Law School Public Interest Programs - Certificate and Curriculum Programs
ALS Students can focus their field of study on particular areas of interest including: Civil and Constitutional Rights, Civil Litigation, Criminal Law, Environmental Law, Family and Elder Law, and Governmental Administration and Regulation. The concentrations include required courses, elective courses, field placements, moot court competitions and clinical projects.
American University Washington College of Law
The Public Interest Roundtableseries for 1L students is designed to highlight current cases and trends in the first-year core courses. At the same time, each roundtable provides information on upper-level courses on related public interest topics.
Students may also receive academic advising from the Office of Student Affairs.
None.
Arizona State University Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law
Barry University School of Law
Boston University School of Law
Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School
California Western School of Law
California Western School of Law does not offer a public interest certificate or a specific public interest concentration, though there are many curricular offerings including Aging, Law & Public Policy; Child Abuse & Neglect: Interdisciplinary Overview; Children and the Law; Domestic Violence Law; Health Law Survey; Human Rights Law; Law of Armed Conflict and Peacekeeping; Gender, Property and the Law; Labor Law; First Amendment Law Seminar; Indian Law; Constitutional Law Survey: Sexual Orientation Law; Environmental Law; Mental Health Law; and Women and the Law.
Campbell University, Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law
Case Western Reserve University Law School
Catholic University of America School of Law
The Law and Public Policy Program is a certificate program that offers academic enrichment and professional development for students interested in public interest law, government and politics. About fifteen students are admitted to the program from each class. To complete the certificate, each student must complete a series of seminars and clinical or externship experiences. The LPP program offers a cohesive subcommunity for some of the most idealistic and service-oriented students at the law school. Many LPP students have experience in the Peace Corps, Americorps, the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, or other significant prior service experience. Their interests are diverse, but the program produces a regular stream of legal services lawyers, public defenders, prosecutors, child advocates, and others who focus on homelessness, education law, or human rights. Information about the program is available on the law school website.
CUA supports public interest law through LPP (above) and through:
The Communications Law Institute (certificate)
The Comparative and International Law Institute (certificate)
and
Interdisciplinary Program in Law and Religion (Curricular Concentration)
Chapman University School of Law
City University of New York Law at Queens College
Our entire curriculum is specialized in public interest law. Public interest law is infused throughout the Law School's curriculum.
The mission of the City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law, the only publicly-supported law school in New York City and one of only two in the State, is to educate students for the practice of law with special emphasis on public service and public interest law. We seek to enhance the diversity of the bar and to meet previously unmet legal needs, to recruit students from and train lawyers for historically underserved communities, and to educate all our students about the diverse and special legal needs of communities through our City and State. We seek to make legal education available to a broad variety of applicants based on an evaluation of the whole person, her/his background, prior academic and other work experience, dedication to public interest, and the degree to which these factors inspire confidence that s/he can successfully complete the Law School program and become an excellent lawyer.
Responding to the profession's expressed dissatisfaction with legal education's failure to prepare graduates for the practice of law, we are committed to a curriculum which integrates theory and doctrinal knowledge with core lawyering skills. We work to incorporate the best of traditional legal pedagogy with an innovative program based on the theory of experiential learning which prepares students for the profession through the use of simulations, experience in practice settings, and live-client clinics, incorporating issues of professional responsibility and integrating doctrine with legal theory and a practice perspective throughout the curriculum.
Cleveland State University, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law
College of William and Mary, Marshall-Wythe School of Law
Columbia University School of Law
Columbia encourages every student to create the curricular program that best satisfies their individual needs and interests. Information and encouragment to explore public interest courses begins when students arrive - public interest faculty and students speak at a plenary event during Orientation. There are many opportunities to learn more after that. Only a few are mentioned here. As part of CLS's spring "Moving Forward" program, a panel of faculty and students gives advice about course choices. The clinics and the the Pro Bono Program offer informational panels each semester. Individual counseling is provided by faculty members, the Center for Public Interest, Social Justice Initiatives and Student Services.
Third-year students may concentrate in a particular field of law. To encourage such focus, the school grants certificates to students who complete the requirements of one of four concentrations. Two of these concentrations are public interest in nature: Advocacy and Public Law. Each concentration program requires the completion, before graduation, of 14 credit hours, including a writing course in the designated area.
Creighton University School of Law
DePaul University College of Law
DePaul offers a Public Interest Law Certificate. The program entails required and elective coursework and an experiential component. Please visit www.law.depaul.edu/institutes_centers/public_interest/certificate.asp for detailed information.
Drake University School of Law
Effective with this fall’s entering class, students must complete 60 hours of public service during their law school careers to obtain the Public Service Certificate. This is an increase from the 35 hours required for the certificate in the past.
Drexel University College of Law
In addition to curricular counseling through the Associate Dean for Public Interest and Pro Bono, Duke offers online advice to students interested in specializing in public interest law at http://www.law.duke.edu/publicinterest/curriculum.html#advice.
Duquesne University School of Law
Emory University School of Law
Suggested public interest curriculum provided to Emory law students; for more information see www.law.emory.edu/pi.
Faulkner University Thomas Goode Jones School of Law
Florida A&M University College of Law
Florida International University College of Law
Florida State University College of Law
Student Pro Bono Program
Students are required to complete and report 20 hours of civil pro bono service during the second or third year of law school.
