Golden Gate University School of Law

GGU Campus

GGU Law was founded in the autumn of 1901 as the YMCA Evening Law School, a component of the San Francisco Central YMCA Evening College. Classes were held in the YMCA's building at Mason and Ellis Streets in the Tenderloin, which was destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Like other YMCA Law Schools across the nation, it was established to provide people who worked full-time the opportunity to attend law school at night. The first graduating class in June 1905 had four students (all men).[6] After the earthquake, the school was conducted out of tents, and later leased space at 1220 Geary St. (now Geary Boulevard) near Franklin Street in the Western Addition neighborhood.[7] For the purpose of conferring the LL.B degree under authority of law the school was incorporated as the Young Men's Christian Association Law College on June 1, 1910.[8][9][10] With the rest of the YMCA the law college moved to its purpose-built home at 220 Golden Gate Ave, near Leavenworth Street, again in the Tenderloin in November 1910. The Law College's graduates enjoyed the diploma privilege from 1915 to its abolition in 1917.[11]

The YMCA Golden Gate School of Law along with the rest of the local "Y"'s educational programs was formally incorporated separately from the San Francisco Central YMCA in April 1923, as Golden Gate College. The school moved to its present location, a 1924 warehouse known as the "Allyne Building" at 536 Mission Street, near 1st Street in the South of Market district in December 1964, with the rest of the college moving there in June 1968.[12] The law school added a full-time three-year day program in September 1966.[13] Following the national trend, the school replaced the Bachelor of Laws with the Doctor of Jurisprudence on December 1, 1967 with effect from Spring 1968[14]

The School of Law held provisional accreditation from the American Bar Association longer than any other in history—from August 30, 1956 until July 6, 1971, at which time full approval was granted.[15][16][17]

The college elevated to university status and became Golden Gate University in 1972, with Golden Gate University School of Law as its law school.

Lecture Hall

The school offers a first degree in law (J.D.) and first graduate degrees in law (LL.M., and doctoral S.J.D.) programs in intellectual property, environmental law, taxation, U.S. legal studies and international law.

Students also may earn combined degrees: J.D./M.B.A. with Golden Gate University's Ageno School of Business or J.D./Ph.D. with Palo Alto University.

The school has been accredited by the American Bar Association since August 1956.[16] Additionally it has been accredited by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California since 1940. It is also a member of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS).[18] Graduates qualify to take the bar exam in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. On an institution-wide basis, Golden Gate University has been fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) since 1959. (It had been accredited by what is now the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools from 1950.)

The Public Interest Scholars Program includes the Environmental Law and Justice Clinic, Veteran's Legal Advocacy Center, and the Women's Employment Rights Clinic.

In 1978, the law school developed a graduate legal program in taxation and in the 1990s graduate programs in environmental law, an International Legal Studies Program, and U.S. legal studies.

The school's Environmental Law and Justice Clinic was founded in 1994. It provides pro bono legal support to communities suffering from pollution. It has received numerous awards for its collaboration with grassroots, regional, and national groups in effecting change, notably for bringing attention to the health disparities resulting from pollution concentrated in the Bayview Hunters-Point neighborhood of the City of San Francisco.[19][20] The Clinic's work with other groups and the City of San Francisco resulted in the closure of two power plants and prevention of other power plants from being built in the Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood of the City of San Francisco.[21] In its third decade, the Clinic has focused attention on clean drinking water for low-income communities[22] while also continuing its work in air pollution reduction as well as supporting clients who have long made the connection between civil rights and environmental benefits and harms.

The law school received an "A" in The National Jurist 2016 rankings in the "Most Diverse" and "Best for Practical Training" categories.[23] The school's Environmental Law Program was ranked in 2012 by the U.S. News & World Report as one of the top 25 programs in the nation.

In 1998, the school established the Honors Lawyering Program through which students participate in two full-time, semester-long legal apprenticeships.

34% of Golden Gate graduates who took the California bar for the first time in July 2018 passed, vs. a statewide average of 55% for first-timers and a 64% average for graduates of ABA-approved California law schools.[24] 38% of Golden Gate graduates who took the California bar for the first time in February 2019 passed, vs. a statewide average of 41% for first-timers and a 46% average for graduates of ABA-approved California law schools.[25]

The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) for continuing students at Golden Gate University School of Law for the 2018-2019 academic year was $77,750.[26]

According to Golden Gate University School of Law's official 2019 ABA-required disclosures, 69.9% of the Class of 2018 obtained employment within nine months of graduation. According to the same document, 32.5% of the Class of 2018 obtained full-time, long-term employment in positions that required bar passage, while 18.1% of graduates were unemployed and seeking employment.[27]

• Official website