Family Law Certificate

The Family Law Certificate is available for students who have a serious interest in the area of family law. The Certificate is an acknowledgment by the Faculty that the student has successfully completed a focused course of study addressing family law issues.

Course Requirements

Required Course

Family Law (LW 728 - 3 hours).

Optional Courses

Twelve (12) hours selected from any of the following courses:

Writing Requirement

Complete a pre-approved upper level writing requirement (or equivalent writing project) on a Family Law topic. The upper level writing requirement may be satisfied by the Family Law Seminar, Directed Research, or an alternative writing opportunity approved in advance by the student's certificate advisor. The student must receive a grade of "B" or better on any graded paper.

Service Requirement

  1. Complete 10 hours of pro bono activities for children and family, either as a CASA, guardian ad litem, volunteer at Legal Services, the Battered Women's Task Force, or in some other capacity serving children and families.
  2. Participate regularly in activities of the Family Law Student Society.

General Requirements

Any student interested in pursuing a Certificate in Family Law must first meet with a faculty member administering the program (Professor Linda Elrod or Professor Nancy Maxwell) to declare their interest and plan their course of study prior to completing 40 hours. The faculty member and student will complete the "Meeting Summary." This faculty member will also serve as the student's Certificate advisor and will approve any waivers or alternative courses allowed or required by the program.

The student must complete 90 hours of total law school credit and achieve a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in courses used to satisfy the Certificate requirements. Students who obtain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 for courses used to satisfy the Certificate requirements will be awarded the Certificate in Family Law (with distinction).

Approved by the faculty: May 2005
Effective: January 2006
Updated: March 2008