Under ABA rules, a law school may be considered for accreditation in its second year of operation. We will seek provisional accreditation from the American Bar Association in 2010-2011.

A student at a provisionally approved law school and an individual who graduates while the school is provisionally approved are entitled to the same recognition given to students and graduates of fully approved law schools. After at least two years of provisional approval, a fully compliant school can be granted full accreditation. The law school makes no representation to any applicant that it will be approved by the American Bar Association prior to the graduation of any matriculating student.

The inaugural class enrolls in August 2009. Our second class of students will enroll in August 2010.

Applications can be submitted from October 1, 2009, to the deadline, February 1, 2010. Apply earlier rather than later! The online application form and instructions will be available in late August or early September, 2009; visit our web site then.

Students are admitted only for fall entry to the law school. There is no mid-year admission.

No.

Our tuition will be comparable to the tuitions of the University of California law schools because, as a public institution and UC campus, we are committed to keeping tuition as low as possible and scholarship support as high as possible to ensure accessibility to all the highly talented students who will join us.

We plan to have a very generous aid program for students in our second class. Details for the program will be announced. This program will include substantial scholarships, as well as federal Stafford and Graduate Plus loans. Of course, we will offer exceptionally needy students an opportunity to qualify for need-based aid. Most importantly: we are currently working on a substantial, across-the-board scholarship program for all members of our second class.

We will offer a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree and a number of dual degrees. For joint degrees, students must apply to and be admitted to each graduate program separately.

It is uncertain at this time. More information will be available early in the academic year.

No.

A bachelor's degree earned prior to the beginning of the law school semester from an accredited institution of higher education and a valid LSAT score. Please refer to the application instructions online in late August 2009.

We are seeking to create a community of law students from among the most talented and intellectually skilled applicants who will help us build the ideal law school for the 21st century.

Click here to read what the faculty has to say about the type of students they anticipate enrolling.

Public service is central to the school’s mission, and our philosophy is that public service is not just for students who want to pursue full-time public service jobs. We believe that all law students should be exposed to social justice legal issues as part of their legal education. Indeed, it is expected that all students will be required to participate in clinical programs where they will be serving live clients.

In addition, the law school will have a very generous loan-forgiveness program so that graduates who wish to pursue a career in public interest law are not hindered by student loan debt.

As part of their training at UC Irvine through clinical and pro bono programs, students will provide supervised legal assistance to community members who would otherwise be unable to afford a lawyer. These opportunities will allow students to gain invaluable real-world experience in the actual practice of law while addressing gaps in our justice system.

The areas of law covered will be decided after conversations with members of the Orange County community to determine how the new law school can best partner with existing organizations to fulfill the area’s unmet needs.

Our goal is to do the best job of any law school in the country in preparing students for the practice of law. Our experiential learning emphasis will ensure that students have hands-on opportunities to understand how the law works in action, with live clients and actual problems. Under the supervision of some of the nation's best faculty, as well as working with local legal services providers, students will learn to interview live clients, analyze real legal issues, investigate the facts and help their clients find solutions.

Our curriculum combines the best of tradition and innovation through experiential learning.

We anticipate offering specializations such as environmental law, intellectual property law, business law, international law, law and medicine, and public interest/social justice, among others, that take advantage of Southern California’s economic vibrancy as well as UC Irvine's and our faculty’s numerous strengths.

Dean Chemerinsky and many of our faculty have experience helping students prepare for the bar exam and have taught at top-tier schools with impressive bar-passage rates.

Assuming that provisional ABA-accreditation is granted during our second academic year (2010-2011), our students will not need to take the Baby Bar exam and will be eligible to take the bar exam in any state in the country upon graduation.

Our faculty and administrators are from top-tier schools. They are among the most highly regarded legal scholars and represent a broad range of expertise and interests. They also are committed to delivering a student-centered education, and to the ethical advancement of the profession. In addition to the founding faculty, we expect to add at least seven more full-time faculty. They will be announced soon. All are outstanding teachers and scholars.

For the foreseeable future, the law school and law library will be located at 401 East Peltason Drive, in a building at East Peltason and Campus Drive.

The law school has a career development office, which will work aggressively to place students in their desired fields and places of employment. More than 70 national and local private firms; local, state and federal government law offices; and public interest non-profits have committed to interviewing our students on campus in 2010.

The school will be funded through tuition, campus enrollment growth and private gifts. Already, more than $28 million in philanthropic support has been raised, including significant funding for student scholarships and endowed faculty positions.

With a temperate climate (the year-round average temperature ranges from 67 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit) and beautiful and diverse surroundings, the University of California, Irvine is an ideal community in which to live and study. The campus itself is centered around tranquil Aldrich Park, a 19-acre botanical garden with more than 11,000 trees and shrubs.
> The Campus
> Orange County

In Southern California, you can surf in the morning and snowboard in the afternoon, and have a wide choice of cultural opportunities in the evening. The region contains 76 miles of shoreline, bounded by mountain ranges and criss-crossed by thousands of miles of nature trails. Neighboring Newport Beach and Laguna Beach are among the most beautiful coastlines in all of California. With UC Irvine’s ideal Southern California location, students have a wealth of recreational and cultural options and venues. The Irvine Ranch Land Reserve includes 37,000 acres designated by the U.S. Department of the Interior as a National Natural Landmark. And from nearby Disneyland and other theme parks to the Orange County Performing Arts Center and the South Coast Repertory Center, there’s always something to do.

The campus also is home to a vibrant performing arts program, a wide range of athletic facilities and teams, the Arts Plaza (a unique, outdoor gallery and performance space), the Anteater Recreation Center and the Irvine Barclay Theatre, as well as the Bren Events Center, which provides an exciting and prestigious array of music, performance, exhibition, sporting and other public events.

Visit this web site for regular updates. If you have specific questions that are not addressed here, please contact us at 949-824-4545. Or you can send an e-mail to vortiz@law.uci.edu.

(Updated March 13,2009)