Specialization Requirements for Law Students and Curriculum

• General Information about the JD Specialization

  Admission

  Any law student in good standing may apply to be admitted into the J.D. Specialization. Interested students should complete the Specialization Add/Drop Form. Please email Program Coordinator Ben Austin austin@law.ucla.edu once you have completed the form letting him know you have signed up for the Specialization.

  Certification

  The Specialization is not a separate degree program, but rather a specialization within UCLA School of Law. A student who completes the Specialization with a B or better in each qualifying course and a B+ in the writing requirement, will receive a transcript notation indicating successful completion of the Specialization.

  Course Enrollment Preferences

  Students enrolled in the specialization have priority enrollment for Core List courses but not for the courses on the qualifying list. The Registrar will provide pre-enrollment information for each semester.
• 2026-2027 Law and Philosophy Class Schedule

  In addition to the courses listed below, students in the specialization may get qualifying course credits by undertaking an independent study with a faculty member on a topic in legal philosophy, broadly understood. 

  Fall 2026

  Core Courses 

  Law 213 – Sports as Legal Systems, Mark Greenberg  

  Law 217 – Introduction to Legal Philosophy, Tomás Churba  

  Law 524 – Legal Philosophy: Authority, and Resistance, Filippa Ronquist 

  Qualifying Courses 

  Law 266 – Critical Race Theory, Fanna Gamal  

  Law 273 – International Human Rights Law,1* Anna Spain-Bradley  

  Law 389 – Prison and Law Policy,* Sharon Dolovich  

  Law 567 – Direct Democracy,* Joey Fishkin  

  Law 645 – Race Conscious Remedies,* Cheryl Harris 

  Law 649 – Foundation of Jewish Ethics,* Jonathan Zasloff Spring 2027 

   

  Spring 2027

  Core Courses 

  Law 555 – Legal Theory Workshop, Mark Greenberg  

  Phil 166 – Philosophy of Law, Filippa Ronquist [Offered Winter quarter, 2027 in Philosophy Dept; not available to students who have completed Law 217] 

  Qualifying Courses 

  Law 266 – Critical Race Theory, Jamelia Morgan  

  Law 543 – Colloquium on Tax Policy & Public Finance,*  Kirk Stark / Jason Oh  

  Law 616 – Theories of International Law, Richard Steinberg 

  *Credit contingent upon writing, with faculty permission, a philosophically oriented research paper for credit in the course or in a complementary independent study, as attested by the course professor or the Director of the L & P program.

  In addition to these courses, students in the specialization may get qualifying course credits by undertaking independent studies with a faculty member on a topic in legal philosophy, broadly understood. 
• Course Work Requirement
  • Students must complete four qualifying courses (of at least two semester units each) with a grade of B or better in each course.
  • At least two of the courses must come from the Core List. (These lists may be updated by the faculty affiliated with the Program as new courses are added.). Courses on the Core List will be frequently offered. They will usually be taught by members of the faculty who have special expertise in the area of Law and Philosophy, drawing on foundational materials and methodologies of the subject.
  • The other two courses may come from the Core List from the Other Qualifying Courses List or students may petition the Faculty Director of the Program to have other relevant courses or independent studies counted toward the specialization.
  • Courses from the Core List need not be taken before other qualifying courses. Coursework need not be complete before the student tackles the written work requirement.
• Core Courses
  LAW 213

  Sports as Legal Systems: A Comparative Investigation of Law

  LAW 217

  Legal Philosophy

  LAW 418

  Contemporary Philosophy of Law: The Cutting Edge

  LAW 524

  Legal Philosophy - The Nature of Law: Ground, Essence, and Analysis

  LAW 533

  The Philosophy of Prisons and Punishment

  LAW 551

  Philosophy of Punishment

  LAW 555

  Legal Theory Workshop

  LAW 563

  The Foundations of Legal and Moral Responsibility

  LAW 587

  Free Speech Theory

  Philosophy 166 - Philosophy of Law 

  (strongly recommended)

  (This course is not part of the standard Law School curriculum and hence not subject to priority enrollment. Interested students should contact the instructor in the fall to request enrollment and notify the faculty Director. Be aware that the course runs on the quarter system and starts in January term, running for 10 weeks.)

   

• Other Qualifying Courses
  LAW 266

  Critical Race Theory

  LAW 273

  International Human Rights Law

  LAW 376

  Law and Dissent

  LAW 389

  Prison Law and Policy

  LAW 411

  Liberty & Equality: LGBTQ & Reproductive Rights

  LAW 511A/B

  Social Media and the Future of Democracy

  LAW 543

  UCLA Colloquium on Tax Policy and Public Finance

  LAW 547

  Psychology and Criminal Law

  LAW 567

  Direct Democracy

  LAW 612

  Reproductive Rights and Justice

  LAW 616

  Theories of International Law

  LAW 649

  Religious Legal Systems: Jewish Law

  LAW 655

  Feminist Legal Theory

  LAW 666

  The Law and Political Economy of Debt

  LAW 668

  The 8th Amendment Punishments Clause

  LAW 699

  Freedom of Speech: Theoretical and Comparative Perspectives

  LAW 928

  Religious Liberty

  LAW 967

  Statutory Interpretation in The Roberts Supreme Court: The New Textualism

  Philosophy M257 - The Ethics and Politics of Communication 

  Philosophy 156 - Topics in Political Philosophy 

  (This course is not part of the standard Law School curriculum and hence not subject to priority enrollment. Interested students should contact the instructor in the fall to request enrollment and notify the faculty Director. Be aware that the course runs on the quarter system and starts in January term, running for 10 weeks.)

• Written Work Requirement

  To earn the specialization, students must also complete a substantial research paper (20 to 35 pages) on a topic in law and philosophy with a grade of B+ or better.

  To discuss the specialization, students may contact Faculty Director or the Law and Philosophy Program Manager.

  For detailed information about the specialization including other courses and methods of fulfilling the specialization, please visit the Law and Philosophy Specialization page in MyLaw (login required).