Student Life

Adjusting to law school is exhilarating, but it can also be stressful. Our advice here is the same as for academic issues — join in on the law school life. The staff of the International and Advanced Degree Programs Office are available to take your calls or your visits, and while we may not always know all the answers, we will always be happy to point you in the right direction. The Registrar’s Office and Student Services Office are also available to assist all law students.

Enrolling in Classes

Unlike during the academic year, LL.M. professional track students do not have to go through the online course enrollment process.  Instead, you will be automatically enrolled in all required courses, as well as your chosen electives.

Most students in other departments at the university have to go to Sproul Hall and wait in lines for the registrar’s services. We are fortunate to have our own Registrar’s Office so you have to spend only some of your time in the lines—and they are much shorter. Occasionally, you may have to venture down to Sproul Hall to remedy an error on your fee statement, but the friendly staff in our Registrar’s Office will do what they can to save you the trip.

Buying Books

Berkeley Law’s Bookstore is located on the second floor of Simon Hall. In addition to casebooks and textbooks, the bookstore stocks food, supplies, commercial outlines, study aids, sweatshirts, aspirin and a good candy selection.

Many law students sell their used first-year books to the incoming class. If you buy used books, make sure to have the most current edition and make sure that the underlining and/or highlighting in the book is not too distracting for you.

Assignments for the first day of classes, if there are any, will be posted on b-Space. Do not buy your books until you know your class schedule. As for study aids and materials, you should probably wait until you know what you need before you start investing in these items.

Going To The Library

The Berkeley Law Library, officially called G.W. McEnerney Law Library, is known for its superb collection and its outstanding reference librarians. You’ll find that all the reference librarians are enthusiastic about working with you on your projects and answering your research questions. They will be able to help you with a wide range of questions, from how to find or cite to unfamiliar sources to what treatises or study aids will be the most useful for your classes, so be sure to get to know them. For more specific information about the law library you can read the publication entitled G.W. McEnerney Law Library at Boalt Hall: A Guide to Its Use and Services available at the reference desk.  Also, details about the library can be found on the Berkeley Law library website.

The law library is the place where most law students like to study and it currently offers several large, open reading rooms.  The Main Reading Room holds the rare distinction of being one of the few library spaces in America where you can eat and drink without reprimand, provided you are courteous and indulge only in quiet and neat food. Eating and drinking are forbidden in the other reading rooms and in all the areas where you see postings to that effect. Please take seriously these library rules, since we prefer not to have to deal with insect or rodent problems in the library.  Although the law library is likely to be your home base, it is good to know that there are lots of other excellent libraries on the Berkeley campus, making this one of the best places in the world to conduct interdisciplinary research.