DRA Certificate Requirements for Students Enrolled Prior to August 2006

The Certificate Program in Dispute Resolution and Advocacy serves: (1) to attract to Penn State Dickinson students interested in dispute resolution and advocacy; (2) to integrate our dispute resolution and advocacy courses in a comprehensive, systematic manner; (3) to highlight the depth and excellence of Penn State Dickinson's advocacy and dispute resolution curriculum; and (4) to enable students to demonstrate to prospective employers and to the public proficiency in skills relating to dispute resolution and advocacy.

The full-time faculty members who teach core courses for the Certificate (i.e., Professors Ackerman, Carbonneau, Gildin and Welsh) will oversee the Dispute Resolution and Advocacy Certificate program generally, determine the courses that qualify for the Certificate and determine the students who will receive the Certificate, all subject to the oversight of the Certificate Committee appointed by the Dean. Professor Bob Ackerman is the faculty advisor of the Dispute Resolution and Advocacy Certificate The faculty advisor 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 earning a Certificate in Dispute Resolution and Advocacy, as well as a form for reporting completion of the Certificate requirements. This document is also available on the law school's Web site.

1. Course Requirements for the Certificate. To earn a 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 19 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) Mediation (3 credits); (3) Arbitration in the United States (3 credits); and (4) Advocacy I (4 credits).
         
         
      2. Client-Centered Courses. A student must successfully complete at least one of the following courses: (1) Client Counseling (2 credits); or (2) an In-House or Field-Placement Clinic in which the student represents a client in a dispute resolution or advocacy setting (no more than 2 credits may count toward the Certificate). (Eligibility of a clinic for this purpose shall be determined by the faculty advisor.)
         
         
      3. Capstone Courses. A student must successfully complete at least one of the following courses: (1) Conflict Resolution Theory Seminar (2 credits); or Advocacy II (3 credits).
         
         
      4. Elective Courses. A student may elect to apply no more than one of the following courses toward the 19-credit requirement: Advanced Criminal Procedure (2 credits); Advanced Pretrial Advocacy (2 credits); Civil Liberties Litigation (3 credits); Environmental Litigation (2 credits); Federal Practice (3 credits); International Commercial Arbitration Seminar (3 credits); International Litigation and Arbitration (3 credits); Pennsylvania Criminal Law Practice (2 credits); Pennsylvania Practice (2 credits) or Remedies (3 credits).

         Students who wish to earn the Certificate are urged to take Negotiation and at least one or two other qualifying courses during their second year. Students must take Advocacy I in the Fall Semester of their third year. Students should not assume that all clinics will qualify for Certificate credit; they should consult the faculty advisor.

         Students with questions regarding the application of the requirements to their situation should consult with the faculty advisor.

2.  Grades Required for the Certificate. In order to earn a Certificate, a student must:
   
   
   1. Earn grades of at least C in each of the following courses: Civil Procedure, Evidence, and Professional Responsibility;
      
      
   2. Earn grades of at least C in each course that he/she applies toward the 19-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 19-credit requirement. Any graded course used to fulfill the 19-credit requirement may not be taken on a Pass/Fail basis.
      
      
   3. Earn a weighted, cumulative average of at least 3.00 for courses that he/she applies toward the 19-credit requirement.
      
      
3. Procedures.
   
   
   1. A student who wishes to receive the Dispute Resolution and Advocacy Certificate must apply in writing to the faculty advisor prior to the beginning of examinations in the student's final semester of law school. If the student fulfills all of the requirements, the Certificate will be awarded.
      
      
   2. Students who are eligible to participate in the Dispute Resolution and Advocacy Certificate program and have received prior approval from the faculty advisor, will be given priority in the on-line registration process. The faculty advisor's decision whether or not to grant approval will be based on a self-reporting form submitted by the student to the faculty advisor at least two weeks prior to the opening of registration: for Fall Semester registration, by March 15; for Spring Semester registration, by September 15. The faculty advisor will notify the registrar's office, by this date, of the students who are eligible for priority.
      
      
   3. Upon written petition by a student, the faculty advisor may approve for application to the Certificate requirements credits earned in another course, including course credits earned in Penn State Dickinson's summer abroad program or at other fully accredited law schools or in their summer programs.

Revised February 2007