UC Davis Law Receives Innovation Award for Water Law Program

UC Davis School of Law has been honored with the Insight into Academia 2026 Excellence in Innovation: Law Schools Award for its water law program. 

UC Davis Law pioneered some of the first water law classes in the nation in the early 1970s, and its program has been developing into its full structure more recently.

The law school has been a leader in introducing curriculum and programming including innovative hands-on learning experiences, symposia and academic center events through the California Environmental Law and Policy Center. The law school is uniquely positioned in a state that faces complex challenges with water resources, conservation, environmental justice, water rights, land use and endangered species protections. 

A number of renowned faculty members have expertise ranging from leading water law scholarship to real-world experience. In recent years—and with the support of California’s State Water Resources Control Board—King Hall has expanded its clinical legal education program to include the Water Justice Clinic and the recently-launched Water Justice Clinic: Small Farmer Assistance Program. The Water Justice Clinic recently received a $3.2 million grant that will support its work on behalf of rural and low-income communities for the next three years. 

King Hall also is a short distance from California’s capital, Sacramento, where students, and graduates, work within the government to shape and implement water laws and policies. Many students complete externships in the field of water law that span beyond the capital with non-profit organizations and private law firms. The law school also provides funding for students to complete summer environmental law fellowships. 

Read more in the July/August 2026 magazine edition.