UC Law SF Starts Fall Semester with Cutting-Edge Courses and Diverse Student Body
As UC Law San Francisco kicks off a new academic year, new and returning students are in for an exhilarating journey, enriched by innovative courses, esteemed faculty, and the proud legacy of alumni like Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris ’89.
This year’s curriculum includes new cutting-edge courses like Mental Health Law, a Natural Resources Law seminar, and Product Counseling, which prepares future lawyers to guide tech companies with actionable legal advice. Newly appointed faculty members bring fresh expertise in areas such as health care safety and regulation, international human rights, and artificial intelligence.
More than 500 new students are starting their legal journeys at UC Law SF this year, including 401 JD students. Ranging in age from 19 to 72, the JD Class of 2027 is 60% female, with over half identifying as people of color, and 17% being the first in their families to graduate from college. Additionally, some 150 students are pursuing other advanced degrees this year, including 28 international students from 17 countries in the LLM program.
Below are a few highlighted photos from recent back-to-school activities.
First-year law student Eva Liebovitz, center, moves into UC Law SF’s student housing at 198 McAllister building on Aug. 1 with help from her family. She’s one of many students settling into the new 14-story, 656-unit building, part of the College’s expanding Academic Village in the heart of San Francisco.
First-year law students show off their new UC Law SF sweatshirts during an ice cream social on the College’s Quad, part of multi-day orientation activities in August.
“The future is not something you enter. It is something you create,” Associate Judge of the D.C. Superior Court Robert Rigsby ’86 tells incoming students at an orientation kickoff for the Legal Education Opportunity Program (LEOP).
UC Law SF Director Andrew Houston ’07 greets incoming LEOP students with advice and inspiration: “With this law degree, you’re setting yourself up to do anything you want. What a beautiful position to be in.” Houston, a LEOP alumnus, is principal campus counsel at UC Berkeley.
Millicent Wong ’25 offers incoming law students words of encouragement and advice for thriving in law school during a JD orientation kickoff ceremony. Wong is president of the College’s student government organization, the Associated Students of UC Law SF.
Chancellor & Dean David Faigman tells more than 400 new law students at orientation to always pursue their dreams with energy, passion, and strive for excellence. He says, “You’ll always have UC Law San Francisco’s community at your side and on your side.”
Professors Matt Coles and Emily Murphy show how to debate professionally and highlight the value of understanding different viewpoints during an orientation panel for new students.
New law students enjoyed an “Inside Out”-themed session while learning about UC Law SF’s top-rated Moot Court team and Legal Research and Writing program. Senior Associate Dean Toni Young ‘76 and current students and faculty wore Pixar character costumes as they previewed what to expect in first-year LRW courses.
U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of California Troy L. Nunley ’90 shares the inspiring story of how he became a federal judge after growing up in San Francisco’s housing projects. He encourages new law students to envision their future, noting that one of them could follow the footsteps of his law school classmate, Kamala Harris ’89, and become vice president of the United States.
Some 400 aspiring attorneys recite the Pledge of Professionalism at a convocation ceremony for incoming JD students, marking the start of their law school journey and the end of orientation for the Class of 2027.