Fordham University School of Law
Stein Scholars Program in Public Interest Law & Ethics:
The Stein Scholars Program is a comprehensive three-year educational program for selected students who seek training and experience in the area of public interest law. The Stein Scholars are students with diverse backgrounds and interests, many of whom enter law school after having engaged in substantial activities in public interest settings and the government.
Through specialized academic coursework in public interest law and ethics, funded summer internships, interaction with practitioners and academics in roundtable and informal discussions, and opportunities to engage in community service, the Stein Scholars Program prepares future lawyers for the practice of law in public service.
http://law.fordham.edu/studentgroups/index.ihtml?pubid=910
Crowley Program in International Human Rights:
Six to eight students are selected at the end of each year to become Crowley Scholars. They participate in an intensive academic program in human rights in their second year, which includes a course in International Human Rights Law and a seminar to prepare them to participate in the annual fact-finding mission at the end of the spring semester. Following the mission, the scholars work with the faculty and other delegation members to publish a comprehensive report of the mission's findings and recommendations. They continue to work with the Crowley Program in their third year at the Law School disseminating the findings of the report and advocating for the adoption of its recommendations.
http://www.crowleyprogram.org/
A curricular guide is distributed to every student, and is available on the school's website (http://www.piercelaw.edu/curricular). Within the guide are public interest tracks within Pierce Law's Social Justice Institute - Criminal Justice, Family and Children, and Elders and Persons with Disabilities.
George Mason University School of Law
George Washington University Law School
Georgetown University Law Center
- Students in the Public Interest Law Scholars Program must complete a first-year seminar on public interest law and two upper-level courses: Public Interest Advocacy and Professional Responsibility: Ethics in Public Interest Practice. They also must fulfill the upper-level writing requirement by writing on a public interest topic. Website: www.law.georgetown.edu/clinics/pils
- Students many earn a Certificate in Refugees and Humanitarian Emergencies by completing the Refugee Law and Policy course and five additional courses that focus on at least one of the following topics: refugee and humanitarian emergencies/disaster relief, human rights, or conflict/post-conflict related issues.
- Students may earn a certificate in World Trade Organization Studies by completing a basic international law course and 12 additional credits in WTO-related courses. They also must maintain an overall B average, complete a seminar paper on a WTO law subject, and participate in extracurricular activities related to WTO subjects (attend a conference, congressional or court hearing, or equivalent event each semester). Website: www.law.georgetown.edu/iiel
Georgia State University College of Law
Golden Gate University School of Law
Golden Gate offers a Public Interest Specialization Certificate Program in which students take at least 14 units from our public interest course offerings AND perform 150 hours of supervised legal work in a public interest or government agency setting AND perform 25 hours of community service working to promote the public interest either on campus or in the community.
Participation in this program includes: specialized academic and career counseling by public interest counselor; regular updates about public interest employment, conferences, events, fellowships, and other opportunities via email; a special Public Interest graduation ceremony & reception; and transcript notation.
Golden Gate also offers four other certificate programs in more specialized areas of public interest:
- Criminal Law
- Environmental Law
- International (Public) Law G
- Labor & Employment Law
Gonzaga University School of Law
Public Interest Law Concentration includes specific course requirements and at least two consecutive semesters of at least 4 credits of Legal Clinic, or at least two consecutive semesters of at least 3 externship credits.
Hamline University School of Law
While HLS does not have a public interest specialization, roughly 2/3 of students take clinical courses with placements working on public interest cases. Unlike some schools, HLS clinics are not selective and many students choose to do a clinic every semester.
Hofstra University School of Law
Howard University School of Law
Illinois Institute of Technology: Chicago-Kent College of Law
Certificate in Public Interest Law
Chicago-Kent's Public Interest Law Program provides students with a balanced understanding of public interest law by allowing students to customize their public interest academic path while requiring students to complete a specified number of volunteer hours and to participate in a career planning session. The Certificate in Public Interest Law allows students to earn a credential that demonstrates their dedication to public interest law, making them more prepared for the competitive public interest employment field.
For more information:
http://www.kentlaw.edu/academics/pil/
Indiana University School of Law - Bloomington
Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis
Inter American University of Puerto Rico: Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Law
John Marshall Law School – Atlanta
Lewis & Clark College School of Law
Liberty University School of Law
Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center
Loyola Law School: Loyola Law School, Los Angeles
There is a public interest curriculum
Loyola University Chicago: Loyola University Chicago School of Law
CIVITAS ChildLaw Fellows Program - Each year Loyola selects up to 10 ChildLaw Fellows from among students admitted to the entering full-time J.D. class. Fellows receive scholarship assistance, internship experience, and, in addition to the regular law school curriculum, pursue an interdisciplinary course of study that provides the knowledge and skills needed to advocate effectively for children's legal interests. Opportunities are provided for direct representation of children in a variety of legal proceedings. The program offers a symposia series in which national and local experts share research and discuss current issues affecting children and families. Students receive hands-on work experience and opportunities through Loyola's extensive externship program. They also participate in producing the Children's Legal Rights Journal - a national publication. Loyola's comprehensive curriculum includes courses such as: Children and the Law, ChildLaw Policy, Practice and Profession, ChildLaw Pretrial and Trial Practice, Legislative Advocacy for Children, Interdisciplinary Seminar, Adolescents and the Law, Family Law, Adoption Law Seminar, and International Children's Law.
