Family Law*
• Family Protection Clinic*
• Juvenile Justice*
• Marital Property*
• Private International Law (Conflict of Laws)*

General/Topical Survey

• Agricultural Law and Policy
• Animal Law Seminar
• Farmworkers and the Law
• Indian Gaming Law
• Issues in Setting Up and Maintaining Solo Law Practice*
• Law and Culture of Food
• Law and Popular Culture
• Law and Rural Livelihoods*
• Legal Spanish for U.S. Lawyers*
• Legislative Process
• Legislative Process Externship*
• State and Local GovernmentLaw*
• Privacy, Surveillance, and “Sousveillance”*
• Sociology of the Legal Profession
• Surveillance and States*
• The Business of Lawyering*
• The Sociology of Criminal Procedure*

Health Law & Bioethics

• Bioethics*
• Disability Rights*
• Health Care Law*
• Law and Psychiatry
• Seminar in Legal Psychology
• Medical Liability and the Law
• Public Benefits Law
• Public Benefits Law Seminar*
• Public Health Law*
• Reproductive Health Law and Policy
• Topical Issues in Health Law Seminar

Human Rights and Social Justice

• Advanced Constitutional Law Seminar
• Advanced Immigration & Citizenship Seminar*
• Asian American Jurisprudence
• Civil Rights Clinic/Seminar*
• Civil Rights Law
• Civil Rights Seminar
• Community Education Seminar*
• Constitutional Law II*
• Critical Race Theory
• Disability Rights*
• Education Policy and the Law*
• Employment Discrimination*
• Farmworkers and the Law
• Feminist Legal Theory*
• Housing Law
• Immigration Law Clinic*
• Immigration Law and Procedure*
• International Human Rights*
• International Law in the Public Sphere (Public International Law)*
• Jewish Law Seminar
• Juvenile Justice*
• Labor Law
• Latinos & Latinas and the Law
• Law and Rural Livelihoods*
• Legal Theory Workshop – Aoki Center Race and Nations Research Seminar*
• Native American Law
• Native American Law Seminar
• Seminar in Legal Psychology
• Prison Law Clinic*
• Public Benefits Law
• Public Interest Law Seminar*
• Public Interest Law Externship*
• Public International Law Seminar
• Selected Topics in Constitutional Law
• Sex-Based Discrimination
• Sexual Assault Seminar*
• Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and the Law*
• Tax and Distributive Justice*
• Transnational Criminal Law
• Women and the Law Practicum
• Women, Islam, and the Law
• Women’s Human Rights*

Individual and Group Study

• Advanced Writing Project*
• Business Law Journal*
• Environs*
• Group Study*
• Instruction in Legal Research & Writing Skills*
• Journal of International Law & Policy Editor *
• Journal of Juvenile Law & Policy Editor *
• Law Review Editor *
• Law Review Writer *
• Research in Legal Problems *

Intellectual Property and Technology

• Agricultural Law and Policy
• Art Law
• Bioethics*
• Biotechnology Law and Policy
• Chinese Intellectual Property Law*
• Copyright*
• Fictional Characters
• Innovation and Technology Transfer Seminar
• Intellectual Property*
• Intellectual Property Agreement Drafting for Biotech & Pharma
• Intellectual Property Externship*
• Intellectual Property in Historical Context
• Intellectual Property – Current Issues*
• International Aspects of U.S. Taxation
• International Intellectual Property
• International Intellectual Property and Development*
• Jurisdiction in Cyberspace
• Law of E-Commerce
• Patent Law*
• Patent Law Externship
• Privacy, Surveillance, and “Sousveillance”*
• Public Interest Law Externship*
• Right of Publicity and Related Doctrines
• Trademark and Unfair Competition Law*
• Trade Secrets*
• Trademark and Branding Seminar

