Capital Certificate Program Oregon Law

							Supervising a JD Certificate Program


                     Adrienne Brungess
             Professor of Lawyering Skills
               Director, Capital Certificate
              & Commendation Programs
       Pacific McGeorge School of Law
What is a Certificate Program?

 A Certificate Program
    Recognizes specialization in a particular
     study of law and supplements a JD.
    Is generally designed to provide a guide for
     selecting electives in specific areas of study.
    Helps students develop skills that
     employers seek in applicants.
    Provides students an opportunity to develop
     further competitive distinction.
Examples of Certificate Offerings


 Many law schools have a certificate or
 similar offering:
ples
Certificate Background
 Certificate programs became more popular in the 1990s in
 part because of the flexibility a certificate offers:

    Not regulated by ABA; not a “degree”
    Has no formal institutional or universal meaning
    Programs are relatively easy to implement
    Require less administrative expense than LL.M.

 Larry Catá Backer, Specialization in Legal Education by Means of Certificate or Concentration
 Programs, Law at the End of the Day (Thursday, May 18, 2006) at
 http://lcbackerblog.blogspot.com/2006/05/specialization-in-legal-education-by.html
Some of the Benefits
   Many schools have the faculty resources and courses in place; thus,
    creation of a program does not require much modification to the
    current system.
   Certificate programs are a cost-effective means to provide academic
    guidance to students seeking a specialized program of study.
   Provides a means of informing employers of a student’s
    specialization.
   Aids in recruitment of prospective students as students may be
    drawn to an institution that provides specialized study.
   A prospective student may use certificate programs as a way to
    assess faculty quality in a particular area of law.

Larry Catá Backer, Specialization in Legal Education by Means of Certificate or Concentration Programs, Law
at the End of the Day (Thursday, May 18, 2006) at http://lcbackerblog.blogspot.com/2006/05/specialization-in-legal-
education-by.html; Kevin E. Houchin, Specialization in the J.D. Curricula: A National Study (2003) at
http://www.woodenpencil.com/research/JDspec041403.pdf
Benefits, cont.
  A certificate program can help the law school to meet
   its information and guidance roles.
  For faculty, certificate programs can serve as an
   efficient gateway for the counseling of students.
  Faculty, even those not involved in the fields covered
   by the certificate program, can make use of the
   curricular requirements of the certificate to help
   students develop a personal program of study that
   maximizes their years in law school.
  Programs of study leading to the award of a certificate
   can be developed consistent with the general mission
   of the Law School to produce well-rounded lawyers.
 Larry Catá Backer, Specialization in Legal Education by Means of Certificate or Concentration Programs,
 Law at the End of the Day (Thursday, May 18, 2006) at http://lcbackerblog.blogspot.com/2006/05/specialization-in-
 legal-education-by.html
Some of the Weaknesses
    Inconsistent definitions and requirements both within a
     law school and among different schools
          Establishing programs with similar form will decrease student
           confusion and failures to complete
          Administratively, similarity may reinforce the school’s
           distinctive culture
          Basic organizational uniformity can make it easier to publicize
           programs outside the school
          Uniformity among schools may make certificates more
           meaningful to employers
    Becoming a haven for marginally performing students
 Larry Catá Backer, Specialization in Legal Education by Means of Certificate or Concentration Programs,
 Law at the End of the Day (Thursday, May 18, 2006) at http://lcbackerblog.blogspot.com/2006/05/specialization-
 in-legal-education-by.html; Kevin Houchin, Law School: Consistent Labels for Specialized JD Programing,
 Lawyerist.com, Law School, Legal Careers, (March 15, 2011) at http://lawyerist.com/law-school-consistent-
 labels-for-specialized-jd-programing/
Administration Models
  Program administration should be used to integrate all
   faculty working in a common field.
  Two general models of governance
          The single administrator model.
          Governance-by-committee model.
    The basic difference between the two models is that a
     single person is ultimately responsible for decisions
     under the single director model and more than one
     person, collectively, is responsible for decisions under
     the other.
 Larry Catá Backer, Specialization in Legal Education by Means of Certificate or Concentration Programs,
 Law at the End of the Day (Thursday, May 18, 2006) at http://lcbackerblog.blogspot.com/2006/05/specialization-in-
 legal-education-by.html
Do Employers Care?
    120 representatives of NALP hiring firms completed surveys; they
     represented almost every state.
    “It is clear that participation in a specialized program does not
     automatically make a candidate more attractive to potential
     employers, but it can happen – and most likely does. When
     competition for jobs becomes tight, candidates must use every
     weapon in their arsenal to secure a job offer. . . . So, while
     specialization isn’t an automatic advantage in the job market, it’s
     not very likely to hurt the candidate. Because a graduation from a
     specialized program has more potential to help than potential to
     hurt the candidate’s odds of getting an offer, specialization might
     very well prove itself worth the effort in a highly competitive job
     market.”
Kevin Houchin, Law School: Consistent Labels for Specialized JD Programing, Lawyerist.com, Law School,
Legal Careers, (March 15, 2011) at http://lawyerist.com/law-school-consistent-labels-for-specialized-jd-programing/
Kevin Houchin, Law School: Consistent Labels for Specialized JD Programing, Lawyerist.com, Law
School, Legal Careers, (March 15, 2011) at http://lawyerist.com/law-school-consistent-labels-for-
specialized-jd-programing/ p. 27
McGeorge’s Capital Certificate
McGeorge’s Capital Certificate

