The University of California, Davis School of Law (Martin Luther King Jr. Hall), referred to as UC Davis School of Law and commonly known as King Hall, is the professional graduate
law school of the
University of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a public land-grant research university near Davis, California. Named a Public Ivy, it is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The inst ...
. The school received ABA approval in 1968. It joined the
Association of American Law Schools (AALS) in 1968.
UC Davis School of Law is the smallest of the five law schools in the
University of California
The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Franci ...
system, with a total enrollment of under 600 students. The school is located in a building named for Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...
, and commonly referred to as King Hall.
Rankings and academics
![Mabie Law Library](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Mabie_Law_Library.jpg)
In 2016, ''
U.S. News & World Report'' ranked UC Davis 30th among all law schools in the United States.
[
For ]diversity
Diversity, diversify, or diverse may refer to:
Business
*Diversity (business), the inclusion of people of different identities (ethnicity, gender, age) in the workforce
*Diversity marketing, marketing communication targeting diverse customers
* ...
among the five law schools in the UC system, UC Davis was named the second-most diverse after UC Hastings
The University of California, Hastings College of the Law (UC Hastings) is a public law school in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1878 by Serranus Clinton Hastings, UC Hastings was the first law school of the University of California as ...
by ''U.S. News & World Report''. Princeton Review placed UC Davis Law tenth in the nation for faculty diversity in the 2009 version of its annual law ranking. It is listed as an "A−" in the March 2011 "Diversity Honor Roll" by ''The National Jurist: The Magazine for Law Students''.
It is listed as an "A" (#16) in the January 2011 "Best Public Interest Law Schools" ratings by ''The National Jurist: The Magazine for Law Students''.
UC Davis Law has the smallest student body of the UC law schools. It has a slightly higher student/faculty ratio than UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...
or Berkeley.
UC Davis has been ranked as the fifth most-expensive public law school in the nation by ''U.S. News & World Report''. It is also ranked first for providing the most financial aid.
UC Davis grants the second-most in financial aid in the country. UC Davis Law's King Hall Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP), founded in 1990 to help alumni working in relatively low-income public-service law careers to repay student loans, was the first loan repayment assistance program established at any UC law school.
According to Brian Leiter
Brian Leiter (; born 1963) is an American philosopher and legal scholar who is Karl N. Llewellyn Professor of Jurisprudence at the University of Chicago Law School and founder and Director of Chicago's Center for Law, Philosophy & Human Values. ...
's Law School rankings, Davis ranks 23rd in the nation for scholarly impact as measured by total academic citations of tenure-stream faculty.
On November 28, 2022, UC Davis Law withdrew from U.S. News & World Report rankings and will no longer provide data to contribute to those rankings.
Bar passage rates
Based on a 2001-2007 6 year average, 79.4% of UC Davis Law graduates passed the California State Bar exam. In 2009, 89% of first-time test takers passed the California bar.
For July 2012, 78.9% of first-time test takers passed the California bar exam. For July 2013, 85.0% of first-time test takers passed the California Bar Exam.
For July 2014, 86% of first-time test takers passed the California bar exam.
Employment
According to King Hall's official 2019 ABA-required disclosures, 85% of the Class of 2019 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation. King Hall's Law School Transparency
Law School Transparency (LST) is a nonprofit consumer advocacy and education organization concerning the legal profession in the United States. LST was founded by Vanderbilt Law School graduates Kyle McEntee and Patrick Lynch. LST describes its ...
under-employment score is 6.5%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2019 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.
Costs
The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at King Hall for the 2013–2014 academic year is $68,346 for California residents and $80,591 for non-residents. The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $265,806 for residents.
Expansion
The law school completed a $30 million expansion project in 2011. The project has added an additional wing to the law school's current building, increasing assignable space by nearly 30 percent to provide for additional classrooms, offices, and a new courtroom, named the Paul and Lydia Kalmanovitz Appellate Courtroom in honor of a $1 million gift to the project from the Kalmanovitz Charitable Foundation. The courtroom is used by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, California Supreme Court, and California Court of Appeal.
