Centers

Research and public service are critical components of the Hastings mission. All the centers work in cutting-edge or innovative areas of the law and provide opportunities for students and practitioners to work together and collaborate. Hastings faculty and center staffs share their results with the legal community through special programs, events, and reports.

The Center for Gender and Refugee Studies (CGRS) founded in 1999, is the nation's leading advocacy organization on the issue of women asylum-seekers fleeing gender-related violence. CGRS provides legal expertise and resources to attorneys and coordinates legal and national public policy advocacy efforts. The center integrates students and international scholars into all aspects of its work.

The Center for Negotiation and Dispute Resolution (CNDR). As lawyers turn to negotiation, mediation and arbitration to settle matters that previously were adjudicated, the need has increased for attorneys to master dispute resolution. CNDR organizes classes, research, and professional programs for the study of alternative ways to settle disputes.

The Center for State and Local Government Law (CSLGL) focuses on state and local government law, promoting research on public law issues. Scholars, lawyers, and students convene at the center's conferences and colloquia to share ideas and encourage research. Hastings is the only public law school in California offering a program of study and research focusing on state and local government law.

The Center for WorkLife Law (WLL) is a nonprofit research and advocacy center that seeks to improve economic opportunities for employees caring for family members during childhood, old age and illness. WorkLife Law works with employees, employers, attorneys, legislators, unions, journalists, and researchers, providing guidance and technical assistance to help eliminate discrimination based on family responsibilities. The Project for Attorney Retention (PAR) is an initiative of the Center that works to improve work/life balance in the legal profession.

The Public Law Research Institute (PLRI) is a department of the College that conducts legal research on topics identified as important by a variety of state and local agencies. The Institute sponsors events on public law issues and publishes periodic reports and working papers written by Hastings students under direct faculty supervision.