Interdisciplinary Studies

From the start UCI Law will embrace an interdisciplinary approach, where faculty and students are engaged in work at the very cutting edge of legal scholarship and legal practice. Law is inherently shaped by other disciplines. Attorneys in many areas of business and tax practice need to know law and economics, for instance, and those practicing criminal law often need to know about law and psychology. These interdisciplinary perspectives should be integrated into the law school curriculum, and also will be a part of the scholarship of many faculty members.

This interdisciplinary orientation will better prepare students for the practice of law. For example, we plan to create an intellectual property clinic where a law student is paired with a business student and an engineering student, and together they will develop a plan for the development and marketing of an undeveloped patent. Similarly, we are discussing creation of a small business clinic where a law student and a business student are paired to provide assistance to a small business.

The interdisciplinary strength of the law school will be bolstered by drawing from well-established scholars in law-related fields across the UC Irvine campus. Indeed, five members of our founding faculty enjoy joint appointments in related disciplines at UCI: Elizabeth Loftus, with a joint appointment in Psychology and Law; Kerry Vandell, with a joint appointment in Business and Law; Joseph DiMento with a joint appointment in Planning and Law; Linda Cohen, with a joint appointment in Economics and Law; and Henry Weinstein, with a joint appointment in Literary Journalism and Law.

Moreover, numerous specializations and joint degrees will be created to reflect not only the invaluable resources of the University of California, Irvine community but, more importantly, the intrinsic inter-relation between law and so many other disciplines.

Finally, UCI School of Law has the distinct advantage of being located on a university campus that already has strong interdisciplinary programs with law and related fields that law students can take advantage of. These include the Center in Law, Society & Culture; the Center for Psychology and Law; and the School of Social Ecology, which combines the study of law with the social, behavioral, environmental, and health sciences.