School of Law
Golden Gate University School of Law is reopening its Juris Doctor program in Fall 2027. Learn more below, or have one of our enrollment advisors answer your questions.
San Francisco’s Law School Since 1901
AI is already part of legal practice, and the lawyers who will succeed are the ones who can use it well and know its limits. GGU’s returning J.D. is built for that reality. Every student learns to apply AI in legal research, drafting and client service, and to apply the rules of professional conduct to its use, inside a curriculum that covers every subject tested on the California Bar Examination.
The J.D. is accredited by the State Bar of California and is offered online, mainly asynchronously, with an optional campus weekend each term. Students choose a three-year full-time or four-year part-time path.
The School of Law also offers the LLM in Taxation and the Master of Law Studies for attorneys and professionals who want to deepen their expertise in law.
BEGINNINGS – THE GGU SCHOOL OF LAW IS REOPENING!
A Message from the Dean
I have the honor and delight to serve as the first Dean of Golden Gate University School of Law in its new iteration as a California accredited law school. We previously operated our law school for over a century under the auspices of the American Bar Association, but things have changed, and we now look forward to reopening in September 2027 and welcoming our first class.
Our School of Law will differ from our past model in two major ways. First, GGU places a high value on accessibility. Subject to final approval from the State Bar of California, we plan to offer our J.D. program in a primarily asynchronous online modality that allows working adults, parents, and adult learners greater flexibility to pursue their legal education at their own pace, but still with the rigor and feedback that characterized our prior law school. There will be a hybrid experience available through a Campus Weekend offered each semester, providing students a chance to meet other students, faculty, alumni, and local practitioners at our San Francisco campus. Students unable to attend in person can access the activities and class sessions remotely, so all can partake by whatever mode works best for them.
Secondly, the School of Law’s program of study will not only impart the doctrinal knowledge needed to pass the Bar Exam and essential lawyering skills, but also will strive to ensure that all students are equipped with the AI tools and knowledge to thrive in the profession. We believe this is a winning combination and will make a GGU education both distinctive and relevant.
This month GGU Law will begin recruiting our inaugural class and urge alumni, friends, and colleagues to spread the word about our relaunch. There will be financial aid available to those in need, and in keeping with longstanding tradition, we are committed to admitting a class that represents a wide swath of the population – diversity in all its forms – to enrich everyone in the community.
Please spread the word about our upcoming launch and exciting vision for legal education – one that pairs GGU’s past record of preparing graduates to be skillful practitioners with the new GGU mission of in-depth AI competence and knowledge. We believe this is the best of both worlds and our graduates will have something special to contribute and a great chance for success.
Diane C. Yu
Dean, School of Law
Senior Advisor to the President
Golden Gate University
GGU’s School of Law Programs
Our curriculum offers students a range of electives and practical training opportunities that help them explore their career interests. Our courses are taught by faculty with expertise across a broad range of academic fields and areas of legal study.
Current SJD and LLM students can find program information in the Academic Catalog at catalog.ggu.edu/.
Select your law program from the list below
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125 Years of Legal Education in San Francisco
Founded in 1901, Golden Gate University School of Law was the first Northern California law school with an evening program and is one of the oldest law schools in the Western United States.
The School of Law provides practical legal training combined with solid legal theory. Students are challenged to view law not merely as rules to be mastered, but as social policies to be explored and questioned. Through externships, simulation courses and a comprehensive writing curriculum, students build skills in analysis, document drafting, advocacy, trial technique, counseling, interviewing and negotiating.
The School of Law is a member of the Association of American Law Schools.
The Law School Experience
Externships
Upper-division students gain real practice experience through externships with courts, public agencies, nonprofits and law firms, alongside simulation courses in negotiation, mediation and trial advocacy.
AI in Legal Practice
AI is integrated across the J.D. curriculum, from first-year courses through an advanced course in AI in law practice, so graduates enter the profession able to use these tools competently and ethically.
Student Success
Academic support is built into every GGU Law program, from orientation through bar preparation.
Bar Preparation
GGU Law provides students no-cost bar prep materials from the moment they enter school until the time they pass the Bar, through our partnership with Themis Bar Review.
Career Development
We are here to guide you in your professional development, including career counseling, networking and recruiting programs, career panels, and more.
Accessible Education
We are committed to working with students and employees with disabilities or temporary injuries to achieve full and equal access to all aspects of life at GGU.
Innovation is Our Tradition
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Trial Advocacy
2023-2024
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Environmental Law
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Clinical Training
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What I received at Golden Gate is a unique set of skills that I can take anywhere in life. The expertise that I received transcends across my many careers in real estate, finance, law, and have taken me from Presiding Judge to District Attorney.
Accreditation and Consumer Information
Golden Gate University School of Law’s Juris Doctor program is accredited by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California, which approved the School’s application in January 2026. The School has since asked the Committee to approve four amendments to that application: a fall 2027 start date, a primarily asynchronous online format with an optional campus weekend each term, the School’s relocation to GGU’s Lake Merced campus, and optional rather than required standardized test scores. The Committee’s decision on those amendments is pending, and the School will update this page when it is received. The Committee’s address is 180 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105, (415) 538-2000, calbar.ca.gov.
Golden Gate University is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), 985 Atlantic Avenue, Suite 100, Alameda, CA 94501, (510) 748-9001.
Study at, or graduation from, this law school may not qualify a student to take the bar examination or be licensed to practice law in jurisdictions other than California. A student who intends to seek licensure to practice law outside of California at any time during their career should contact the admitting authority for information regarding its education and licensure requirements prior to enrolling at this law school.
In compliance with California Business and Professions Code Section 6061.7(a), GGU School of Law provides the following information about its J.D. program:
[State Bar of California J.D. Disclosure Statement (PDF)]
[Bar Examination Pass Rates]
First available after the inaugural class sits for the bar.
Accredited Law School Rules and Guidelines, State Bar of California
