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Public Interest Law Certificate Program
A commitment to public service is one of the essential elements of the law
school's mission. True to our mission, we support students and graduates in their pursuit of careers in public service. Students may earn a Public Interest Law Certificate through a combination of course work, practical experience, and community service.
To receive the Public Interest Law Certificate, students must complete all of the certificate requirements and all of the requirements for the JD degree. Students intending to complete the requirements for the Public Interest Law Certificate are subject to all of the law school's academic policies, including rules governing enrollment priorities.
Course Requirements
To earn a Public Interest Law Certificate, a student must complete at least 15 units of course work selected from the list of approved Public Interest Law Certificate courses. Note: the curriculum below is subject to change and not all courses are offered every year.
| Courses | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative Law | 3 | |
| This course considers the relationship between agencies and the other branches of government, the rulemaking and adjudicatory procedures by which agencies implement congressional statues, and the role of the courts in reviewing agency actions. The course will examine the tension between allowing agencies the flexibility to manage complex regulatory and benefit programs efficiently, while at the same time ensuring fair treatment and accountability to those they serve. For anyone considering practice in a regulated area, like Business Law, Corporate Law, Employment or Labor Law, Environmental Law, Poverty Law (etc.), the course provides essential insights into the regulatory process and agency operations. | ||
| Advanced Criminal Procedure | 3 | |
| An in-depth historical analysis of the fundamental rights of the criminally accused focusing on the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Eighth Amendments. This course explores the Supreme Courts changing perspective on criminal law, particularly the period from the Warren Court decisions of the 1960's to the present Roberts Court perspective. The course includes various practical demonstrations on the utilization of constitutional criminal procedure in the litigation of criminal cases. Pre-requisite: Criminal Procedure. | ||
| Advanced Issues in Employment Discrimination | 3 | |
| A seminar in which students explore cutting-edge issues in employment discrimination law and engage in the process of academic writing. Each student prepares a paper on an employment discrimination topic of his or her choice and presents it to the class during the term. Prerequisite: Employment Discrimination (highly recommended). | ||
| Animal Law | 3 | |
| A survey of the laws understanding and treatment of animals by looking at the development of federal and state policies toward wild, domestic, and companion animals. Specific topics may include the history of animal law, the concept of animals as property, the application of tort and remedies law to injuries by and to pets, protection of animals by cruelty and other laws, and constitutional issues raised in cases involving animals. | ||
| Bioethics and the Law | 3 | |
| Focusing on the interface of law, medicine, and ethics, this course will examine issues concerning reproductive rights, death and dying, medical research, genetic technology, access to health care and health care decision making. | ||
| Contemporary Race Law | ||
| Corporate Accountability and Social Justice | 2 | |
| A seminar exploring corporate social responsibility and considering the impact of corporate activities on human rights and the environment. Students will gain an understanding of the legal norms of accountability emerging from international human rights doctrine, regional jurisprudence and U.S. case law. Topics covered will be include paramilitary security forces, control of water supplies and other natural resources, pollution and toxic dumping in minority communities, and climate change. | ||
| Corporations | 4 | |
| A basic course in corporate law, including the concept of the entity and its liabilities, management, promotion, financing, and organization. Coverage includes the issuance of shares, elections, and the proxy system; control devices and special problems of the close corporation; derivative suits and basic securities regulation. | ||
| Cyberspace Law | 3 | |
| This course studies the emerging body of law relating to cyberspace, focusing on the Internet and online services. The course considers how to adapt law to cyberspace, looking at case law, statutes, and other methods of regulation. Topics include jurisdiction, computer crime, electronic privacy and encryption, free speech in cyberspace (including online indecency), online torts (including spam and defamation) and intellectual property in cyberspace. While prior exposure to cyberspace is helpful, no special expertise is required. | ||
| Death Penalty Law | 3 | |
| A course examining the law governing application of the death penalty in the context of the moral, social, and political questions raised by capital punishment. The course considers key issues, including the meaning and limits of the Eighth Amendment; attempts to enact constitutional death penalty statutes; jury selection; the roles of trial and appellate courts in the process; the effect of race in the application of the death penalty; and post-conviction review of capital sentences. Prerequisites: Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure | ||
| Elder Law | 3 | |
| Elders represent the fastest growing, yet among the most vulnerable members of our society. Topics include elder financial and physical abuse, undue influence, consent, conservatorship proceedings, EADACPA (Elder and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act), nursing home litigation, duties performed by the Ombudsman, Public Guardian, Adult Protective Service workers, right-to-die, and end-of-life issues. Prerequisites: Criminal Law, Evidence | ||
