page_title: Golden Gate University School of Law
section_title: Programs and accreditation
hierarchical_section_title: Golden Gate University School of Law / Programs and accreditation
caption_attribution_description: Lecture Hall at Golden Gate University School of Law.
context_page_description: Golden Gate University School of Law is one of the professional graduate schools of Golden Gate University. Located in downtown San Francisco, California, GGU is a California non-profit corporation and is fully accredited by the American Bar Association.
context_section_description: 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. 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). 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.  I
  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. 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.  In its third decade, the Clinic has focused  attention on clean drinking water for low-income communities 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. 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
caption: Lecture Hall
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