Loyola University New Orleans: Loyola University New Orleans School of Law
Students must complete Poverty Law requirement for graduation by electing coursework in the Law Clinic, the Law & Poverty course, Law & Poverty Seminar, Street Law Course, or by completing 50 hrs. of pro bono service.
Marquette University Law School
At this time, MULS does not offer a certificate program in Public Interest Law, but incorporates a commitment to service of the least advantaged throughout its curriculum in accordance with its mission as a Jesuit institution of higher learning.
Mercer University School of Law
Michigan State University College of Law
Child & Family Advocacy Certificate Program
This joint program is offered by Michigan State University College of Law and the MSU Graduate School of Social Work. The certificate program can be completed concurrently with the social work and law degree requirements, and students completing the program gain hands-on practice and advocacy experience through: Externships (law and social work students working together in the same agency) An integrated seminar and specialized academic courses. Website: www.chanceatchildhood.msu.edu
Indigenous Law Certificate Program
The distinctive mission of the Indigenous Law Certificate Program is to prepare students for practicing indigenous law upon graduation by providing rigorous and comprehensive training in indigenous law, policy and practice. The program is designed to ensure that selected law students are equipped with a specialized expertise - having the knowledge and skills to effectively identify and address indigenous law issues, represent Indian nations and appreciate these nations' unique legal and governance systems. The MSU Indigenous Law Certificate Program is one of just five formal certificate programs nationwide.
The Indigenous Law Certificate Program consists of three main components: 13 credits of required (7 crs.) and elective (6 crs.) coursework, an advanced research paper in indigenous law and a three-credit experiential learning requirement. Upon successfully completing the requirements for the certificate program, students will receive a certificate.
Mississippi College: Mississippi College School of Law
New England School of Law: New England School of Law
New York Law School: New York Law School
The Law School has six academic centers, five of which offer the opportunity to specialize in various aspects of public interest law:
Justice Action Center, www.nyls.edu
Institute for Information Law and Policy, www.nyls.edu
International Law Center, www.nyls.edu
Center for Professional Values and Practice, www.nyls.edu
Center for New York City Law, www.citylaw.org
New York University: New York University School of Law
Root-Tilden-Kern Scholarship Program This prestigious public interest program awards full-tuition scholarships to 20 students each year, based on commitment to public service, academic merit, and leadership qualities. Scholars also participate in special orientation, extracurricular, and internship opportunities.
Filomen M. D’Agostino Scholarship Fund This program provides three full-tuition scholarships each year to students of outstanding academic merit who demonstrate a strong commitment to issues of women’s or children’s rights and wish to pursue public service careers devoted to those issues.
Arthur Garfield Hays Fellowship in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties The fellowship program recognizes outstanding third year students committed to civil liberties and offers them unique opportunities to participate in internships with civil liberties and other human rights organizations and to work on research or special projects.
Global Public Service Law Project This is a groundbreaking program of curricular and extracurricular initiatives designed to create a world-wide network of public service lawyers committed to democracy, human rights, access to justice, the rule of law and social change.
North Carolina Central University School of Law
Northeastern University: Northeastern University School of Law
Northeastern School of Law is a national leader, and an intellectual center, in public interest law and social justice. At Northeastern, we believe that every lawyer must understand the role of law in society and the ways in which law can be used to promote the public good. Our curriculum is designed to nurture and expand every student’s understanding of the role that law plays in society – and the ways that law can promote justice. Thus, while other law schools may permit students to pursue public interest law, we encourage every student to embrace the law as a vehicle for positive good in society.
In addition, we offer the student pursuing public interest law a wide range of courses that focus on societal issues. In the upper level, we offer many specialized courses that focus on public interest issues, such as Welfare Law, Public Health Law, a wide selection of courses in labor/employment law and civil rights, and a course in the structure and taxation of nonprofit organizations.
Advocacy Concentration Program
Elder Law Concentration Program
Higher Education Law & Policy concentration
Northern Illinois University: Northern Illinois University College of Law
Pro Bono Service Opportunities Program: In this voluntary program, students who successfully complete a cumulative 60 hours of approved pro bono service will receive a notation on their transcript.
Northern Kentucky University Salmon P. Chase College of Law
Northwestern University: Northwestern University School of Law
Northwestern offers a unique Law and Social Policy concentration that provides students with an opportunity to study a wide range of law and social policy topics and recognizes students for these efforts. The concentration focuses on law as it consciously shapes society, as distinguished from its role in adjudicating disputes and making arrangements between private parties. This approach to the study of law is informed by the knowledge and techniques of the social sciences.
Because of its broad scope, this concentration has two "tracks" --policy analysis and public interest. The two-track approach reflects the fact that the interest leading students to this concentration as well as their career path may be quite diverse. Students may meet the requirements of either or both of these tracks, which will then be indicated accordingly on their transcript.
The policy analysis track is designed for students with a strong intellectual and practical interest in policy analysis. Students may be interested in working in policy-related positions in government, think tanks, other non-profit policy-related organizations, or academic research positions. The public interest track is designed for students with strong intellectual and practical interests in public interest law. Students may be interested in working in government enforcement agencies, non-profit advocacy or service organizations, or clinical academic positions.