| Election Law | 3 | |
| This course explores the federal and state laws that regulate the political process and elections, with a focus on California law. Specific areas covered include the right to vote, ballot access, redistricting, the nomination process, campaigning for office, campaign finance, the Voting Rights Act, the role of the courts in election disputes, political parties, election administration and voting systems, bribery and related ethics principles, and ballot propositions, including initiative, referendum and recall measures. No background in politics or political science is required. Recommended: Constitutional Law. | ||
| Employment Discrimination | 3 | |
| A survey of federal law prohibitions against, and remedies for, employment discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of race, ethnic origin, sex, age, and disability. The principle focus is on Title VII, the Age of Discrimination in Employment Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, but California Law is also discussed. Among the issues covered are: the nature and proof of discrimination, justifications for discrimination, harassment as discrimination, the "reasonable accommodation" requirement, and innovative approaches in the field. | ||
| Employment Law | 3 | |
| This course surveys the rapidly evolving law of the workplace and the rights and responsibilities of employers and employees. Its focus is on the developing legal limits to the traditional "employment at will" doctrine. Common law topics include implied contract theories, the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and wrongful discharge claims. The class also explores the trend toward statutory regulation of the workplace by analyzing some of the federal laws governing specific terms and conditions of employment. The class also introduces some of the issues arising from the intersection between employment and intellectual property law, including employers' use of non-competition agreements and trade secret protection. | ||
| Environmental Law | 3 | |
| An overview of federal environmental law and regulation covering the primary common law approach to environmental issues, nuisance law, and addressing the major federal environmental statutes' role in land use, pollution control, and liability for hazardous contamination. The course we will focus on the following themes: (1) How does the nature of an environmental problem affect the crafting of the legal response? (2) What are the primary ways in which pollution control mechanisms are or could be structured? (3) What are the economic and efficiency implications of various pollution control and liability policies? (4) What are the fairness implications of various pollution control and liability policies? (5) How does or should environmental law cope with the problem of scientific uncertainty? (6) How have concerns about federalism been manifested in pollution control law? (7) What are the respective roles of Congress, the executive branch, and the courts in shaping environmental policy? | ||
| Family Law | 3 | |
| A study of the legal and policy issues involved in the regulation of the family. The course surveys state and federal law as it impinges on the family, including issues related to marriage, divorce, child custody, spousal abuse, child neglect and abuse, nontraditional families, and new reproductive technologies. | ||
| Federal Courts | 3 | |
| A study of the role of the federal courts in the constitutional system, with particular attention to the doctrines of separation of powers and federalism. The course will consider the constitutional and statutory jurisdiction of the federal courts, the various doctrines permitting the courts to defer or decline jurisdiction, and the relationship of the federal courts to state law and state courts. | ||
| First Amendment, Free Speech and Religion | 3 | |
| An overview of First Amendment freedoms: speech, press, and religion. The course examines contemporary theoretical approaches to understanding the First Amendment in several contexts including, obscenity, violent, hateful and threatening speech, Internet speech, artistic expression, defamation, privacy, advocacy and dissent, reporter's privileges, commercial speech and anonymity, as well as the evolving religious liberty doctrines of nonedorsement and incidental effects. In each area there is an attempt to answer whether restrictions are justified and if so, the appropriate scope for such restrictions. Prerequisite: Constitutional Law. | ||
| Gender and the Law | 3 | |
| A study of the construction and treatment of gender under the law. Students will critically examine a number of different feminist legal theories of gender equality and the application of these theories to law and social policy. Topics include gender-based violence, reproductive rights, intimate relationships, and gender identity discrimination. | ||
| Health Law | 3 | |
| An overview of the U.S. health care system with an emphasis on California law. Topics include access to healthcare, medical malpractice, informed consent (including experimental treatments and right to die), patient privacy rights, fraud and abuse, provider licensing (individual and facility) and regulation, managed care and insurance regulation, Medicare/Med-Cal, scope of practice regulation, and public health responses to health crises. | ||
| Immigration Law | 3 | |
| An overview of U.S. immigration and citizenship laws, including the statutes and the public policy contexts, regulations and judicial decisions. Topics covered include nonimmigrant visas, how to obtain and retain lawful permanent resident status, exclusion at the border, grounds for deportation, deportation hearing procedures, relief from deportation, administrative appeals, federal judicial review, asylum, and citizenship and naturalization. | ||
