It is with great pride that Chancellor & Dean David Faigman formally announces that as of January 1, 2023, the former UC Hastings College of the Law has a new name—University of California College of the Law, San Francisco.
“Our new name accurately reflects our law school through its geographic location and recognizes it as an anchor institution in the City of San Francisco, where we’ve proudly made our home since its founding in 1878,” Faigman said.
Starting Jan. 1, the law school will be called UC College of the Law, San Franciscoor UC Law SF. Its signs, official seal, and other branded materials will begin to reflect the new name at the start of the new year. A full transition for all building signs and additional renaming needs is expected to be completed within six months.
On September 23, 2022, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law to change the state Education Code to adopt the College’s new name.
On December 30, 2022, State Superior Court Judge Richard Ulmer ruled that a lawsuit filed by a small group of alumni and descendants of the law school’s founder could not enjoin the law school from using its new name.
Since 2017, the College has studied the actions of its founder, Serranus Hastings, and the harms he committed against the Round Valley Tribes and Yuki People. As a result of the findings and several hearings with affected Indigenous People, alumni, students, staff, and faculty, in the fall of 2021, the College’s Board of Directors voted to rename the school. In July 2022, the Board unanimously chose UC College of the Law, San Francisco as its new name. This was followed by a vote by the state Legislature that overwhelmingly approved Assembly Bill 1936 that changed the state Education Code to adopt the College’s new name.
Chancellor & Dean David Faigman has told the law school community that the renaming of the law school is an integral part of restorative justice efforts that have included opening an Indigenous Law Center and providing legal assistance to California tribes through law school fellowships. He said, “Renaming our school is an important component of the College’s efforts towards addressing the impact of our founder and first dean, especially the harms committed against the Yuki People.”
UC College of the Law, San Francisco, remains a law school dedicated to academic excellence, experiential learning, social justice, and its students continue to succeed as attorneys and are found in all areas of public service, private law firms, government, leadership, and education. We are proud of our many notable graduates, including Vice President Kamala Harris and former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown.
For any questions about the new name, or photographs of our new seal or wordmark, please contact Chief Communications Officer Elizabeth Moore at: mooreelizabeth@uchastings.edu or 415-703-8266.