Notre Dame: Notre Dame Law School
Legal Aid Clinic Award
This award is given to the student who demonstrates the highest level of performance and commitment to serving the Notre Dame Legal Aid Clinic.
Public Interest Programs
GALILEE Program (Group Alternative Live-in Legal Education Experience)
This program provides students with the opportunity to live for a few days in the inner city to learn the legal needs of the urban poor.
J.D./M.A in Peace Studies Program
The peace studies curriculum offers a multidisciplinary approach to the study of international peace and world order.
LL.M. Program in International Human Rights Law
The program affords lawyers the opportunity to engage in specialized study and research in international human rights law.
J.S.D. Program in International Human Rights Law
This program is designed especially for persons who teach in the field of international human rights law.
Nova Southeastern University: Shepard Broad Law Center
Ohio Northern Claude W. Pettit College of Law
Ohio State University Michael E. Moritz College of Law
Certificate in Dispute Resolution - The purpose of the Certificate in Dispute Resolution is to provide our graduates expertise in the dispute resolution field. Demand for lawyers with dispute resolution expertise has grown steadily over the last decade. The use of dispute resolution processes increasingly is part of the practice of law. For information see, http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/programs/adr/
Certificate in Children Studies at the Michael E. Moritz College of Law- The Moritz College of Law is the only top-fifty law school in the country to offer a specialized certificate in children studies. For information see, http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/jfc/
Oklahoma City University: Oklahoma City University School of Law
Certificate in Public Law--As the relationship between law and public policy becomes more complex and the role of attorneys in government agencies increases, there is a great need for attorneys with both an excellent grounding in the theory of law and political science and a well-rounded exposure to the doctrines of public law in diverse areas such as Environmental Law, Securities Regulation, and Federal Criminal Law. The Certificate in Public Law enables students, through a well-planned series of courses, extensive writing, and opportunities to do an externship in the field, to acquire excellent training in public law that will make them attractive not only to government employers, but to any employer who deals with public law issues.
The faculty of the School of Law modified the Certificate in Public Law designed and administered by the Center for the Study of State Constitutional Law and Government in order to facilitate satisfaction of the certificate requirements. This program enables students who excel in a sufficient number of public law courses, write a publishable paper in public law, and complete additional requirements including additional writing or completing an externship in government to receive a special certificate.
Certificate of Client Representation in Alternative Dispute Resolution--- A student shall receive a Certification in Client Representation in Alternative Dispute Resolution upon completion of all requirements for the Juris Doctor degree and successful completion of the following courses:(1) The Law of Alternative Dispute Resolution;(2) Client Representation in Arbitration;(3) Client Representation in Mediation; and(4) Client Representation in Negotiation.
Pennsylvania State University The Dickinson School of Law
Students who perform at least sixty hours of public interest work during their law school careers are formally recognized as Miller Center Public Interest Advocates upon graduation.
Pepperdine University: Odell McConnell Law Center
None
Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico
Quinnipiac University School of Law
Regent University: School of Law
For futher information, see http://www.regent.edu/acad/schlaw/files/05ppmanual.pdf
Roger Williams University: Ralph R. Papitto School of Law
Rutgers The State University of New Jersey, Center for Law and Justice (Newark)
Rutgers: The State University of New Jersey School of Law, Camden
Saint John's University School of Law
Saint Louis University: Saint Louis University School of Law
Information on the Concentrations in Civil Litigation, Criminal Defense Litigation, and Urban Development and Land Use can be found on the school web site at http://law.slu.edu/curriculum/concentrations.html
Saint Mary’s University of San Antonio: St. Mary’s University of San Antonio School of Law
Saint Thomas University: St. Thomas University School of Law (FL)
Samford University: Cumberland School of Law
Cumberland School of Law does not have a certificate (specialization) or curriculum tract for public interest studies.
Santa Clara University: Santa Clara University School of Law
The Public Interest Law Certificate Program is available to all Santa Clara law students. Participating students receive individualized vocational counseling and job placement assistance with public interest employers. Students receive the Public Interest Law Certificate at a special ceremony, and they receive additional recognition at graduation. Students may enroll in the certificate program at any time during their law school careers.
To qualify for the Public Interest Law Certificate, students must complete the following:
- 150 hours of supervised public interest legal work: This requirement can be fulfilled by working in a public interest organization or government office. The work can be paid, volunteer, and/or for clinical units.
- 15 units of public interest courses: This requirement can be fulfilled by successfully completing courses that qualify as a Public Interest Law Certificate course. Students may also receive credit toward the certificate for other courses with approval of the faculty advisor.
- 25 hours of on-campus or community service work promoting public interest: This component does not have to be legally-related work, but it is separate from the 50 hours of volunteer work required to earn a Pro Bono Project recognition plaque.
Seattle University: Seattle University School of Law
The Inequality and Poverty Law Focus Area provides a range of courses dealing with the problems of low-income people in our society. It includes two foundational courses and a range of more specialized substantive and skills courses, and it culminates with a capstone seminar.
The Inequality and Poverty Law Focus Area is designed to provide students with a broad exposure to the range of legal issues that arise for poor people. The courses are arranged to allow students to attain a deeper understanding of the interlocking and complex problems of poverty in America. Skills component courses, which provide students with real experiences of the difficulties that poor people face in our legal system, are a crucial element of this focus. Ultimately, the focus leads to a capstone seminar course, which requires students to draw together and reflect on the various courses and experiences they have had throughout law school. Ultimately, we expect students to arrive at a more sophisticated understanding of the problems of poverty and the legal system.