| Information Privacy Law | 3 | |
| This course examines the legal protection of privacy. It explores the interaction of common law, constitutional law, and the patchwork of statutes that endeavor to protect privacy. Topics will include tort privacy claims, privacy of medical information, privacy and law enforcement, privacy and computerized records, and privacy at work. | ||
| International Human Rights | 3 | |
| An introduction to international human rights documents and the procedures and mechanisms available for protecting and promoting human rights. It covers regional systems as well as the United Nations human rights bodies. It also includes the use of international human rights law in United States courts, addressing direct treaty application, customary international law, and its use as an interpretive guide. Readings on how to conduct fact investigation are also discussed. | ||
| Juvenile Law | 3 | |
| This course examines the central areas of law that impact children, with emphasis on representing child clients in dependency cases, delinquency cases, and custody disputes. Students will become conversant with the seminal cases affecting children and the application of child advocacy through California statutes and case law. The course will be presented in a lecture format that encourages student involvement. Prerequisite: Criminal Procedure, Constitutional Law (recommended) | ||
| Labor Law | 3 | |
| This is an overview of the statutory, administrative, and judicial decisions in the field of employer-union-employee relationships and the collective bargaining process. Emphasis is on the National Labor Relations Act and the cognate legislation as affecting union organization, representation and employee rights. The course will focus on the nature of the labor and management in the global marketplace. | ||
| Land Use Law | 3 | |
| Land is the focus of intense legal and social conflict. In this course, students learn the basics of land development and the regulation process (including zoning, planning, and subdivision law), with an emphasis on California law. The course explores contemporary land use struggles, including accommodating population and job growth, preserving the environment, providing affordable housing, and respecting property rights ("takings") Prerequisite: Property | ||
| Legal Issues and Terrorism, Post 9/11 | 2 | |
| An exploration of the tension between national security and civil liberties by studying the powers of the President and the Congress to declare and wage war; the detentions of enemy combatants and "ghost detainees"; the application of the Geneva Conventions and other international laws and treaties to the detainees; the role of military commissions and administrative Combatant Status Review Tribunals; the Military Commissions Act of 2006; the Supreme Court; the administration memos regarding the war on terror, including the several torture memos; Abu Ghraib and the war in Iraq. | ||
| Poverty Law | 2 | |
| This course is designed to explore the interaction between policy regulation and constitutional law in the context of Poverty. We will study the impact of welfare reform and consider the consequences of how the government regulates the terms of work and the family relations of those most economically vulnerable. We will consider how societal changes, social movements, public opinion, empirical data, and policy goals matter for both policy regulation and constitutional interpretation. We will study in depth how the Supreme Court has interpreted the Constitution when applying its provisions to poor people. We will consider whether and how constitutional interpretation relates to economic justice at home and abroad. | ||
| Predatory Lending Law | 2 | |
| A course covering federal and state laws that regulate lending including the Truth in Lending Act, Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Civil Rights Act, and Unfair Business Practices Act. The class also includes practical training in understanding and reviewing loan documents, interview techniques, collaborative lawyering, discovery and motion practice. | ||
| Public Land Use & Natural Resources | 3 | |
| A course examining the management of natural resources on our nation's public lands, with a special focus on the American West. There is an overview of public lands law, including historic public land policies and key doctrines shaping public lands management and an exploration of specific natural resource issues on the public lands: mining and its impacts; logging, forest management and the national forests; grazing and its impacts; wildlife and endangered species; the national parks and the recreation "resource;" and wilderness and wild rivers. These topics will include discussion of current controversies over the nation's mining, logging, grazing, and endangered species laws and policies. | ||
| Racism and Justice in American Legal History | 3 | |
| Former title: Race, Law, and Policy, students may not earn credit for both courses. An examination of the history, politics, theory and law related to race and ethnicity in America. Attention will be given to anti-discrimination law and, in addition, to a survey of racial issues embedded in core areas such as criminal, contract, tort and property law. Emphasis will be on providing critical contextual perspective on the intersection between racialized experience and the law, and on increasing students critical thinking, writing, and oral communication. | ||
| Religious Organizations and Law | 3 | |
| This seminar will be an intensive study of the American experience with the First Amendment's protection of religious freedom. The course will consider the context, constitutional interpretation, structure and substance of conscience and religion. It will also explore religious organizations and their mission in a pluralistic society and the cost of litigating the protection of human dignity through evolving issues of public policy. Prerequisite: Constitutional Law. | ||
