J.D. Degree Certificates of Concentration

Certificate of Concentration in Family Law

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  • Overview

    The National Center for Family Law offers law students at the University of Richmond the opportunity to earn a Certificate of Concentration in Family Law to be awarded at graduation along with the J.D. diploma. Transcripts will also reflect completion of the concentration program.

    Earning the Certificate of Concentration in Family Law is similar to completing a major as an undergraduate. A student must take a basic Family Law course and a certain number of credits from other Family Law-related courses. Students seeking the Certificate of Concentration in Family Law will meet their upper-level writing requirement by writing on a family law-related subject.

    Certificates will be awarded only to those who achieve a grade point average of at least 3.0 in all family law concentration classes taken. Students whose GPA is 3.5 or higher in concentration courses will earn the certificate "with distinction."

  • Total Family Law Credits Required
    Each student must earn 24 credits from courses listed as "required," "target" or "concentration" courses.
  • Required Courses

    Each student must take the following courses:

    LAWE707, Family Law

    3 sem. hrs.

    An approved clinic*

    5-7 sem. hrs.

    An upper-level writing requirement**

    2-3 sem. hrs.

  • Target Courses

    Each student must take at least one of the following courses:

    LAWE601 Pre-Trial Litigation Skills

    3 sem. hrs. 

    LAWE610 Alternative Dispute Resolution

    2 sem. hrs.

    LAWE631 Civil Litigation

    3 sem. hrs.

    LAWE632 Advanced Trial Practice

    3 sem. hrs.

    LAWE670 Interviewing and Counseling

    2 sem. hrs.

    LAWE671 Interviewing, Negotiating, and Counseling

    4 sem. hrs.

    LAWE672 Negotiation

    2 sem. hrs.

    LAWE679 Contract Drafting

    2 sem. hrs.

    LAWE702 Family Law Procedure

    2 sem. hrs.

    LAWE706, Role of Lawyer in Mediation

    2 sem. hrs.

    LAWE723 Collaborative Law

    2 sem. hrs.

    LAWE724 Professional Responsibility: Family Law

    2 sem. hrs.

  • Family Law Concentration Classes

    Students may count any of the following toward completion of the concentration requirements except as otherwise indicated:

    LAWE600 Federal Income Taxation

    4 sem. hrs.

    LAWE606 Wills and Trusts

    4 sem. hrs.

    LAWE614 Elder Law

    3 sem. hrs.

    LAWE616 Children and the Law

    3 sem. hrs.

    LAWE627 Education Law & Policy

    3 sem. hrs.

    LAWE633 Estate and Gift Taxation

    2 sem. hrs.

    LAWE634 Estate Planning

    2 sem. hrs.

    LAWE639 Public Policy Research & Drafting

    3 sem. hrs. (approved topics only)

    LAWE651 Constitutional Law II: Individual Rights

    3 sem. hrs.

    LAWE667 Human Rights Seminar

    2 sem. hrs.

    LAWE699 Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and the Law

    2 sem. hrs.

    LAWE699 Crimmigration

    3 sem. hrs.

    LAWE634 Estate Planning

    2 sem. hrs.

    LAWE699, Veteran’s Law

    2 sem. hrs.

    LAWE699 Juvenile Law

    2 sem. hrs.

    LAWE707 Family Law

    3 sem. hrs. (Required)

    LAWE713 Child Support & Enforcement

    2 sem. hrs.

    LAWE717 Bioethics

    2 sem. hrs.

    LAWE718 Poverty Law Practicum

    1 sem. hrs.

    LAWE723 Collaborative Law

    2 sem. hrs.

    LAWE724 Professional Responsibility: Family Law

    2 sem. hrs.

    LAWE749 Clinical Placement Program

    5 sem hrs. (approved placements only)

    LAWE750 Civil Placement Program

    5 sem. hrs. (approved placements only)

    LAWE752 Judicial Placement Program

    5 sem. hrs. (approved placements only)

    LAWE753 Children’s Defense Clinic

    6 sem. hrs.