Seton Hall University: Seton Hall University School of Law
South Texas College: South Texas College of Law
Southern Illinois University School of Law
Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law
Southern University Law Center
Southwestern University: Southwestern Law School
Southwestern has developed a rich variety of opportunities for students looking to emphasize public interest law within their course choices and co-curricular experiences. Mentoring and counseling regarding public interest careers and courses are offered through Faculty Table Days by area of law, the Alumni Resource Network, Public Interest Career Fair, public interest law panel presentations, and networking opportunities.
While Stanford Law School does not offer a public interest certificate or a formal public interest curriculum track, students are actively encouraged and provided individualized advice and counsel about how to devise a law school plan that serves their public interest career goals.
Stetson University: Stetson University College of Law
- Advocacy Concentration Program
- Health Law Concentration Program
- Elder Law Concentration Program
Syracuse University: College of Law
At graduation, the Law School awards public interest certificates to all students who have taken in-house clinics and externships.
Temple University: James E. Beasley School of Law
This Program requires that first year Scholars attend a seminar where they are exposed to different areas of Public Interest practice, are matched with a mentor who has expertise in the student's area of interest and that they work in a public interest organization during the summer. Second year Scholars are required to take a two credit course Introduction to Public Interest Law and participate in a second internship either during the course of their second year or over the summer. Third year scholars must spend at least one semester working directly with low income clients through the law school's clinical program and take a guided research course in a public interest area of their choice. Finally, they must work together to develop a culminating project that will benefit and strengthen the entire public interest community at Temple.
Temple offers a number of courses designed for the public interest-minded student, such as Introduction to Public Interest Law, Public Health in the Time of AIDS, Religious Rights Under the United States Constitution and Violence Against Women.
Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law
Texas Tech University School of Law
Texas Wesleyan University School of Law
Thomas Jefferson School of Law: Thomas Jefferson School of Law
The Center for Law and Social Justice provides a program that leads to granting a Certificate in Law and Social Justice to those students interested in specializing in the area. Students must fulfill a number of requirements including: participating and documenting their attendance at the Center’s events; rendering 10 hours of pro bono service to individuals or organizations of limited means; completing 12 elective units; and maintaining the Center’s required GPA.
The Center's Certificate Program endeavers to educate students in the fundamental values of the American legal system to prepare them to counsel and represent clients in the full range of settings in which questions relating to the cause of social justice arise. Such settings may include, for example, allegations of employment discrimination, claims for equal treatment by gays, lesbians and intersexuals, conflicting assertions of privacy rights in disputes over frozen embryos, or objections to the location of an environmental hazard in a minority community.
Cooley Law School offers four concentration options including a concentration in public interest law. Students who wish to become public interest lawyers can take courses in the areas of civil rights, civil liberties, anti-discrimination law, and advanced constitutional law. Students who elect the concentration are required to take certain core courses then choose from electives in the area. Successful completion of the concentration results in transcript notation.
Touro College: Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center
Public Interest Law Perspective Requirement
Students may fulfill this requirement by successfully completing a clinic and doing 40 hours of pro bono.
Tulane University: Tulane University School of Law
Tulane offers both depth and breadth in the variety of course offerings that might be considered a part of a "public interest" curriculum. An example of such an offering is our certificate of specialization in environmental law. Examples of recent course offerings with a public interest emphasis include State Reform and Human Rights in Latin America, Inter-American System of Human Rights, and Gender, Law and Equality.
University at Buffalo Law School, SUNY
Among its concentrations, UB Law School has curricular concentration programs in Affordable Housing and Community Economic Development Law and Law and Social Justice. Certificate programs in State and Local Government and Education Law may focus on public interest emphasis based on the student's interests. These concentrations and the certificate program, as well other concentrations not specifically designed as public interest (e.g. concentration in Family Law), provide opportunities for students to develop skills in areas of law amenable to public interest practice.
University of Akron: C. Blake McDowell Law Center
University of Alabama: University of Alabama School of Law
None.
University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law
University of Arkansas at Little Rock: William H. Bowen School of Law
The School of Law awards a Dean's Certificate to graduating student who achieve 100 hours of service .
University of Arkansas School of Law
University of Baltimore School of Law
University of California - Los Angeles
University of California at Davis: University of California at Davis School of Law
King Hall Pro Bono Program
The King Hall Pro Bono Program encourages students who have completed at least one semester of law school to contribute a minimum of 50 hours of law related service in a year. This work must be performed under the supervision of an attorney or a member of the Law School faculty. The Career Services Office keeps listings of pro bono opportunities, handles inquiries and certifies hours to the Law School Registrar. Students wishing to participate in the program are encouraged to check with the Career Services Office regarding placements. Upon approval, students can initiate their own placements. Upon submitting verification of 50 hours of legal or law related service, students receive a Certificate of Appreciation, signed by the Dean, and a notation on their transcript. Students are encouraged to renew their King Hall Pro Bono Program commitment each year, and may thereby earn further certificates and transcript notations.