Noted people
Faculty
* Alan Brownstein, Boochever and Bird Chair for the Study and Teaching of Freedom and Equality, professor emeritus
* Gabriel "Jack" Chin, professor of law, specialist in fields of immigration law and criminal procedure
* Joel Dobris, professor of law, scholar of trusts, wills Wills may refer to:
* Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal document that expresses a person's (testator) wishes as to how their property ( estate) is to be distributed after their death and as to which person (executor) is to manage the pr ...
, and estates
* Angela P. Harris, professor of law, critical legal theory scholar
* Robert W. Hillman, professor of law, fair business practices and investor advocacy chair, professor emeritus
* Edward Imwinkelried, Edward L. Barrett Jr. Professor of Law
* Kevin Johnson, dean and Mabie-Apallas Professor of Public Interest Law and Chicana/o Studies, specialist in civil rights, immigration, and Chicano/a rights law
* Miguel Méndez, professor of law, evidence law scholar
* Terry O'Neill, president, National Organization for Women
The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist organization. Founded in 1966, it is legally a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C. It ...
, acting professor of law 1988–1989.
*Rex R. Perschbacher Rex R. Perschbacher ( 1946 – 2018) was the Daniel J. Dykstra Endowed Chair at UC Davis School of Law, where he presided as Dean from 1998-2008. In addition to his impressive career as a legal scholar, he was credited with leading "an intellectual ...
, Daniel J. Dykstra Endowed Chair, lecturer (1981–2016), dean of the law school (1998–2008), professor emeritus (2016–2018). Professor of law, civil procedure, professional responsibility, legal ethics and clinical application of legal education
* Cruz Reynoso, associate justice of the California Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of California is the highest and final court of appeals in the courts of the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in San Francisco at the Earl Warren Building, but it regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sac ...
1982–1987, Professor Emeritus
* Martha West, former associate dean; Professor Emeritus
* William S. Dodge, professor of law, international law, international transactions, and international dispute resolution.
He currently serves as co-reporter for the American Law Institute's Restatement (Fourth) of Foreign Relations Law: Jurisdiction and as a member of the State Department's Advisory Committee on International Law.
Alumni
* Tani Cantil-Sakauye, the 28th and current chief justice of the California Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of California is the highest and final court of appeals in the courts of the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in San Francisco at the Earl Warren Building, but it regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sac ...
* Craig F. Stowers, associate justice (and formerly the 18th chief justice) of the Alaska Supreme Court
The Alaska Supreme Court is the state supreme court for the U.S. state of Alaska. Its decisions are binding on all other Alaska state courts, and the only court its decisions may be appealed to is the Supreme Court of the United States. The Alas ...
* Kristina Pickering, associate justice of the Supreme Court of Nevada
The Supreme Court of Nevada is the highest state court of the U.S. state of Nevada, and the head of the Nevada Judiciary. The main constitutional function of the Supreme Court is to review appeals made directly from the decisions of the distric ...
*Clint Bolick
Clint Bolick (born December 26, 1957) is a justice of the Arizona Supreme Court. Previously, he served as Vice President of Litigation at the conservative/libertarian Goldwater Institute. He co-founded the libertarian Institute for Justice, whe ...
, associate justice of the Supreme Court of Arizona
The Arizona Supreme Court is the state supreme court of the U.S. state of Arizona. Sitting in the Supreme Court building in downtown Phoenix, the court consists of a chief justice, a vice chief justice, and five associate justices. Each justice ...
* F. Philip Carbullido, associate justice of the Supreme Court of Guam
The Supreme Court of Guam is the highest judicial body of the United States territory of Guam. The Court hears all appeals from the Superior Court of Guam and exercises original jurisdiction only in cases where a certified question is submitted ...
; chief justice 2003-2008
*Luis Alejo
Luis Angel Alejo (born March 27, 1974) is an American politician who served in the California State Assembly representing the California's 30th State Assembly district, 30th Assembly District, encompassing the Pajaro Valley, Pajaro and Salinas Val ...
