DRA Certificate Requirements for Students Enrolled in August 2006 or Thereafter

Advocating for a client at trial is a demanding and unique role played by lawyers in domestic litigation practice. But today's lawyers also know that the vast majority of lawsuits never reach trial. Even litigators are more likely to be found negotiating settlements, representing clients in mediation sessions, advocating at arbitration proceedings and advising clients about their dispute resolution options. The Certificate in Dispute Resolution and Advocacy serves: (1) to prepare Penn State Dickinson law students to serve as advocates and counselors in the variety of dispute resolution processes employed by practitioners in the United States; (2) to develop students' skills in representing clients in consensual and adjudicative processes; (3) to familiarize students with the legal and ethical issues that arise in particular dispute resolution fora; and (4) to introduce students to interdisciplinary research and theory that will help them to be reflective practitioners and leaders.

The full-time faculty members who teach core courses for the Certificate (i.e., professors Ackerman, Carbonneau, Gildin and Welsh) will oversee the program generally, determine the courses that qualify for the Certificate and determine the students who will receive the Certificate, all subject to the administrative oversight of the Office of Academic Affairs.

Professor Robert M. Ackerman is the faculty advisor for the Dispute Resolution and Advocacy Certificate. The faculty advisor will be responsible for the Certificate, but will act in consultation with the other members of the core faculty.

The aim of this document is to provide students with a comprehensive guide to the requirements for the Certificate in Dispute Resolution and Advocacy. These requirements apply to students who commenced their studies at Penn State Dickinson in August 2006 or thereafter.

1. Course Requirements for the Certificate. To earn the Certificate, a student must:
   1. Successfully complete all of the requirements to earn a J.D. degree from Penn State Dickinson, and
      
      
   2. Earn a minimum of 14 credits from the following distribution of qualifying courses:
      
      
      1. Core Courses. A student must successfully complete each of the following courses: (1) Negotiation (3 credits); (2) Arbitration in the United States (3 credits); (3) Advocacy I (4 credits); and (4) one of the following: Mediation (3 credits) or Client Counseling (2 credits).
         
         
      2. Capstone Courses. A student must successfully complete one of the following courses: (1) Conflict Resolution Theory Seminar (2 credits); (2) Advocacy II (3 credits); (3) a credit-bearing moot court team approved by the faculty advisor for Certificate credit; or (4) another seminar or practicum approved by the faculty advisor for Certificate credit.

         In planning their courses, students should be aware that: Negotiation is a prerequisite for Mediation; Evidence is a prerequisite for Advocacy I; Advocacy I is a prerequisite for Advocacy II; and Negotiation, Advocacy I and one of Arbitration in the U.S., or Mediation (which may be taken concurrently) are prerequisites for the Conflict Resolution Theory Seminar.

2. Grades Required for Admission into the Certificate Program. In order to apply for admission into the Certificate program, a student must have earned a weighted, cumulative average that places him/her in at least the top 70% of his/her class after having completed the equivalent of one year of law school work.
   
   
3. Grades Required for the Certificate. In order to earn a Certificate, a student must:
   
   
   1. Earn a weighted, cumulative average that places him/her in at least the top 70% of his/her class upon graduation;
      
      
   2. Earn a grade of at least C+ in each course that he/she applies toward the 14-credit requirement for the Certificate, unless a course is offered only on a Credit/No Credit basis. For a course offered only on a Credit/No Credit basis, a student must earn credit in order to apply the course toward the 14-credit requirement. Any graded course used to fulfill the 14-credit requirement may not be taken on a Pass/Fail basis.
      
      
   3. Earn a weighted, cumulative average of at least 3.2 for courses that he/she applies toward the 14-credit requirement.
      
      
4. Procedures.
   
   
   1. A student who wishes to receive the Dispute Resolution and Advocacy Certificate must complete the Certificate Application and submit it to the faculty advisor prior to the beginning of the student's third semester of law school (prior to the beginning of the fourth semester, for students commencing their studies in August, 2006 only). If accepted into the Certificate program, the student must meet (either in person or via telephone or AV telecommunications) with the faculty advisor at least once every semester to ensure that the student is making satisfactory progress toward the Certificate. If the student fulfills all of the requirements of the Certificate upon graduation (as evidenced by the student's transcript), the Certificate will be awarded.
      
      
   2. With the prior approval of the faculty advisor, students who are eligible to participate in the Dispute Resolution and Advocacy Certificate program may be given priority for specified Certificate courses in the registration process. In order to apply for approval from the faculty advisor, a student must meet (either in person or via telephone or AV telecommunications) with the faculty advisor at least two weeks prior to the opening of registration. The faculty advisor will notify the Registrar's Office at least one week prior to the beginning of registration of the students who are eligible for such priority. The Registrar's Office will enroll the approved students into specified Certificate courses prior to the general opening of registration only at the direction of the faculty advisor. Students granted priority for specific courses will be required to apply the grades they received from these courses toward the Certificate.
      
      
   3. Upon written petition by a student, the faculty advisor may approve for application to the Certificate requirements credits earned in an independent study or another course, including course credits earned in Penn State Dickinson's summer programs.

Revised August 2007