 Capital Certificate in Public Law & Policy
    The Capital Certificate Program is a 16-unit course of study and
     experiential learning that students may pursue at the same time
     as they earn a J.D.
    Capital Certificate students complete a series of required and
     elective courses specially designed to equip new lawyers with the
     skills and knowledge base to succeed in government and public
     lawyering careers.
    The Capital Certificate curriculum includes courses in agency law
     and statutory interpretation, a capstone seminar, and a required
     externship or clinic experience.
McGeorge’s Capital Certificate

 Capital Certificate in Public Law & Policy
    The curriculum ensures that students graduate with real life
     experience and on-the-job contacts within the government and
     public lawyering community.
    In the capstone seminar, students look in-depth at issues of
     government theory and practice, and write a paper of publishable
     quality.
    Students participate in student groups, attend events, and
     network with alumni members in California, Washington, D.C.,
     and elsewhere who work in government and public lawyering
     careers.
McGeorge’s Capital Certificate
 Careers in Government and Public Lawyering
    Government Jobs
     Governments at the federal, state, county and city level employ attorneys to work
     with executive branch officers, agencies, legislative bodies and courts.
    Nonprofit Organizations/Public Interest Jobs
     Public interest lawyers work in organizations representing particular types of
     needy clients, in public interest law centers or advocacy organizations engaged in
     impact litigation and legislative work, and other types of nonprofits, which usually
     employ at least one attorney to do a number of different types of legal work.
    Private Firm Jobs
     Many different types of specialties practiced by law firm attorneys involve
     government or public lawyering. These include lobbying or other types of political
     law or legislative practice, representing governments or government bodies as
     clients, such as cities, counties or school boards, and representing private
     corporate or individual clients in practice areas subject to heavy government
     regulation, such as communications, employment, environmental, health or
     immigration.
What do I do, exactly?
   Meet with applicants and review academic and
    professional goals
   Answer a lot of questions and review requests
    for waivers or accommodations
   Make appropriate referrals (students and grads)
   Review all graduating senior transcripts for
    satisfaction of requirements
   Sign and confer certificates
   Assist in course planning
   Assist in marketing efforts
Professional Benefits

     Director title
     Increased public exposure and campus visibility
     Connections to local attorneys, judiciary, alumni
     Increased interaction with administration and faculty (Capital
      Center scholars, Dean of Students, Career Development Office)
     Allows more direct participation in the school’s strategic plan and
      marketing
     Filled a position as student liaison that others found undesirable
     Largely satisfies commitment/service to the campus obligation
     Contributed recently to my overall “resume” for promotion
      consideration
     Exempts me from most committee work
Closing


 Q & A (time permitting)