History

Founded by the YMCA

The School of Law traces its roots to a movement within the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) at the turn of the 20th Century. In November 1901, the San Francisco YMCA began the YMCA Evening Law School to help working people attend law school at night. In 1910, the name changed to Golden Gate Evening Law School.

Milestones

• Golden Gate University School of Law was Northern California's first evening law school.
• Golden Gate University School of Law was Northern California's third law school.
• Classes continued in tents when the YMCA building was destroyed after the 1906 earthquake and fire.
• Two women were in the Law School's 1928 graduating class.
• In 1973, Judith McKelvey was appointed dean; she was the second woman in the United States to be named dean of a law school.
• In 2004, Frederic White was appointed dean; he was the first African-American to be named dean of an ABA-approved law school in California.

Meeting the Demands of the Community

Golden Gate University School of Law has a history of developing programs to meet the demands of law students, the community, and the legal profession. The Public Interest Scholars Program encourages students to use their legal education to serve their communities. In addition, the Law School's on-site Women's Employment Rights Clinic and Environmental Law & Justice Clinic provide opportunities for students to work with real clients who may not otherwise have access to legal counsel.

In the 1980s, the Law School responded to the needs of the legal community by developing a graduate legal program in Taxation, and in the 1990s, by developing graduate programs in Environmental Law, International Legal Studies Program, and US Legal Studies.

In 1998, the Law School continued this tradition of providing a practical legal education by establishing the Honors Lawyering Program through which students participate in two full-time, semester-long legal apprenticeships.

The Law School looks forward to the next 100 years of developing innovative programs to meet the needs of law students, the community, and the legal profession.

About History | 1853-1908 | 1910-1929 | 1931-1956 | 1960-1979 | 1980-1999 | 2000-2008