| Remedies | 3 | |
| A study of the types of relief granted by courts in civil cases focusing on three major topics: 1) damages, including a review of general principles of tort and contract damages; 2) equitable remedies, including obtaining and enforcing preliminary and permanent injunctions in both private and public controversies; and 3) restitutionary relief to prevent unjust enrichment, including constructive trusts and equitable liens. | ||
| Sexuality Law | 3 | |
| This course provides students with an overview of legal issues relating to sexual orientation and gender identity, including: sexual privacy; employment discrimination; marriage and other family law issues; peer harassment and first amendment issues in schools; immigration and asylum. In addition to providing an overview of gay and transgender civil rights movements, the course provides students with a foundation in several basic constitutional doctrines (privacy/substantive due process, equal protection, and first amendment. The emphasis is on close reading of key cases, as well as exploring a variety of doctrinal themes, such as the intersection of gender- and sexual orientation based discrimination, the use of social science research in litigation, and the role of morality in the law. | ||
| Street Law | 3 | |
| The Street Law Project operates in conjunction with approximately 25 Bay Area high schools and several middle schools and their respective school districts. Law students, working under faculty supervision, serve as student instructors and teach a course entitled "Street Law" which annually reaches 2,000 predominately inner-city school students. The program seeks to promote legal literacy among young people to ensure that they possess that minimum amount of practical, legal knowledge needed to understand the system as a whole and how it can work in their behalf. Law student instructors deliver units in Housing, Consumer, Family, Criminal, and Constitutional Law at their assigned school sites. They also participate in weekly seminars and research and develop additional material on California law to be used in their classes. | ||
| Water Resources Law | 3 | |
| An exploration of the modern legal principles and polices controlling the allocation of water among competing users: cities, farms, recreation, environment, and power. The course covers the regulation of surface water, including an in-depth study of riparian rights and appropriative rights, and groundwater. There is emphasis on the modern, public interest legal developments that are controlling water allocation today: the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and the public trust doctrine. The course also covers water transfers, interstate and international water allocation schemes, Native American water rights, and the large public water institutions that control water supply in the West, including the federal Bureau of Reclamation. The course also covers the issues unique to California, including a study of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. | ||
| Wrongful Convictions | 3 | |
| This course surveys: 1) the various causes of wrongful prosecution, conviction, and incarceration of the factually innocent (e.g., eyewitness misidentification, false confessions, perjured testimony, forensic fraud, police and prosecutorial misconduct, ineffective assistance of counsel, etc.); and 2) the various legal and policy solutions for minimizing wrongful conviction in the American criminal justice system. Pre-requisite: Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure. | ||
Practicum
Students in the Public Interest Law Certificate Program must complete a minimum of 150 hours of supervised legal work in a public interest or qualifying government organization. This requirement may be satisfied through participation in a clinical program.
Community Service
Students must complete a minimum of 50 hours of non-legal volunteer service on behalf of on-campus or community service organizations. Work with student organizations and participation in activities through the Law in Motion service program may be applied to satisfy this requirement.
Writing Requirement
To earn the certificate, a student who begins his or her second year in fall 2008 or thereafter must complete a substantial research paper analyzing an issue relevant to public interest law. The paper must demonstrate the ability to identify, describe, and analyze the subject matter, and, if possible, propose a resolution. The paper must meet the standards for an Upper Level Research and Writing Requirement project and may be used to satisfy that requirement and/or the requirements of a course taken for credit.
Transfer Units
All course work must be taken at USF with the exception of one elective course (for a maximum of three units of credit). If a student wishes to apply a course taken at another law school to meet the requirements of the Public Interest Law Certificate, prior approval must be obtained by the assistant dean for academic services. The student must take the course for a letter grade and earn a grade of C+ or higher for credit to be applied to the certificate.
Applying for the Certificate
To be eligible to receive a Public Interest Law Certificate, a student must submit an application to the USF School of Law Office of the Registrar. Applications will not be accepted until the student's last semester. Applications must be submitted on or before the last day to drop classes in that semester.
Students may obtain only one certificate. No student shall be awarded more than one certificate upon completion of the JD degree, even if such student has completed the requirements of more than one program.
It is each student's responsibility to ensure that all requirements for the Public Interest Law Certificate are satisfied in a timely manner.