To be awarded the specialization in Food Law and Policy, students must maintain a B- (2.7) grade average in courses taken for the specialization. Detailed course descriptions are linked in the listings below. Prospective students should bear in mind that, due to curriculum scheduling and faculty availability, not every class listed is taught each year. This is most often true in the case of seminar courses. A sufficient number of courses will be available to enable those students who choose to specialize to satisfy the specialization requirements.

Curriculum

To be awarded the specialization in Criminal Law and Policy, students must maintain a B- (2.7) grade average in courses taken for the specialization. Detailed course descriptions are linked in the listings below. Prospective students should bear in mind that, due to curriculum scheduling and faculty availability, not every class listed is taught each year. This is most often true in the case of seminar courses. A sufficient number of courses will be available to enable those students who choose to specialize to satisfy the specialization requirements.

Curriculum

September 12, 2024 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

The Williams Institute's 2024 NYC Fall Salon will take place on Thursday, September 12 from 6:00-8:30 PM at the Meta office in Hudson Yards.

We invite you to join our discussion on the current state of LGBTQ+ law and policy and what’s at stake in the upcoming November election and beyond.
 
For tickets to our 2024 NYC Fall Salon, please visit: https://bit.ly/NYCFallSalon24RSVP ends on September 4, 2024.
 

For more information, please contact Williamsdev@law.ucla.edu.

To be awarded the specialization in Technology Law, students must maintain a B- (2.7) grade average in courses taken for the specialization. Detailed course descriptions are linked in the listings below. Prospective students should bear in mind that, due to curriculum scheduling and faculty availability, not every class listed is taught each year. This is most often true in the case of seminar courses. A sufficient number of courses will be available to enable those students who choose to specialize to satisfy the specialization requirements.

Curriculum

UCLA School of Law proudly presents the Critical Race Studies Fellowship, first launched in 2011 under the guidance of Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw. Since its inception, the program has provided lawyers and activists, many of whom came from Latin America, with a unique educational and professional experience to assist in their work against racial discrimination at home.

Fellowship Information

  • Details of the Fellowship

    The fellowship offers a full-tuition grant to enroll in UCLA Law’s LL.M. (Master of Laws) Program. This includes the full cost of tuition, health insurance, and mandatory health facilities fees. Applicants should note that the fellowship does not include assistance for living expenses, and they should be prepared to secure additional funding to cover the remaining costs of attendance.

    Fellows will earn a specialization in Critical Race Studies, as well as the possibility of additional specializations in Public Interest Law and Policy, Human Rights, Law and Sexuality, or International and Comparative Law. Students will learn the fundamentals of the discipline in Civil Rights Law and Critical Race Theory courses and will take additional coursework that creates opportunities to apply the rigorous analysis arising from the fundamentals to legal areas such as immigration, incarceration, labor, or international law.

    The fellowship is housed under UCLA Law’s renowned Critical Race Studies Program (CRS). CRS’s mission is to “Think. Teach. Transform.” by working at the intersection of race and the law to train advocates, leaders, and scholars committed to challenging injustice in all its forms. Founded in 2000, CRS became the first law school program dedicated to incorporating Critical Race Theory (CRT) into legal scholarship and teaching, enabling law students to graduate with a formal CRS specialization. The program remains unique in legal education. CRS faculty include authors of pathbreaking works in CRT that have introduced widely influential ideas and concepts to scholars across the academy, legal practitioners, and the general public, as well as emergent and more recently established scholars who are expanding the field in important ways, including by incorporating new empirical methods and by integrating CRT with clinical teaching and practice, and with international human rights and migration.

    CRS is a preeminent training program for the next generation of legal advocates and scholars committed to racial justice. The diverse student body includes many first-generation college graduates and those from communities traditionally underrepresented in legal and academic fields. The program supplements a rigorous academic curriculum with clinical experiences grounded in community partnerships that integrate theory and practice. CRS alumni include racial justice leaders in legal practice, academia, and government around the country and the globe. The program also directly serves the broader public through widely-accessed webinars, symposia that include and collaborate with community organizations, and through our faculty’s frequent appearance in national media and public fora. More information on CRS can be found here.

  • Eligibility & Award Conditions

    The UCLA Law Critical Race Studies Fellowship is open to law graduates holding J.D. or LL.B. degrees with a B average or higher from their law school programs. Competitive applicants will also have a demonstrated commitment to race discrimination law and intersectional analyses, through work, volunteer or internship experience, and/or scholarship published in these areas.

