The Certificate in Public Interest Law and Policy prepares GSU Law students to serve traditionally underserved populations. The certificate program allows students to focus on a particular substantive area or to generally explore concepts and practice skills central to public interest and pro bono work. Experiential courses and pro bono volunteer opportunities put theory into practice. With faculty guidance and connections to practitioners, students build a foundation for a career serving the public interest.
Benefits
- Faculty guidance: Faculty advisers are assigned to every student enrolled in the certificate program. Advisers can assist with course selection and provide career guidance or suggestions for professional development.
- Hands-on learning: Experiential courses and pro bono volunteer opportunities allow students to build on their legal skills and knowledge.
- Preparation for practice: Certificate students may focus on an area that aligns with their interests and career goals.
Potential Careers
- Prosecutor
- Public defender
- Immigration attorney
- Civil rights attorney
- Legal aid lawyer
- Policy development and advocacy
- Government agency attorney
- Staff attorney at nonprofit organization
Certificate Requirements
A minimum of 16 hours is required for certificate completion. The total number of credit hours completed will depend on the courses the student elects to take to satisfy the course requirements.
COURSEWORK: FOUNDATIONS REQUIRED
- Law 7117. Constitutional Law II: Individual Liberties; and
- Law 7010. Administrative Law OR Law 7225. Federal Courts
COURSEWORK: UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES - CHOOSE ONE
- Law 7006. Access to Justice: Law Reform I
- Law 7007. Access to Justice: Law Reform II
- Law 7180. Disability Discrimination
- Law 7245. Immigration Law and Practice
- Law 7251. Law and Social Welfare
- Law 7252. Human Rights and Children
- Law 7283. International Human Rights Seminar: Self-Determination of Indigenous Peoples
- Law 7330. Law and the Elderly
- Law 7433. Race, Ethnicity and the Law
- Law 7434. Racial Justice Seminar
- Law 7471. Sexual Identity and the Law
- Law 7495. Refugee and Asylum Law
- Law 7515. Women and the Law
COURSEWORK: EXPERIENTIAL - CHOOSE ONE
- Law 6040. Landlord Tenant Mediation Clinic I
- Law 6041. Landlord Tenant Mediation Clinic II
- Law 6050. Capital Defenders Clinic I
- Law 6090. HeLP Legal Services Clinic I
- Law 6091. HeLP Legal Services Clinic II
- Law 6092. Olmstead Disability Rights Clinic I
- Law 6093. Olmstead Disability Rights Clinic II
- Law 7094. Bankruptcy Assistance and Practice Program
- Law 7247. Health Legislation and Advocacy I
- Law 7248. Health Legislation and Advocacy II
- Law 7336. Fundamentals of Law Practice/Transition to Practice
- Law 7600. Philip C. Cook Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic I
- Law 7601. Philip C. Cook Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic II
- Law 7606. Immigration Clinic I
- Law 7607. Immigration Clinic II
- Externship with a public interest law and policy organization (to be approved through the externship program)
COURSEWORK: ELECTIVES - CHOOSE TWO
- Law 7006. Access to Justice: Law Reform I
- Law 7007. Access to Justice: Law Reform II
- Law 7025. Wrongful Convictions
- Law 7031. Advanced Criminal Litigation
- Law 7113. Capital Punishment Law
- Law 7116. Constitutional Tort Litigation
- Law 7145. Constitutional Law: Survey of First Amendment
- Law 7151. Constitutional Law Seminar
- Law 7155. Consumer Protection
- Law 7165. Criminal Procedure: Investigations
- Law 7167. Criminal Procedure: Adjudication
- Law 7169. Criminal Appellate Practicum
- Law 7172. Philosophy of Criminal Law
- Law 7173. Criminal Law in the Supreme Court
- Law 7174. Criminal Regulation of Vice
- Law 7180. Disability Discrimination
- Law 7183. Domestic Litigation
- Law 7184. Domestic Violence Law
- Law 7186. Education Law
- Law 7190. Seminar in Education Law
- Law 7193. General Employment Law
- Law 7195. Employment Discrimination Law
- Law 7199. Law of Democracy
- Law 7200. Environmental Law
- Law 7201. International Environmental Law
- Law 7203. Natural Resources and Water Law
- Law 7204. Urban Environmental Law Seminar
- Law 7216. Family Law
- Law 7220. Family Law Seminar
- Law 7243. HIV/AIDS and the Law
- Law 7244. Public Health Law
- Law 7256. Independent Research [on a relevant topic, by petition]
- Law 7261. Global Perspectives on Children and the Law
- Law 7274. International Criminal Law
- Law 7277. International Human Rights
- Law 7278. International Human Rights Seminar – Immigration
- Law 7282. International Human Rights: Practical Applications Seminar
- Law 7289. International Law and U.S. Foreign Relations
- Law 7293. Seminar on Judicial Power
- Law 7300. Juvenile Justice
- Law 7306. Juvenile Law
- Law 7315. Labor Law
- Law 7328. The Law and Business of Immigration
- Law 7331. Law and Health Equity
- Law 7341. Law and Mental Health
- Law 7357. The Law of Social Enterprise
- Law 7375. Legislation
- Law 7380. Legislative Drafting Seminar
- Law 7385. State and Local Government Law
- Law 7411. Nonprofit Organizations
- Law 7468. Sentencing
- Law 7521. Workers Compensation
- Law 7664. International and Comparative Equality Law Seminar
- Other College of Law courses or courses in other GSU departments, subject to approval by your faculty advisor and the Faculty Director and Assistant Director of the Center for Access to Justice.
Writing Requirement
Extracurricular Activity
Coursework (including externships) and summer internship hours may not be counted.
Donating money to a cause or organization will NOT be counted as an approved extracurricular activity.
Grades and Honors
If you do not pass Constitutional Law II: Individual Liberties, you must take it again to earn the certificate. Both the failing grade from the first attempt and the passing grade from the second attempt will be calculated in the GPA for the certificate, and you must still meet the minimum GPA of 3.00. If you do not pass another course taken toward the certificate requirements, you may take a different course that satisfies that component instead, and the higher grade will be counted toward your certificate GPA. For example, if you select a course from the underrepresented communities list and do not pass it, you may take a different course satisfying that component, and the higher of the two grades will count.
Honors will be awarded for achievement of a GPA of 3.60 or higher in all public interest law and policy courses taken for the certificate and any additional public interest law and policy electives taken above and beyond the requirements. If you do not pass a course taken toward the certificate and you retake the course, both the failing grade from the first attempt and the passing grade from the second attempt will be calculated in the GPA, and you must still maintain a 3.6 to receive honors in the certificate program.
Verification
It is the student’s responsibility to submit a Certificate in Public Interest Law & Policy Verification Form confirming satisfactory completion of certificate requirements no later than the drop-add date of the student’s last semester in the J.D. program. The faculty advisor must sign the verification form before it is submitted to the assistant director. The assistant director will then verify grades after graduation when available from the Registrar.
The verification form must be accompanied by the extracurricular activities report, which must also receive pre-approval from the faculty advisor. Each extracurricular activity should be reported in sufficient detail to document attendance or participation, including the time, date, location and people or organization overseeing the activity.
Every effort should be made to submit these forms in a timely manner. The faculty director or assistant director of the Center for Access to Justice, at their discretion, may choose not to accept late, incomplete or unsigned forms.
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