    LAWE758 Immigration Law

    2 sem. hrs.

    LAWE766 Aging & Disability Law Practicum

    4 sem. Hrs.

    LAWE776 Advanced Clinical Practice: Children

    2 sem. hrs.

    LAWE778 Family Law Clinic

    6 sem. hrs.

    LAWE781 Immigration Rights Practicum

    2 sem. hrs.

    LAWE785 Domestic Violence Seminar

    2 sem. hrs. (Satisfies upper-level writing requirement)

    Credit for independent studies, research assistance, courses not listed above, and courses taught outside the University of Richmond School of Law may be approved as sufficiently related to family law by the Director of the Family Law Certificate Program in consultation with the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. No more than 4 credits total will be awarded in this category.

    *Students can apply no more than 7 clinic credits toward meeting the requirements for the Certificate of Concentration; (Only 12 clinic credits, including clinical placements, may be credited toward the 87 needed for graduation; for those completing the D.C. Externship, up to 19 clinical credits may count toward graduation.)

    **All concentration students must complete their upper-level writing requirement on a family law-related topic. The topic for any paper submitted to satisfy the family law upper-level writing requirement must be approved by the Director of the Family Law Certificate Program in consultation with the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and must satisfy the standards applicable for the upper-level writing requirement.  This paper must be written in conjunction with either an upper-level writing seminar or an independent research project of at least 2 credits.nar or an independent research project of at least 2 credits.

Certificate of Concentration in Intellectual Property

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  • Overview

    The Intellectual Property Institute offers Richmond Law students the opportunity to obtain a Certificate in Intellectual Property ("IP") in the course of earning the J.D. degree.

    Earning the IP Certificate is similar to completing a major as an undergraduate student. The student must (1) take the Intellectual Property Fundamentals course and a certain number of additional credits from a designated group of other IP-related courses, (2) write his or her upper-level writing requirement on an IP-related subject, and (3) achieve a minimum grade point average in the Certificate courses. Students who satisfy the requirements receive the IP Certificate at graduation and Intellectual Property is recorded as a concentration on their academic transcript.

  • Required Courses
    Intellectual Property Fundamentals (LAWE 641): This three-credit course will serve as an introduction to the core subject matters within the field of IP and therefore must be taken in order to earn the Certificate.
  • Core IP Courses

    Fifteen Total IP Credits: Each Certificate student must take a total of fifteen credits from the IP curriculum. These credits can come from three sources. First, as already discussed, three of the credits must come from the Intellectual Property Fundamentals course. Second, each student must take at least eight credits from the following "Core" IP courses (and may count more than eight credits from "Core" courses if he or she wishes).

    Computer Law (LAWE759)

    Copyright Law (LAWE788)

    Entertainment Law (LAWE700)

    Information Privacy Law (LAWE699)

    Intellectual Property and Transactional Law Clinic (LAWE790)

    Intellectual Property Litigation (LAWE776)

    Intellectual Property Law and Policy (LAWE655)

    International Intellectual Property (LAWE722)

    Intellectual Property Licensing (LAWE673)

    Patent Law (LAWE744)

    Patent Preparation and Prosecution (LAWE787)

    Intellectual Property Drafting (LAWE710)

    Trademark and Unfair Competition (LAWE768)

  • Satellite IP Courses

    Up to four credits from other sources may be counted toward the total of fifteen. This includes credits from the following "Satellite" courses.

    Administrative Law (LAWE607)

    Antitrust (LAWE613)

    Bioethics (LAWE717)

    First Amendment Law (LAWE676)

    Law and Economics (LAWE749)

    Remedies (LAWE656)

    Scientific Evidence (LAWE657)

    Sports and the Law (LAWE690)

    The four credits from other sources can also include credits from Independent Studies, Research Assistance, clinical placements, IP moot court competitions, and courses taught outside of the University of Richmond School of Law but all such credits must be approved as sufficiently IP-related by the Director of the IP Institute, in consultation with the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.