Public Interest Law Program (PILP)
The Public Interest Law Program is administered, in cooperation with the School of Law, by the Public Interest Clearinghouse, a nonprofit organization that provides support for legal services programs in California and Nevada. PILP offers students individualized academic and career counseling and the "Public Interest Advocate," a monthly newsletter that includes a calendar of events and job announcements. The Public Interest Law Program is an academic certificate and pro bono program. Students are required to fulfill 15 units of coursework, 150 hours of supervised legal work in public interest or qualifying government organization, and 50 hours of legal or non-legal volunteer service on behalf of community service or public interest organizations. A special graduation ceremony is held each year to honor the participants who successfully fulfill the program requirements. At the ceremony, students receive a certificate acknowledging them as a Public Interest Law Scholar.
University of California, Berkeley: University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (Boalt Hall)
Social Justice Curriculum. Boalt Hall offers a rich array of courses that address social justice issues. In addition to standard law school classes, Boalt offers theory courses that examine the legal history and rights of traditionally disadvantaged groups, a range of public interest law and social justice classes, and clinical courses and skills classes.
See Boalt Hall’s Center for Social Justice website for more details: http://www.law.berkeley.edu/centers/csj/index.html
University of California-Hastings
There are two main public interest programs. The public interest concentration and the Public Interest Law Program. The purpose of the upper class public interest concentration is to permit students to focus their studies in an integrated manner. The minimum number of credit hours required to qualify for a certificate of concentration is 25 for Public Interest Law. The courses that comprise each of the areas of concentration are set forth in the Course Catalog on the Hastings website. In addition, with the permission of the advisor for the particular area of concentration and if consistent with the Academic Regulations, students may receive unit credit toward fulfillment of the concentration for relevant classes taken at another law school or as part of an approved joint degree program. Moreover, with the approval of the faculty advisor, students may receive unit credit toward fulfillment of the concentration requirement for relevant independent studies, law journal writing, and interscholastic moot court competitions sponsored by the College.
Students who participate in the concentrated studies program must enroll in the relevant Concentration Seminar during their second year. In addition, each student must write a substantial research paper of "publishable quality" supervised by a full-time faculty member.
The Public Interest Law Program, administered by the Public Interest Clearinghouse, has an academic coursework requirement, a 150 hour public interest practicum requirement, and a 50 hour community service requirement. More information can be found on the Public Interest Clearinghouse website at http://www.pic.org.
University of Chicago: University of Chicago Law School
None.
University of Cincinnati: University of Cincinnati College of Law
None.
University of Colorado: School of Law
None.
University of Connecticut: University of Connecticut School of Law
The Law School offers a great variety of coursework and clinical opportunities dealing with public interest and public service. There is no formalized certificate program, nor required curriculum. Students may, however, structure a study program focused on public interest law under the guidance of faculty academic advisors. The curriculum includes more than enough offerings to facilitate such a program through a combination of clinical-based and advanced study courses, including by way of example: Advanced Civil Procedure (Class Actions), Advanced Constitutional Law, American Indian Law, Civil and Political Rights, Comparative Constitutional Law, Structural Limitations in Constitutional Law, Due Process Clauses, Federal Courts, Family Law, Problems in Family Law, First Amendment Law Freedom of Religion, Housing and Civil Rights, Advanced Individual Income Tax Law, International Conception of Rights, Church and State, Poverty Law, Social Welfare Law, and The Supreme Court. In addition to our many clinics offered, the Law School often offers a Poverty Law Clinic that involves direct student representation of indigent clients and an explicit focus on the needs of the poor.
University of Dayton: University of Dayton School of Law
None.
University of Denver: Sturm College of Law
While the College of Law does not presently have a public interest certificate program, it does embrace public interest law as one of the areas of emphasis for students to pursue and have developed a sequence of recommended courses for students who wish to specialize in particular types of public interest law. For more information, visit http://www.law.du.edu/ad/.
University of Detroit Mercy School of Law
University of Florida: Fredric G. Levin College of Law
None.
University of Georgia School of Law
The UGA School of Law offers a cluster of courses for those interested in public service. Please visit the law school’s website for the classes comprising the public interest law cluster – http://www.law.uga.edu/facstaffstu/students/handbook/course.html#clusters.
The School of Law offers joint degrees and concurrent enrollment with other colleges/units on campus. Those relating to public service include a Master of Historic Preservation and a Master of Public Administration for joint degree programs, and sample concurrent enrollment fields are Social Work and International Affairs.
University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law
University of Houston Law Center
University of Idaho: College of Law
The College of Law provides students interested in public interest law with information about course selection. This information is intended to guide public interest students in choosing courses that will advance their understanding of, and their ability to eventually practice, public interest law. Our faculty – which is quite interested in, and supportive of, public interest law – makes itself available for course and career counseling in the public interest area.
University of Illinois College of Law
While there is no specific public interest curriculum or certificate program, the College of Law offers a variety of courses that focus on legal areas and skills of use and interest to the public interest minded student. In addition, there are many individual courses on issues applicable to public interest practice. The College of Law also recommends providing at least 60 hours of pro bono service during three years of law school.
University of Iowa College of Law
University of Kansas: School of Law
Elder Law Certificate Program
This Certificate Program includes courses in Poverty Law, Administrative Law, and Elder Law, including a live client clinic requirement. The Tribal Law Certificate Program includes courses in tribal law and process and an internship with a tribal legal department or a private or public interest law firm specializing in Indian Law.
