Social Justice and Public Interest Lawyering Certificate

To complete the Social Justice and Public Interest Lawyering Certificate, students must take at least 14 hours from the courses below.  In addition to the coursework set forth below, students must also complete the Public Service Certificate.

Download the Social Justice and Public Interest Lawyering Certificate Checklist

See Social Justice and Public Interest Lawyering Certificate Learning Outcomes.

Required Course 

Students must take minimum 1 course from the following:

Race, Law and Social Change (3 credits)
(Additional course from Required Electives may satisfy a Required Course with program director's approval.)

Required Electives

Students must take 3 Required Electives as follows:  at least 1 course from the Advocacy Group Courses; 1 course from the Perspective Group Courses; and 1 course from either the Clinic Courses or Internship Courses.

Advocacy Skills Courses

Appellate Advocacy (2 credits)
Legislative Advocacy (1 credit)
Mediation (1-2 credits)
Negotiations (2 credits)
Trial Advocacy (3 credits)

Perspectives Courses

Current Topics in Race and the Law (1 credit)
Race and the American Law (2-3 credits)
Race and the Constitution (2 credits)
Women and the Law (2 credits)   

Clinic Courses

Children Rights Clinic (2-4 credits)
Criminal Defense Clinic (4-6 credits)
General Practice Clinic (4-6 credits)
Refugee Clinic (4-6 credits)
Wrongful Convictions Clinic (4-6 credits)

Internship Courses

ARL Law Internship (1-3 credits)
Children’s Rights Center Internship (1-3 credits)
Disability Rights Iowa (2-3 credits)
Immigration Law Internship (3 credits)
Independent internship (with program director approval) (1-3 credits)
Iowa Civil Rights Commission Internship (3 credits)
Iowa Legal Aid internship (1-3 credits)
Juvenile Law Internship (1-3 credits)
Juvenile Law Appellate Internship (1-3 credits)
Kids First Internship (2-3 credits)
Legislative Internship (2 credits)
Legislative Practice Internship (2-3 credits)
State Public Defender Appellate Internship (3 credits)
State Public Defender Internship (3 credits)

Optional Electives

Students must take at least 2 courses from the Optional Electives list.

Advanced Constitutional Law and Interpretation (2 credits)
Applied Immigration Law and Policy (2 credits)
Children and the Law (2-3 credits)
Constitutional Controversies (1 credit)
Constitutional Litigation (2-3 credits)
Domestic Violence (3 credits)
Election Law (2-3 credits)
Environmental Law (3 credits)
Family Law (3 credits)
Federal Courts and Jurisdiction (3 credits)
First Amendment Seminar (3 credits)
Global Issues in Criminal Law (1 credit)
Immigration Law (3 credits)
International Human Rights (3 credits)
Justice Reform and Innovation (2 credits)
Legislation (2 credits)
Legislative Practice (2 credits)
Psychiatry and the Law (2-3 credits)
State Constitutional Law (3 credits)
State and Local Government Law (3 credits)

Advanced Writing

Students must fulfill their Advanced Writing Requirement (AWR) through one of the following course options:

Any Required Course
Any Perspectives Group Course
Justice Reform and Innovation
Psychiatry and the Law
Advanced Constitutional Law and Interpretation. 
Any Optional Elective or Independent Research project, with written approval from the certificate director

For more information, see Drake Law School's course descriptions.

Program Director:

Liz Battles, Assistant Dean
515-271-2948 liz.battles@drake.edu

Certificate Notification Form