UC Law San Francisco

08/27/2026

Prof. Dave Owen, an expert in environmental law, has co-written a series of essays on LegalPlanet about adopting improved strategies for combatting wildfires. One proposal is to create a new exception in the Clean Air Act “for prescribed burns and wildfire smoke more generally – but one tethered to enforceable state commitments to address barriers to prescribed burns in particular, and effective fire risk management more broadly.”
https://legal-planet.org/2026/08/22/wildfire-and-air-quality-law/

08/27/2026

UC Law SF received an A+ rating from National Jurist for preparing students in Health Law, one of fewer than 20 schools in the country to earn that honor.

Health law sits at the intersection of patient care, public policy and business. These schools prepare students through medical-legal partnerships, health care transactions, regulatory compliance and public health advocacy, giving them hands-on experience tackling the legal challenges shaping today'...

08/25/2026

Prof. Seema N. Patel, an expert at the intersection of technology and work law, spoke to WIRED magazine about the bankrupt airline Spirit Airlines selling its employee data to Google to feed the technology company’s AI models. Labor representatives have objected to the commodification of the data. “There is no boundary between the information and data that the employee is producing and their own personal information. The law has not caught up. Companies are having a field day with this.”

“It never crossed my mind that they would be so bold as to sell our private data for AI,” says one former Spirit Airlines flight attendant.

08/24/2026

New scholarship by Prof. Zach Price, an expert in constitutional and administrative law, was cited several times in a Washington Post op-ed about the Trump Administration's battles with universities. Price's article in the Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics and Public Policy, “Attempted Administrative Entrenchment in Trump’s Second Term,” argues that some unconventional administrative tactics from the current administration can be understood as efforts to lock in durable policy changes through unilateral executive action, without new legislation or rulemaking. Price argues that these tactics are likely to work to some degree but will also probably inspire copycat efforts by future Democratic administrations.

Universities will have to calculate the actions of a future Republican administration.

08/21/2026

Words to the wise from UC law SF’s convocation speaker Troy Nunley ’90, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. After his first day as a student at what is now UC Law SF, Nunley’s mother asked him what he had learned that day. “I didn’t learn enough,” he said, “they told me I have to come back tomorrow.”

Happy first week!

08/19/2026

Professor Seema N. Patel, a labor and employment law scholar, shares her personal experience balancing work and family as an attorney, law professor and mother in a conversation with BBC News, amid a renewed national conversation about motherhood and career. Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjwxgz95jvgo

08/18/2026

UC Law SF is starting the academic year with major leadership transitions underway, new professors, and fresh opportunities for students. Chancellor & Dean David Faigman is entering his final year at the helm, while Provost & Academic Dean Morris Ratner will conclude his tenure at the end of 2026.

Three new faculty members join the school this year, and AI-related curriculum is growing as the technology changes legal practice. Across UC Law SF, centers and programs are welcoming new leaders, launching new initiatives and creating new opportunities to make an impact.

Meanwhile, more than 600 new students are beginning their studies at UC Law SF, including 460 new JD students, 17% of whom are first-generation college students. See what’s new and what’s ahead for the new academic year.

New academic year brings leadership, faculty and curriculum changes to UC Law SF August 18, 2026 at UC Law SF Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Share through Email UC Law SF is preparing for major leadership changes, including the selection of a new chancellor & dean and a transit...

08/17/2026

More than 600 new students are joining the UC Law SF community this fall, including 460 new JD students. From a submarine sailor and combat medic to a recording artist and urban beekeeper, UC Law SF’s newest students have taken many different paths to law school. Swipe through photos from activities that kicked off the new academic year.

https://www.uclawsf.edu/2026/08/14/welcome-to-uc-law-sf-class-of-2029/

08/17/2026

In a message to the community, Chancellor & Dean David Faigman welcomed new and returning students for what will be his final academic year in the role. He reflected on the College's advances over the years and the extraordinary students, faculty and staff who stand together to make a difference, while highlighting the value of a high-quality legal education. “There is no better training, no better tool, no better allies to empower someone to stand up and be counted than the people at, and the legal education provided by, UC Law San Francisco.”

Chancellor & Dean David Faigman marks new academic year in welcome message August 17, 2026 at UC Law SF Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Share through Email As he begins his final year as chancellor and dean, David Faigman reflects on UC Law SF’s evolution and celebrates the st...

08/14/2026

Tops in tech! UC Law SF earns a high grade in the National Jurist’s list of top schools for technology law. https://nationaljurist.com/top-law-schools-for-technology-law/