Media, Law and Policy Certificate Program
This Certificate Program includes courses in First Amendment Freedoms, Administrative Law and Public Policy Clinics (Media, Public Policy, Legislative).
JD/MSW Joint Degree Program
This Program allows students with an undergraduate degree in social work to earn a law degree and an MSW in a combined program. Similar joint degree programs are available in the areas of Philosophy, Urban Planning, Health Policy and Management, and Public Administration.
University of Kentucky College of Law
University of La Verne College of Law
University of Louisville: Louis D. Brandeis School of Law
None.
University of Maine School of Law
University of Maryland: University of Maryland School of Law
Concentration in Environmental Law – Students must complete 17 credits in three areas of environmental law: classroom courses, research and writing, and experiential learning. The Environmental Law Program challenges students in clinics and classrooms to tackle the complex and multidisciplinary web of environmental law and policy.
Concentration in Health Law – Students must complete 17 credits through the program's three basic components: classroom, experiential learning and research and writing and will be recognized by the school for possessing a level of expertise and specialization in the field. The Law and Health Care Program provides students with opportunities to address complex health law issues from legal and interdisciplinary perspectives.
University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law
University of Miami School of Law
University of Michigan: University of Michigan Law School
None.
University of Minnesota: University of Minnesota Law School
None.
University of Mississippi School of Law
University of Missouri - Columbia: School of Law
None.
University of Missouri Kansas City University of Missouri Kansas City School of Law
University of Montana: University of Montana School of Law
None.
University of Nebraska: University of Nebraska College of Law
Students who want to pursue a public interest area of study may work with a faculty member to develop a program of concentrated study in public interest law and receive a certificate of concentrated study at graduation.
University of Nevada, Las Vegas: William S. Boyd School of Law
None.
University of New Mexico School of Law
University of North Carolina: University of North Carolina School of Law
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offers a Non-Profit Management Certificate Program. This Certificate requires student to take five classes with a focus on non-profit management, including two law school classes (Law of Nonprofit Organizations and one nonprofit-related elective). See http://ssw.unc.edu/sswce/nonprof.htm for more information.
University of North Dakota School of Law
University of Oklahoma College of Law
University of Oregon: University of Oregon School of Law
Law students may earn a Public Interest and Public Service Law (PIPS) Certificate upon graduation by performing 100 hours of public service, 40 of which must be legal pro bono, attending six hours of public service seminars and taking a cluster of public service classes, including a clinic. For information, see www.law.uoregon.edu/org/pips/ , or contact Professor Tom Lininger, at 541 346-3662, lininger@law.uoregon.edu. Other specialty certificates can be earned in various fields, including Environmental and Natural Resources Law, Ocean and Coastal Law and Criminal Law. Statements of Completion require successful completion ("C" grade or better) of a number of designated courses in each specialty field. Statements of Completion generally require successful completion of an academic research paper of high professional quality concerning the specialty subject matter. Information on Statements of Completion can be located at http://www.law.uoregon.edu/academics/centers.php.
University of Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Law School
Penn Law School's Public Interest Scholars
This Program provides a unique opportunity for public interest minded students to combine practical experience with theoretical inquiry, while serving the needs of the poor. Following their first summer internship, Scholars enroll in a Seminar in Lawyering in the Public Interest, taught by Clinical Professor Louis Rulli. In addition, all Scholars participate in the planning and implementation of the Annual Edward V. Sparer Symposium on current topics relevant to public interest law. Finally, third-year Scholars enroll in an in-house clinical program and perform academic research with a faculty member on a topic related to their summer public interest experience.
University of Pittsburgh: School of Law
Environmental Law, Science & Policy Certificate
Health Law Certificate
Joint Degree Programs with the School of Social Work, Graduate School of Public Health and Graduate School of Public & International Affairs
University of Puerto Rico School of Law
University of Richmond T. C. Williams School of Law
University of Saint Thomas: School of Law (MN)
While UST does not have a concentration in public interest or social justice, in the registration materials distributed to students each semester, we describe the array of courses most appropriate for those students interested in a public interest emphasis or social justice emphasis.
University of San Diego School of Law
University of San Francisco School of Law
University of South Carolina: University of South Carolina School of Law
None.
University of South Dakota School of Law
University of Southern California Gould School of Law
Although the Law School does not award a separate certificate, the Law School's academic counseling manual, which provides advice on curricular emphases, course choices, and recommended chronology for course sequencing, includes a "public interest" section.
University of Tennessee College of Law
The Law School does not maintain a public interest curriculum. However, a number of courses and curricular activities are available for public interest-minded students, and the Pro Bono and Public Interest Law Committee, together with the Pro Bono & Public Interest Law Advising Network, is working now to design better ways to help such students find courses and course sequences that will help them prepare for careers in the public interest.
University of Texas at Austin School of Law
The Law School does not offer specializations. The Law School participates in an interdisciplinary Graduate Portfolio Program in Nonprofit and Philanthropic Studies, as well as a Graduate Portfolio Program in Alternative Dispute Resolution.
University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law
All students are required to complete two 7-credit clinics.
University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law
University of Toledo: College of Law
The University of Toledo College of Law offers certificate programs in environmental law, intellectual property, international law, labor and employment law and homeland security.