    As a condition of the award, fellows will be asked to certify that they will return to their home country upon completion of their LL.M. degree and commit to a legal career in related fields.

    Although successful candidates initially came predominantly from Latin America, any applicant who demonstrates a background and commitment to the purpose and vision of the fellowship will be considered upon receipt of their application.

  • Application Instructions

    To apply for admission, prospective students must submit an online application to UCLA Law's LL.M. Program, a separate supplemental application form for the UCLA Critical Race Studies Fellowship, and supporting documentation.

    1. UCLA Law LL.M. Program Application
      To create an account and complete the online LL.M. program application, click the link above and follow the instructions to submit your application and supporting documentation via the LSAC platform no later than February 1.
    2. UCLA Law Critical Race Studies Fellowship Supplemental Application Form [PDF]
      Click the link above to download the supplemental application for the Critical Race Studies Fellowship. After completing this form, include it as part of the "personal statement" file uploaded as a supporting document through the LSAC platform.

    Applicants for whom the LSAC fees present a barrier to application may email llm@law.ucla.edu to request consideration for a waiver of the LSAC process.

    Please direct questions about the fellowship to vanzyl@law.ucla.edu, and questions about UCLA Law's online LL.M. application procedure to llm@law.ucla.edu.

    Please note that UCLA is not able to reimburse any amounts paid to LSAC in the process of applying to the fellowship. Be sure to contact the address above before paying any LSAC fees.

Fellows

  • Current Fellows

    Headshot photo of Diya Maria Abraham

    Diya Maria Abraham
    Critical Race Studies Fellow, 2026 (Expected)
    LL.B. National Law School of India University, 2025
    B.A. St. Stephen's College, University of Delhi

    Diya Maria Abraham is a 2025-26 UCLA School of Law Critical Race Studies Fellow and LL.M. candidate. She earned her LL.B. (Hons) from National Law School of India University in 2025 and her B.A. History (Hons) from St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi. Before joining UCLA, Diya served as a judicial clerk intern at the Supreme Court of India and contributed to criminal litigation across several Indian High Courts. She has a dedicated history of service to indigent and incarcerated populations, including working with incarcerated women in India and volunteering with UCLA’s El Centro Re-entry Clinic and Behind Bars Data Project. Her research and praxis are deeply rooted in criminal justice reform, prison law, and the intersection of caste, gender, and class in criminal justice institutions. Diya is an incoming volunteer law clerk at the LA County Public Defender’s Office.
     

     

    Headshot photo of Lamya Rahman

    Lamya Rahman
    Critical Race Studies Fellow, 2026 (Expected)
    LL.B. University of Sydney
    B.A. University of Sydney

    Lamya Rahman is a 2025-26 UCLA School of Law Critical Race Studies Fellow and LL.M. candidate specializing in International and Comparative Law. She holds both her LL.B. and B.A. with Honors in History from the University of Sydney, where her research examined how legal definitions of racial discrimination shape civil rights protections. Her work explores how competing social groups invest in, contest and mobilize these definitions. In 2026, she will extend this research to the U.S. and international legal frame as a Salzburg Cutler Fellow. Before attending UCLA, Lamya was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales and practiced in professional and financial disputes. As a fellow, Lamya seeks to apply critical race theory to discrimination law, labor law, and international rights law, with an emphasis on the relationship between racial and economic justice. At UCLA, Lamya has contributed legal research on water as a weapon of conflict to a forthcoming 2026 joint report by the UN Special Rapporteur and UCLA's Promise Institute for Human Rights. She also currently volunteers with UNITE HERE Local 11, supporting workers' rights advocacy.

  • Past Fellows & Affiliated Practitioners

    Allyne Andrade e Silva, 2018-19

    Julieth Balanta Zuñiga, 2015-16

    Maryluz Barragan, 2013-14

    Dayana Blanco, 2017-18

    Andres Caicedo Berdugo, 2014-15

    Andres Caicedo Sanchez, 2022-23

    Thiame Carabali Hinestroza, 2016-17

    Lina Cordoba Moreno, 2022-23

    Marina de Oliveira Reis, 2019-20

    Daniel Gomez Mazo, 2013-14

    Ana Gonzalez, 2011-12

    Diego Grueso, 2012-13

    Angelica Mayolo Obregon, 2016-17

    Sindis Meza Pineda, 2015-16

    Kelis Moreno, 2017-18

    Charquia Wright, 2019-20

The Native Nations Law JD Specialization comprises courses focusing on tribal legal systems, federal Indian law, and international advocacy for Indigenous rights. A renowned resource in support of Native Nations, UCLA Law’s Native Nations Law & Policy Center advances Indian nations’ laws and institutions in furtherance of tribal sovereignty and rights of self-determination.

