Collection Guide
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School of Law records (University of California, Irvine)
AS.162
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine Libraries
Title: University of California, Irvine, School of Law records
Creator:
University of California, Irvine. School of Law
Identifier/Call Number: AS.162
Physical Description:
16.75 Linear Feet
(15 records cartons, 1 document box, 1 14.5" flat box, and 1 digital media box)
Physical Description:
3.942 Gigabytes
(469 digital files)
Date (inclusive): 1961-2019
Date (bulk): 2000-2019
Abstract: This collection comprises the records of the University of California, Irvine School of Law. The records include documentation
about the planning and founding of the School of Law, including preliminary reports and plans from the early 1990s from University
of California committees, as well as later materials documenting accreditation, evaluations, and memberships, information
about the Korea Law Center, building and expansion plans, degree program proposals, events, and publicity.
Language of Material:
English
.
The collection is open for research.
The collection contains digital materials. It is minimally processed, but is open for research. Please contact the Department
of Special Collections and Archives in advance to request access.
6 CDs, 1 DVD and a flash drive have been reformatted and have digital preservation copies. Access to original digital media
is restricted; researchers may request copies.
Property rights reside with the University of California. Copyrights are retained by the creators of the records and their
heirs. For permission to reproduce or to publish, please contact the University Archivist. Digital material is provided for
private study, scholarship, or research. Transmission or reproduction of any material protected by copyright beyond that allowed
by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. The authors or their heirs retain their copyrights to
the material. Contact the University of California, Irvine Libraries, Special Collections and Archives for more information
(spcoll@uci.edu).
University of California, Irvine, School of Law records. AS-162. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries,
Irvine, California. Date accessed.
For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information about sources consulted in this
collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder descriptions, and box/folder locations.
Transferred from the UCI School of Law in 2014, 2015, and 2017-2019.
Existence and Location of Originals
External media received, digital object numbers AS162_DIG001-AS162_DIG003. More digital media found while processing, digital
object numbers AS162_DIG004-AS162_DIG008.
Accruals are expected.
Processed by Sarah Glover, 2017-2022.
The University of California, Irvine School of Law was founded in August 2009 and became the first new California public law
school in nearly fifty years. Since the inception of UC Irvine, a law school was envisioned as part of the plan to become
a full-service, interdisciplinary research institution.
After earlier efforts to start a new law school in Irvine in the 1990s and early 2000s, the UC Board of Regents approved a
plan for UC Irvine School of Law in November 2006. A gift of $20 million in August 2007 from business leader and philanthropist
Donald Bren provided the financial wherewithal to help quickly bring to fruition UC Irvine's goal of creating a top-tier law
school.
In fall 2007, nationally renowned professor of constitutional law and federal civil procedure, Erwin Chemerinsky, was named
founding dean, effective July 1, 2008. Most of the 18 founding faculty and senior administrators arrived in the summer of
2008, giving the school a full year to plan a curriculum and develop policies before the school opened to students. The school
opened its doors to its first class of 60 law students on August 24, 2009.
| 1961 | UC President Clark Kerr creates an Advisory Committee on Law School Planning to study California state needs for legal education. |
| Mid-1960s | UCI Founding Chancellor Dan Aldrich proposes a plan for professional schools at UCI, including law. |
| 1991 | Andrew Guilford, then a practicing attorney and president of the Orange County Bar Association, begins a series of discussions with lawyers, judges and faculty about a law school at UCI. |
| 1999 | A group of prominent local lawyers, including former California State Senator Joseph Dunn, now Hon. Andrew Guilford, Thomas Malcolm, Mark P. Robinson Jr. and Gary Singer launch a renewed effort for a law school at UCI. The group later becomes known as the "Founders of the Law School." |
| 2000 | UCI's fourth Chancellor, Ralph Cicerone, and Executive Vice Chancellor, Michael R. Gottfredson, prioritize the establishment of a Law School at UCI. |
| 2005 | Michael V. Drake, M.D. is appointed Chancellor of UCI. Chancellor Drake successfully moves the proposal for a law school through the UC system. |
| 2006 | The UC Office of the President recommends to UC Regents the establishment of a Law School at UCI. Within the month, UC Regents approve the proposal. |
| 2007 | The Irvine family makes a gift of $1 million to the Law School for scholarships and the Law Library. |
| The Donald Bren Foundation donates $20 million to the Law School to support endowed Chancellor's professors. Efforts in the community (since 1999) by the "Founders of the Law School" group draw more donors and supporters to UCI Law. | |
| Erwin Chemerinsky is named Founding Dean of UC Irvine School of Law, effective July 1, 2008. | |
| 2008 | Founding faculty and administration arrive. |
| 2009 | UCI Law officially begins school with the Inaugural Class of 60 students. |
| 2011 | The inaugural UC Irvine Law Review is published. |
| The American Bar Association grants UCI Law provisional accreditation. | |
| 2012 | Inaugural Swearing-In Ceremony for Class of 2012 graduates who passed the State Bar Exam. |
| 2014 | The American Bar Association grants UCI Law full accreditation. |
| 2016 | Association of American Law Schools (AALS) elects UCI Law into membership. |
| 2017 | Founding Dean Erwin Chemerinsky appointed dean at University of California, Berkeley School of Law. |
| L. Song Richardson appointed interim dean of UCI Law, effective July 2017. | |
| 2018 | L. Song Richardson named second permanent dean of UCI Law, effective January 1, 2018. |
| 2021 | UCI Law's second Dean L. Song Richardson is named President of Colorado College, effective July 1, 2021. |
| Bryant Garth is appointed interim dean of UCI Law, effective June 2, 2021. |
Collection Scope and Content Summary
These records document the University of California, Irvine School of Law, from its early inception and opening in 2009. The
collection comprises mostly paper records, with some artifacts and digital media. Materials include planning documents such
as reports, proposals, correspondence and preliminary reports and plans from the early 1990s from University of California
committees. The records also contain later materials documenting administrative functions such as budget requests; accreditation,
evaluations, and memberships of the School of Law by the American Bar Association, Association of American Law Schools, and
Law School Survey of Student Engagement; memorandum of understanding and agreements related to the Korea Law Center; building
and expansion plans; degree program proposals; events and publicity.
This collection is organized in 7 series:
- Planning and early history, 1961-2014. 9.5 linear feet and 1.643 GB
- Administration, 2015-2017. 0.1 linear feet
- Accreditation, evaluations, and memberships, 2007-2017. 2 linear feet
- Centers & Institutes, 2013-2017. 0.1 linear feet
- Building and expansion plans, 2007-2017. 1 linear feet
- Degree programs, 2014-2017. 0.5 linear feet
- Events and publicity, 2013-2014. 3.55 linear feet and 2.3 GB
During processing in 2017 the collection was reduced from 13 linear feet to 12.5 linear feet by discarding duplicate materials,
personnel records, and unrelated books.