Government Law
Overview
The concentration offers specialized classes and experiential opportunities that prepare students to specialize in government law. Comprehensive local government programs, an optional semester working elbow-to-elbow with state legislative staff in Sacramento, and externships with state and federal agencies are portals to the world of government law.
The concentration fosters a supportive community among public-service-minded students, and long-standing partnerships with alumni in government offices and with professional organizations provide important networking opportunities. UC Law SF’s well-earned reputation improves the appeal of our students to governmental employers and to non-governmental employers that work regularly with government agencies.
In short, a Government Law concentration tells employers that our graduates have expertise in government law and are ready to hit the ground running. The concentration is also a good complement to, and is readily combined with, other concentrations that focus on public law, including tax, health law, or environmental law.
Clinical & Externship Opportunities
EXTERNSHIPS: UC Law SF offers externships with a wide variety of federal, state, and local agencies, many of which have offices walking distance from our campus. Externship placements cover a broad range of subject areas, including, among others, law enforcement, health law, environmental law, city governance, and anti-discrimination regulation.
LEGISLATION CLINIC: Students in the Legislation Clinic learn about the role of lawyers in the legislative process by spending a semester in Sacramento working for a legislative committee, a legislator, or another public entity involved with the legislative process.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT CLINIC: Students in the Local Government Clinic work sixteen hours a week in Bay Area city attorney and county counsel offices while simultaneously being enrolled in the State & Local Government Law class.
PUBLIC LAW AND POLICY WORKGROUP: This three-unit seminar connects students with state and local government agencies and legislative committees to conduct focused research on a pressing public policy issue over the course of the semester. Recent projects include writing a model body camera policy for a city and writing a background paper for a legislative hearing on pharmacy benefit managers.
UCDC: LAW AND LAWYERING IN THE NATION’S CAPITOL: The UCDC Law Program is a collaborative, full-semester externship program in
Washington, DC for 4th-6th semester law students from UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Davis, UC Law SF, and UC Irvine. Students who have participated in the program have externed with White House Counsel, Office of the Vice President, National Immigration Law Center, Securities and Exchange Commission, USDOJ – Consumer Protection Branch, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and elsewhere.
How to Enroll
To enroll in the Concentration, you must complete a Concentrated Studies Application. After obtaining the necessary signature(s), submit the form to the Office of the Registrar. To ensure that your concentration is listed in the commencement program, submit the application no later than the first week of classes of the semester in which you plan to graduate.
Please see the Course Catalog for the most updated information about each concentration’s requirements, including required and qualifying classes. If you have questions, please reach out to the Concentration Advisor.
Learn More
If you have any questions about Government Law Concentration, would like to attend an Information Session, or wish to audit a class to see if the Government Law concentration could be right for you, please contact Concentration Advisor Professor Dave Owen.