Areas of Focus

Indian Law

From addressing public policy concerns for Native peoples to repatriation and cultural resource protection, Indian law covers a wide range of legal subjects.

Learn More
Centers of Excellence

Native Nations Law & Policy Center

This center advances Indian nations’ laws and institutions while promoting cultural resource protections.

Learn More

Coursework Requirement

J.D. students are required to complete five courses with a grade of B- or better in each course to complete the program.

Course or Independent Research with non-NNLPC Core or Affiliated Faculty Members

For courses or independent research with non-NNLPC Core or Affiliated Faculty, you may petition for pre-approval by submitting a description of the course or independent research to a member of the Specialization Committee. You should note that it may not always be possible to pre-approve independent research, in which case a decision will be made once the student submits a completed project.

Students may petition the Specialization Committee to have other relevant courses or independent studies counted toward the specialization. The Center faculty may also approve, on a case-by-case basis, specialization credit for appropriate courses taken either abroad as part of Foreign Legal Studies, or as a transfer or visiting student. The list of courses (including seminars and clinics) that satisfy the specialization will be reviewed annually and revised as appropriate by the Specialization Committee, in coordination with the Records Office. Students are encouraged to look into the specifics of the syllabi of each course and to meet with the faculty advisors to ensure they select courses that best achieve their personal educational goals.

Students may petition the Specialization Committee for permission to take Federal Indian Law I and Federal Indian Law II concurrently, or for permission for the Tribal Legal Development Clinic to serve as a pre-requisite to Federal Indian Law II, requests which may be granted, but only in exceptional circumstances.

Students pursuing the J.D. Specialization in Native Nations Law do not receive priority enrollment for any course except the Tribal Legal Development Clinic. However, ultimate enrollment decisions remain at the discretion of the Clinic director. Students are encouraged to enroll for other courses as early as possible in the enrollment period for maximum flexibility.

Please note that not all courses will be offered every year.

Externships

Students pursuing the Specialization in Native Nations Law may pursue full- or part-time externships relating to Indian law for credit towards the specialization’s Group B coursework requirement. A student wishing to use an externship as a qualifying course must receive the prior consent of the Native Nations Law Specialization Committee. Consent will require a demonstration that the externship will provide exposure to relevant substantive areas of law. Regardless of the number of externships or externship units a student completes, a student may use externships to count, at most, as one course.

To be awarded the specialization in Native Nations Law, students must maintain a B- (2.7) grade average in courses taken for the specialization. Detailed course descriptions are linked in the listings below. Prospective students should bear in mind that, due to curriculum scheduling and faculty availability, not every class listed is taught each year. This is most often true in the case of seminar courses. A sufficient number of courses will be available to enable those students who choose to specialize to satisfy the specialization requirements.

Curriculum

The list of courses (including seminars and clinics) that satisfy the Indian Law Elective and the Elective in Law will be reviewed annually and revised as appropriate by the Native Nations Law Specialization Committee, in coordination with the Records Office. Students are encouraged to look into the specifics of the syllabi of each course and to meet with the faculty advisors to ensure they select courses that best achieve their personal educational goals.

Students may petition the Native Nations Law Specialization Committee to have other relevant courses or independent studies counted toward the specialization.

The Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree is an advanced, one-year graduate program in which students have the flexibility to enroll in one of several distinct specializations or customize their studies in pursuit of their unique professional goals.

Designed for those who already hold a J.D. or equivalent law degree, the LL.M. welcomes J.D. graduates of U.S. law schools to learn from our world-class faculty and enhance their credentials. Our robust curriculum includes advanced courses in every legal discipline and a rich array of clinical education opportunities.

LL.M. Program Application Instructions

The Graduate Studies Team

Lara Stemple

Assistant Dean for Graduate Studies and International Student Programs
Professor Stemple has overseen the LL.M. and S.J.D. Programs since 2005. She also teaches and writes in the areas of human rights, global health, gender, sexuality, HIV/AIDS, and incarceration.

Vic Telesino

Representatives from UCLA Law’s Office of Graduate Studies and International Programs often participate in various virtual and in-person recruitment events across the globe. Events will be included on this page once they have been confirmed, so please continue to check back with us here for updates. We look forward to meeting you at one or more of these events.

LL.M. Recruitment Events

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04 03
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Can Abundance Be Sustainable? Merging Affordability and Climate Policy - Emmett Institute Symposium
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