See http://law.utoledo.edu/students/concentrations.htm for full details.
University of Tulsa: College of Law
The College of Law offers a public policy certificate program with a pro bono service requirement.
University of Utah College of Law
University of Virginia School of Law
University of Washington: University of Washington School of Law
None.
University of Wisconsin: Law School
University of Wyoming School of Law
Valparaiso University: Valparaiso University School of Law
Graduates who complete 40 or more Pro Bono hours in their third year receive a Pro Bono Commendation on their law school transcript.
Vanderbilt University Law School
Villanova University: Villanova University School of Law
Villanova University School of Law encourages students to pursue careers in public interest law. To facilitate such careers, VLS created the Public Interest Scholars Program. Each year, several students are offered a 50% tuition-waiver scholarship based on their past academic achievement, leadership, public interest work and commitment to contribute to public interest endeavors as future public interest practitioners. Villanova Law Public Interest Scholars must participate in at least one clinical course, and then either a second clinical course or a public service externship. They must also complete 100 hours of public service. Scholars receive specialized advising from a faculty member with public service experience, as well as a Mentor from the public interest community, to assist with curricular choices and to provide mentoring throughout the three years of law school.
In addition, to assist law students in selecting courses, the Villanova faculty have prepared course guides which identify those courses relevant to specific practice fields, including Public Interest Law, Environmental Law, Family Law or Criminal Law.
Wake Forest University School of Law
Washburn University School of Law
Family Law Certificates
Natural Resources Law Certificate
Curricular Tracks in Civil/Human Rights and Public Interest Law
Washington and Lee University: School of Law
None
Washington University: Washington University School of Law
None
Wayne State University Law School
West Virginia University College of Law
Western New England College: School of Law
Western State University College of Law
Criminal Law Certificate includes public interest externships.
Whittier Law School: Whittier Law School
The Law School sponsors a Center for Children's Rights certificate program that provides students the opportunity to train as child advocates. Program fellows participate in a variety of public interest programs to achieve their certificate, including community externship placements.
Widener University School of Law--Delaware Campus
Although no formal certificate is offered, a sequence of courses is recommended for students interested in public interest law. These courses include: Disability Law; Employment Discrimination; Equal Protection Law; HIV, AIDS & the Law; and Immigration and Naturalization.
Willamette University: Willamette University College of Law
The Certificate Program in Sustainable Environmental, Energy & Resources Law (SEER) places special emphasis on the role of the lawyer in formulating environmental and natural resources law and policy to sustain and protect our global resources. Through the first-year elective, students spend the majority of their time formulating new laws and shaping sustainability policy whiled working directly with the Oregon Legislature and the governo’s office, trade associations, and public interest groups. Core second- and third-year courses include environmental law and policy, sustainable natural resources law, and global sustainability. Other electives include environmental justice, environmental criminal enforcement, climate change and energy law, water law, ocean resources law, land use planning, wildlife law, American Indian law, cultural heritage law, international and comparative environmental law, and mediation and dispute resolution.
The Certificate Program in International & Comparative Law offers 16 hours of specialized study as part of the 90 hours required to earn a J.D. degree. The program provides students with a rigorous and comprehensive introduction to the fundamentals of international law and dispute resolution, comparative law, international business transactions, choice of laws, and transnational litigation and arbitration. Students also are given an opportunity to study specialty subjects ranging from the law of ocean resources to international taxation. Skills training is provided through editorial work on the college’s international law journal, international law moot court competition, and overseas externships and research assistantships. Off-campus study programs in China, Ecuador and Germany also offer invaluable experience abroad. http://www.willamette.edu/wucl/innovative/certificates/international/
Law & Government Certificate Program—Students develop an understanding of the law governing institutions at the national, state and local levels; an understanding of the ways in which public policy is made and modified; and a capacity to effectively influence formulation of law and public policy. Possible career paths for Law and Government Certificate graduates include public law positions throughout the federal, state and local political subdivisions of government, including elected positions. There is also a need within the private practice arena for attorneys with practical knowledge of public law, governmental operations and public policy. Private clients turn to lawyers for their knowledge of the legal regulatory environment in which the client operates. This knowledge and experience positions law graduates uniquely for success and leadership in the legal profession. http://www.willamette.edu/wucl/clg/certificate/
William Mitchell College of Law: William Mitchell College of Law
Although the School does not grant a public interest certificate or have a formal curricular program, the School has a recommended track of classes for students interested in public interest.
Yale University: Yale Law School
Yale Law School's efforts and accomplishments in public interest programs are documented every year in YLS in the Public Service. This book is available online at www.law.yale.edu/documents/pdf/CDO_Public/cdo-yls_in_the_public_service_06.pdf
Yeshiva University: Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
Each year, a small group of competitively selected students are admitted to Cardozo as Public Service Scholars. The Public Service Scholars Program provides a unique opportunity for committed students to share and explore their interest in public service law throughout their three years of law school. They are offered a range of programs to stimulate intellectual discussions on public service and to expand their social and professional networks in the public sector.
Through a mixture of benefits, including tuition assistance, a mentoring program, specialized academic and social events and help with securing summer internships, Public Service Scholars are given the opportunity to learn the practical and academic aspects of public service law along with a cohesive group of fellow colleagues throughout their studies in law school.