International, Comparative, and Foreign Law

• Advanced International Law*
• Advanced Topics in Immigration and Citizenship Law Seminar
• Animal Law
• Asian American Jurisprudence
• Asian Pacific Americans and the Law
• Chinese Intellectual Property Law
• Criminal Justice Administration Seminar*
• Free Trade and the Environment
• Globalization and the Law
• Immigration Law Clinic*
• Immigration Law and Procedure*
• International Aspects of U. S. Taxation
• International Business Transactions*
• International Dispute Resolution Seminar
• International Environmental Law
• International Finance
• International Human Rights
• International Intellectual Property
• International Intellectual Property and Development*
• International Investment Dispute Seminar
• International Law in the Public Sphere (Public International Law)*
• International Litigation and Arbitration*
• International Tax
• International Trade Dispute Seminar
• Is International Law Democratic
• Jewish Law Seminar
• Private International Law (Conflict of Laws)*
• Public International Law Seminar
• Surveillance and States*
• Terrorism and International Law*
• Theories of International Law
• Transnational Criminal Law
• Women, Islam and the Law
• Women's Human Rights*

Labor and Employment Law

• Agricultural Law and Policy
• Employment Discrimination*
• Employment Law*
• Employment Relations Externship*
• Farmworkers and the Law
• Labor Law
• Pension and Employee Benefit Law
• Public Sector Labor Law Seminar
• Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and the Law*

Legal Theory and Ethics

• Ancient Athenian Law*
• Bioethics *
• Constitutional Law II - Equal Protection
• Constitutional Law II - First Amendment
• Feminist Legal Theory*
• International Human Rights
• Jurisprudence
• Law and Economics*
• Legal Ethics in Corporate Practice
• Legal History*
• Legal Theory Workshop – Aoki Center Race and Nations Research Seminar*
• Mindfulness and Professional Identity
• Selected Topics in Constitutional Law
• Seminar in Legal Psychology
• Professional Responsibility*
• Tax and Distributive Justice*

Procedure and Jurisdiction

• Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Complex Litigation*
• Federal Jurisdiction*
• Legislative Process Externship*
• State and Local Government Law*
• Private International Law (Conflict of Laws)*
• Remedies*
• Suing Government*

Public Law and Policy

• Administrative Law*
• Administrative Law and Policy Seminar
• California Environmental Issues Seminar
• Educational Policy and the Law
• Elections and Political Campaigns*
• Housing Law
• Law and Society Seminar
• Law of the Political Process
• Law-Making and Law-Changing in the Nation’s Capital*
• Legislative Intent Seminar
• Legislative Process
• Legislative Process Externship*
• Policing Seminar
• Privacy, Surveillance, and “Sousveillance”*
• Public Benefits Law Seminar*
• Public Finance: Theory and Practice*
• Public Interest Law Seminar*
• Public Interest Law Externship*
• Public International Law
• Public Regulatory Law
• Public Sector Labor Law Seminar
• State and Local Government Law*
• State and Local Taxation*
• Statutory Interpretation*
• Surveillance and States*
• UCDC Externship*

Skills and Litigation

• Administration of Criminal Justice Externship*
• Advanced Legal Writing*
• Advanced Legal Research*
• Advanced Evidence
• Advanced Negotiations Strategy and Client Counseling*
• Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Aoki Federal Public Defender Clinic/Seminar*
• Analytical and Persuasive Writing*
• Appellate Advocacy I and II (Moot Court)*
• Business Planning and Drafting*
• Carr Intraschool Trial Advocacy Competition*
• Civil Rights Clinic*
• Commercial Arbitration Seminar*
• Complex Litigation*
• Employment Relations Externship*
• Environmental Law Externship*
• Environmental Law Moot Court Competition
• Evidence*
• Family Protection Clinic*
• Federal Taxation Externship*
• Immigration Law Clinic*
• Intellectual Property Externship*
• Intellectual Property Drafting for Biotech and Pharma
• International Litigation and Arbitration*
• Interschool Competitions
• Judicial Process Seminar
• Law-Making and Law-Changing in the Nation’s Capital*
• Legislative Process Externship*
• Mediation: Theory and Practice"
• Mediation (Representing Clients in Mediation)*
• Moot Court Board*
• Negotiations*
• Nonprofit Organizations and Drafting*
• Pretrial Skills*
• Prison Law Clinic*
• Public Interest Law Externship*
• Scientific Evidence
• Suing Government*
• Trial Practice*
• Trial Practice Honors Board*
• UCDC Externship*