, California State Assemblymember
* Charles Calderon, California State Assemblymember, former majority leader of the California State Senate
* Sharon L. Gleason, judge, United States District Court for the District of Alaska
The United States District Court for the District of Alaska (in case citations, D. Alaska) is a federal court in the Ninth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the F ...
* Elihu Harris, former Democratic mayor of Oakland, California
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
* Ryan T. Holte, judge, United States Court of Federal Claims
The United States Court of Federal Claims (in case citations, Fed. Cl. or C.F.C.) is a United States federal court that hears monetary claims against the U.S. government. It was established by statute in 1982 as the United States Claims Court, ...
* Paul Igasaki, chief judge and chair of the U.S. Department of Labor
The Ministry of Labour ('' UK''), or Labor ('' US''), also known as the Department of Labour, or Labor, is a government department responsible for setting labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, training, a ...
Administrative Review Board
The Administrative Review Board is a United States military body that conducts an annual review of the detainees held by the United States in Camp Delta in the United States Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The purpose of the Board is to re ...
; deputy chief executive officer of Equal Justice Works; former chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is a federal agency that was established via the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to administer and enforce civil rights laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination ...
(EEOC), appointed by President Clinton
* Gus Lee, American author and ethicist
*Laura Liswood
Laura Ann Liswood (born March 8, 1950) is Secretary General of the Council of Women World Leaders, which is composed of 72 women presidents, prime ministers, and heads of government. It is the only organization in the world dedicated to women heads ...
, co-founder of the Council of Women World Leaders; senior advisor, Goldman Sachs
* George Miller, Democratic congressman; Ranking Member, United States House Committee on Education and Labor
The Committee on Education and Labor is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. There are 50 members in this committee. Since 2019, the chair of the Education and Labor committee is Robert Cortez Scott of Virginia.
H ...
* Angela E. Oh, activist, former chair of U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer's Federal Judicial Nominations Committee
* Dean D. Pregerson, judge, ; son of Judge Harry Pregerson
*Jane A. Restani
Jane Ann Restani (born February 27, 1948 in San Francisco, California) is a senior United States Judge of the United States Court of International Trade. She was appointed to the Court on November 16, 1983 by President Ronald Reagan. She served ...
, chief judge, United States Court of International Trade
The United States Court of International Trade (case citations: Int'l Trade or Intl. Trade) is a U.S. federal court that adjudicates civil actions arising out of U.S. customs and international trade laws. Seated in New York City, it exercises ...
*Jim Rogers
James Beeland Rogers Jr. (born October 19, 1942) is an American investor and financial commentator based in Singapore. Rogers is the chairman of Beeland Interests, Inc. He was the co-founder of the Quantum Fund and Soros Fund Management. He wa ...
, city councilman, City of Richmond, California
*Jon Sands Jon M. Sands (born 1956) is the Federal Public Defender for the District of Arizona and has been since 2004. He served as the chair of the Federal Defender Sentencing Guidelines Committee and chair of the Defender Services Advisory Group. As of 202 ...
, chief federal public defender for the District of Arizona
* Anna Slotky, actress
* Gary D. Solis, adjunct professor of law, Georgetown University Law Center
The Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment and ...
*Darrell Steinberg
Darrell Steven Steinberg (born October 15, 1959) is an American politician and attorney who is the 56th mayor of Sacramento, California since December 2016. He was elected to be mayor on June 7, 2016 (avoiding a runoff). Before that, he was Cali ...
, mayor of Sacramento, California State Senate President Pro Tem, (D-Sacramento)
* Arthur Torres, California State Senator; former chairman of the California Democratic Party
* Monika Kalra Varma, director, Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights (RFK Center)
* Steve White, former presiding judge, Sacramento County Superior Court; former inspector general of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) is the penal law enforcement agency of the government of California responsible for the operation of the California state prison and parole systems. Its headquarters are in Sacram ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uc Davis School Of Law
University of California, Davis
California, Davis
Educational institutions established in 1965
Natural resources law
1965 establishments in California