What distinguishes Berkeley Law is the people that are here. There’s a particular culture that is incredibly generous and supportive of research and self-growth. Being at Berkeley is stimulating because it is a place where important conversations happen that affect the country and the world. It’s really something to listen to discussions going on right on your doorstep. From the Black Lives Matter movement to free speech, Berkeley is at the forefront of the conversations that matter.
KAREN SEIF J.S.D.
J.S.D. students Nicolas Lezaca,
and Youngmin Seo speaking to Professor Daniel
’21 “
Natsuda Rattamanee,
Farber.
Choosing Berkeley Law for your Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D.) degree means choosing to attend one of the top law schools in the United States. Berkeley Law is a distinguished public university in the San Francisco Bay Area which prides itself on its intellectually and culturally diverse community. It is where you will see firsthand a commitment to academic excellence, social engagement, and public service. It is where you can be mentored by internationally renowned faculty and distinguished scholars, and where you will build lifelong relationships with other legal academics spanning across the world. Choosing Berkeley Law means choosing to significantly deepen your understanding of the theoretical and sociological underpinnings of the law, providing you with opportunities to grow intellectually in new and exciting ways.
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WHY GET A J.S.D.?
The Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D.) is Berkeley Law’s most advanced law degree. This degree is open to exceptional candidates who are typically interested in pursuing a profession in legal scholarship, teaching, or government within their home country. Under the supervision of a faculty advisor, students in this program will develop significant expertise in their chosen field of study. Emphasizing independent research and writing, the J.S.D. degree allows students to present their contributions in the form of a dissertation of publishable quality.
A J.S.D. might be good for you if...
• you want to get a doctoral degree in 3 years
• you plan to return to your home country for a long-term career in academia
• you could see yourself working as a judge in your home country, applying your deep legal expertise to your home country's government, consulting as a legal policy expert, or continuing your research at a think tank
Notable alumni:
Mohamed Al-Khulaifi ’11
Dean, Qatar University College of Law
Simona Grossi ’11
Professor of Law, Loyola University
Amit Elazari ’19
Director of Global Cybersecurity Policy, Intel
Liling Lee ’16 Judge, Taipei District Court
Wissanu Krea-ngam ’76 Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand
Todung Mulya Lubis ’90
Activist & Indonesian Ambassador to Norway
Junfeng Wang ’07 Founding Partner and Global Chairman of King & Wood Mallesons
Sung-Mei Hsiung ’08 Taiwan Intellectual Property Court Judge
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In the J.S.D. program, some of my peers are already teaching overseas or they have experience as diplomats. So the conversation now is more about how to advise better policies to decision-makers, whether it’s politics or judiciary, how to make practice better with bettering the policies. It’s also very individual and more self-focused.
Betul Ayranci J.S.D. ’22 “ 4
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J.S.D. PROGRAM TIMELINE
The J.S.D. program gives you the freedom to choose the structure of your research, meaning that your journey at Berkeley Law will be unique to you. After completing your mandatory seminar and oral qualifying examination, you will be advanced to J.S.D. candidacy where you will devote a significant portion of your time to crafting your dissertation.
Year 1
Complete mandatory J.S.D. scholarship seminar, assemble dissertation/qualifying exam committees, take oral qualifying exam, advance to candidacy
Year 2
Commence dissertation research and writing, consider working as a teaching or research assistant, attend conferences & present work in progress
Year 3
Finalize dissertation research and writing, consider working as a teach ing or research assistant, attend conferences, and present work in progress, file completed dissertation with campus
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APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS • LL.M. (or equivalent) degree from an accredited university • TOEFL score > 100 (if no degree from Englishspeaking institution) • Berkeley Law faculty member who agrees to supervise research & chair dissertation committee • Summary of proposed research • Writing sample • Statement of purpose • Letters of recommendation • CV 7 IMPORTANT DATES August 1 Application available February 1 Application deadline March-April Applicant interviews April Applicants notified of admission decision
J.S.D. PROGRAM
8 FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES • J.S.D. Robbins Fellowship (partial to full tuition & living expense stipend) — research must involve the study of civil law systems or religious law to be eligible • Conference travel reimbursement • Teaching and research assistantships — must seek out available positions on campus
REQUIREMENTS • Mandatory first-year seminar (1 unit) • Enroll in dissertation study units (12 units per semester for duration of program) • Pass oral qualifying exam and advance to candidacy • Complete dissertation, submit with committee’s approval • May take a limited amount of elective coursework (one to two classes per semester), with faculty advisor’s approval
THE BAY AREA
More than 400 eateries within a mile of the school. More than 2,000 acres of hiking and biking trails just up the road. More than 50 live music venues in Berkeley. More than 255 sunny days per year waiting for you. From politics to poetry, food to film, nature to nightlife, Berkeley has it all.
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BERKELEY LAW BY THE NUMBERS
4-6 60% #1 Environmental LawIntellectual Property Students admitted per year Of students are Berkeley Law LL.M. alumni Business Law PAST 10 OUT OF 11 YEARS ACCORDING TO U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT RAN K ED A LAW S CHOOL ~20 Students in program altogether 75% Aspire to be law professors 90% International students 50% Have published work 20% Of students come with partner/families 10 J.S.D. PROGRAM
@UCBerkeleyLaw @BerkeleyLaw @BerkeleyLaw llm@law.berkeley.edu Keep up with the latest news from our community and see more of what life is like as a student at #BerkeleyLaw by following us on social media: Contact us via WhatsApp by scanning the QR code: Visit our website by scanning the QR code: On the cover: Recent J.S.D. students Nicolas Lezaca, Natsuda Rattamanee, Betul Ayranci, and Youngmin Seo. Photos by Brittany Hosea-Small