Taxation

• Corporate Tax
• Estate Planning Seminar
• Estate and Gift Taxation
• Federal Income Taxation*
• International Aspects of U. S. Taxation
• Life-Cycle Transactions and Drafting*
• Nonprofit Organizations and Drafting*
• Nonprofit Organizations: State and Local Governance Issues
• Nonprofit Organizations: Tax Exemptions, Pension and Employee Benefit Law
• State and Local Taxation*
• Tax and Distributive Justice*
• Taxation of Partnerships & Limited Liability Corporations*

Requirements

• Create an online account at LSAC.org and register with the LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS)
• Submit the following application materials using the LSAC application site:
  • Completed Application
  • Personal Statement of two to four pages (double-spaced, 12-point font)
    • The Statement may discuss any of a variety of factors, including academic promise, background information and any discrepancies in GPA and/or LSAT score; growth, maturity and commitment to law study as evidenced, for example, by extracurricular activities, community service, employment experience and advanced study; severe economic disadvantage or physical disability; other factors relating to diversity, including bilingual skills and unusual accomplishments, skills or abilities relevant to the legal profession
  • Letters of Recommendation (minimum of two, no more than three) from individuals who know the applicant well and are not related to him/her. All letters must be submitted through LSAC, and evaluations are not considered.
  • Official Transcript(s) from all institutions attended. Applicants earning grades after initial application should submit supplementary transcripts as soon as they are available.
  • Résumé (one to two pages preferred)
• Diversity Statement describing background or an experience that enables an applicant to bring a unique perspective to the study of law or contribute to serving diverse populations
• Addenda (for example, LSAT, GPA, leave of absence from school, etc.) providing additional context and describing special circumstances necessary to evaluate the application fairly
• Applicants who have completed the bachelor's degree outside the US (including its territories) or Canada must submit transcripts to the LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS). A Foreign Credential Evaluation will be completed and submitted to the law school as part of the CAS report. A TOEFL score is required of all applicants educated outside the US and for whom English was not the primary language of instruction. Contact the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to request that your TOEFL score be sent to LSAC. LSAC's TOEFL code for CAS is 8395. Your score will be included with the Foreign Credential Evaluation document that will be included in your law school report. Minimum requirements for the TOEFL score are 600 on the paper version of the exam, 250 on the computerized version, and 100 on the Internet Based Test.

Scholarships

Merit-Based Gift Aid (Scholarships)

Law scholarships for prospective and current students are awarded on a competitive basis for academic achievement and, in some cases, financial need. Scholarship criteria may also include participation in extracurricular activities; specific major; career interests; geographic origin; high school or community college attended; parentage; perseverance; and many other personal characteristics. UC Davis offers both renewable and one-time scholarships. None of our renewable scholarships are contingent upon maintaining a particular cumulative GPA or class rank -- students need only stay in good academic standing (defined as cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher) to retain their awards.

Need-Based Gift Aid (Grants)

Grant funds available at UC Davis include Law School Grant and State UC Grant. Grants do not need to be repaid as long as the student remains eligible. Full-time enrollment for grant funding is 10 units per semester. Students taking less than 10 units may be billed for aid received.

Federal Work Study

Federal Work-study funding is awarded based on need, which is determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Federal Work-study provides an opportunity to earn financial aid through employment with public interest and non-profit organizations. Instead of a financial aid check, a Work-study award is paid in the form of a payroll check for time/hours worked. Only second and third year law students will be eligible to apply for federal work-study.