Order of the Coif
The Order of the Coif is a national honor society for law school graduates who attended member schools. Each year it extends invitations to the top 10% of Boalt's graduating J.D. students by grade point average. GPA is determined by multiplying the point value of each grade received in a Boalt course (HH = 5 points, H = 3, P = 2) by the units given for that course, and dividing the sum of the products by each student's total number of graded units. No application is necessary, although students should make sure that their final transcripts are accurate.
Three-year Boalt students must have at least 75% of the total credits needed to graduate in graded courses. At a minimum, graduates must therefore have 64 graded credits by the end of their third year. Hence, any student who spends the equivalent of two semesters away from Boalt in an ungraded externship is not eligible. Non-Boalt and non-law courses like Legal Studies are not counted into the GPA. Students who have obtained a substantial number of ungraded credits (through journal work, moot court participation, and the like) and who aspire to Coif membership should pay careful attention to the number of graded units they will have at the completion of their studies. Only graded courses are counted in determining final GPA.
As students consider classes, they should keep in mind that some of our clinics are offered for credit/no credit, while others are offered for a grade. Students who would like to be eligible for Order of the Coif should pay close attention to which clinics they choose to take and any impact that decision might have on the total number of graded units they have.
Boalt students who spend one year at another law school (e.g., Harvard Exchange students) may compete for admission based entirely on their Boalt grades. Graduates must earn 43 graded units at Boalt. In addition, they must earn a total of 64 graded units at Boalt and at another law school. All Harvard Exchange students must also maintain at least a B+ average at Harvard; the minimum grade average that students must have at other law schools will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
Transfer students who come to Boalt at the start of their second year are eligible for Coif membership based exclusively on their graded courses at Boalt. Again, at least 75% of their total required law school credits (at Boalt and before) must be in graded courses. At a minimum, transfer students must have 36 graded credits in their two years at Boalt to qualify for membership.
Joint degree students are eligible based solely on their graded courses at Boalt, which must equal 75% or more of their required 75 law school credits, for a total of 56 graded Boalt credits.
