The Donahoe Higher Education Act establishes the segments of postsecondary education in the state, including the University of California and independent institutions of higher education, and sets forth the missions and functions of those segments. Existing law states that the University of California has exclusive jurisdiction in public higher education over, among others, instruction in the profession of law, and that the independent institutions of higher education provide undergraduate and graduate instruction and research in accordance with their respective missions. Provisions of the act apply to the University of California only to the extent that the Regents of the University of California act, by appropriate resolution, to make them applicable.

This bill would require, beginning August 1, 2026, each law school, defined to include American Bar Association-accredited or California-accredited law schools at the University of California or an independent institution of higher education, to allow law students to receive compensation from an externship site, as defined, while concurrently earning academic course credit. For purposes of the bill, a requirement on a law school at the University of California would be considered a request on the regents.