Public Interest and Social Justice Certificate
Join our tradition of expanding knowledge in the service of humanity
Rooted in our Jesuit identity, Loyola's JD Certificate in Public Interest and Social Justice prepares you for practice settings in government and the non-profit arena where you will advocate and work in service to others. You'll find robust coursework, many clinical opportunities and resources, and co-curricular activities that will provide you with legal skills to help those in need. Our graduates work in civil and criminal law, represent underserved populations, and work to protect legal rights.
Curriculum
There are three requirements for the Public Interest and Social Justice Certificate: coursework; clinic or externship experience; and co-curricular experience.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | 1-2 | |
| LAW 389 | Public Interest Law Seminar 1 | 1-2 |
| Electives (10 credits and 4 courses minimum) 2 | 10 | |
| History, Theory and Practice of Rule of Law for Development | ||
| Illinois Litigation Racism, Injustice & Poverty | ||
| American Indian Law: Indigenous Justice | ||
| Labor and Employment Law in the Education Workplace | ||
| Law and Psychology | ||
| Environmental Justice: Race, Class and the Environment | ||
| Mass Incarceration | ||
| Abolition and Movement Lawyering | ||
| Antiracism Under Law | ||
| The Fundamentals of School Law | ||
| Human Trafficking Seminar | ||
| Advanced Criminal Law | ||
| Civil Rights | ||
| Race and the Law | ||
| Domestic Violence Practicum | ||
| Women and Leadership | ||
| International Climate Change Policy | ||
| Administrative Law | ||
| Bankruptcy | ||
| Criminal Procedure:Investigation | ||
| Criminal Procedure: Adjudication | ||
| International Criminal Law | ||
| Family Law | ||
| Human Trafficking: Advancing Protections for Children Practicum | ||
| Consumer Law | ||
| International Cross-Cultural Negotiation and Communication Skills | ||
| Black Traditions in International Law | ||
| Refugee Law and Policy: Welcoming the Stranger | ||
| International Human Rights | ||
| Police Accountability | ||
| Intellectual Origins of "Othering" in the Law of Nations | ||
| Street Law | ||
| Reviewing and Righting Wrongful Convictions | ||
| Labor Law | ||
| Employment Law | ||
| Educational Advocacy Lab | ||
| Title IX Compliance in Higher Education | ||
| Law & Poverty | ||
| Land Use | ||
| The Quest for Racial Justice in the Long 1960s | ||
| Immigration Law and Policy | ||
| Higher Education Law | ||
| Nonprofits | ||
| International Environmental Law | ||
| Global Access to Medicine: A Patent Perspective | ||
| "Say Her Name:" Intersectional Feminism & Police Violence | ||
| Restorative Justice Workshop | ||
| Special Education Law and Advocacy | ||
| Federal Indian Law | ||
| Mediation Seminar | ||
| Humanitarian Law in Practice | ||
| Education Law and Policy | ||
| Information Technology and Human Rights Practicum | ||
| Class Actions | ||
| Advising Not-For-Profit Organizations | ||
| Disabled Adult Guardianship Project | ||
| Federal Courts | ||
| National Security Law | ||
| Election Law | ||
| Law, Politics, and Society | ||
| Critical Race Theory | ||
| Political Civil Rights | ||
| Alternative Dispute Resolution | ||
| Comparative Freedom of Speech | ||
| Special Education Dispute Resolution | ||
| Terrorism Prosecution: Civil Rights & Executive Power in Theory & Practice | ||
| Wrongful Conviction Seminar | ||
| The Use of Force in International and Domestic Law | ||
| Child, Family, and the State | ||
| ChildLaw Trial Practice (Intensive) | ||
| Juvenile Justice | ||
| ChildLaw Fellows Seminar | ||
| Child and Family Law Mediation | ||
| Children's Summer Institute | ||
| Child Welfare Law and Policy | ||
| International Children's Rights | ||
| Legal Issues in School Discipline | ||
| Introduction to Legislative and Policy Advocacy | ||
| Domestic Violence: Theories, Policies and Societal Impact | ||
| Health Law: Patients and Populations | ||
| Mental Health Law | ||
| Access to Health Care | ||
| Health Justice Lab (Race and Health Equity) | ||
| Racial Justice Seminar Series | ||
| Introduction to Health Law and Policy | ||
| Bioethics & Social Justice | ||
| Public Health and the Law | ||
| Human Subjects Protection | ||
| Administrative Law and Health Care Regulation | ||
| Total Hours | 12-14 | |
- 1
- Must enroll in during your second or third year of law school, when you have completed or are in the process of completing your 30 required volunteer service hours and a clinical program or externship.
- 2
Must earn a B or better in each of the four public interest elective courses.
Clinic or Externship Experience
You must complete a clinic, practica, or externship at a government agency or agency that serves, represents, or advocates on behalf of indigent persons, disadvantaged groups, or inadequately protected interests:
- Business Law Clinic
- ChildLaw Clinic
- Community Law Center Clinic
- Education Law Practicum
- Externship (government agency or non-profit organization)
- Federal Tax Clinic
- Health Justice Project
- Life After Innocence Project
Co-Curricular Experience
You must complete 30 hours of public service work. This work does not need to be at one organization and it need not be completed prior to enrolling in the Public Interest Law Seminar.
Applying for your Certificate
After completion of all requirements, you must complete an application for the Certificate in Public Interest and Social Justice. Submit a completed application to the Director of Public Interest Programming for signature. You must then submit your signed application form to the Law School Registrar's Office.
Graduate & Professional Standards and Regulations
Students in graduate and professional programs can find their Academic Policies in Graduate and Professional Academic Standards and Regulations under their school. Any additional University Policies supersede school policies.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Each student graduating with the Certificate in Public Interest and Social Justice must demonstrate that they:
- Possess substantive knowledge in areas of public interest law;
- have an understanding of marginalized populations and the intersectionality of issues among those populations;
- have had practical experience in working within a not-for-profit or governmental entity under the supervision of a licensed attorney; and
- have volunteered to work with or on behalf of underserved individuals or communities.