THE IMMIGRATION LAW CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

T

HE

I

MMIGRATION

L

AW

C

ERTIFICATE

P

ROGRAM

On March 21, 2014, the Western State College of Law faculty voted to approve the creation of an Immigration Law Certificate (ILC) for law students who demonstrate--through their course of study, performance, experiential learning, and pro bono work--a distinguished commitment to the practice of Immigration Law.

Students may obtain the ILC through a combination of mandatory courses and electives, which would equal 23 credits of coursework plus 25 hours of pro bono work to low-income or modest means noncitizens. Professor Jennifer Koh will serve as the faculty director of the ILC.

GPA Requirements

ILC candidates must meet the following GPA requirements, which mirror those of the Western State Criminal Law Practice Center (CLPC) Certificate and Business Law Center (BLC) Certificate:

 Cumulative GPA 2.5 or higher in all ILC courses;

 No less than a 2.0 in any one of the ILC courses;

 Overall GPA of 2.3 or higher. Course Requirements

12 Credits of Required Courses: The following four courses will be required for the ILC:

 Criminal Law (3 credits),

 Criminal Procedure (3 credits),

 Constitutional Law (3 credits), and

 Immigration Law (3 credits).

5 Credits of Required Experiential Learning: In light of the critical importance of practical skills and experiential learning in today’s legal environment, candidates for the ILC are required to earn 5 credits through enrollment in one semester of either of the two courses:

 Civil Externship with an immigration law-related placement (5 credits).

6 Credits of Electives: Students must earn a total of 6 credits through a variety of electives. The following elective courses would satisfy the ILC outright:

 Administrative Law (3 credits),

 Advanced Immigration Clinic (2 or 3 credits),

 Criminal Justice Ethics (1 credit), or

 International Human Rights (3 credits).

Candidates for the ILC may also satisfy the 6 credit elective requirement through the following courses, upon approval from the faculty director of the ILC and upon successful completion of the conditions described below:

 Appellate Advocacy, with participation in immigration law-related moot court competition (3 credits),

 Civil or Criminal Externship, with either immigration law placement or immigration-related upper level writing requirement paper (4 or 5 credits),

 Domestic Violence Seminar, with immigration-related upper level writing requirement paper (3 credits),

 Juvenile Law, with immigration-related upper level writing requirement paper (3 credits),

 National Security, with immigration-related upper level writing requirement paper (3 credits), or

 Law Review note or Special Project, with immigration focus.

 The faculty director of the ILC will also consider, upon request, other courses for the ILC, including courses taken at other law schools or through summer abroad programs. Finally, 3 of the 6 required elective units may be satisfied through the completion of 150 hours of an approved internship or externship work, certified by the supervising attorney at the

internship/externship placement and approved by the faculty director of the ILC. Pro Bono Requirement

25 Mandatory Pro Bono Hours: In addition to the coursework, ILC candidates must complete at least 25 hours of pro bono work on behalf of low-income or modest means noncitizens or on behalf of a non-profit organization that engages in immigration advocacy issues. The pro bono work must be certified by a supervising attorney and approved by the faculty director of the ILC. Note that non-legal work or legal work that is not performed under the supervision of an

attorney, such as participating in food drives or tutoring, while encouraged generally by the College of Law, will not qualify for the 25 hour pro bono requirement of the ILC.

Immigration Law Certificate Program

Status Review Form

(To be completed no later than the student’s second-to-last semester)1

Name: _______________________________________________________________________________ E-mail address: ______________________________________ Phone: ___________________________ Expected graduation date: _____________ Check one:



Full-time (Day)



Part-time (Evening)

Summary of requirements: 23 credits in approved courses (with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher in those courses and no less than a 2.0 in any one of those courses); overall GPA of 2.3 or higher; 25 hours of pro bono work

Course Name Units Semester

Taken/Planned Grade Grade Points Twelve credits of required courses

for Immigration Law Certificate:

Criminal Law* 3

Constitutional Law* 3

Criminal Procedure* 3

Immigration Law 3

Five credits of either of the following:

Immigration Clinic 5

Civil Externship (with Immigration Law Placement)

5

Six credits of the following elective courses#:

Criminal Justice Ethics 1

Advanced Immigration Clinic 2 or

3

Administrative Law 3

Appellate Advocacy (with

participation in Asylum/Refugee or 3

Course Name Units Semester

Taken/Planned Grade Grade Points

other immigration law-related) Moot Court Competition

International Human Rights 3

Civil or Criminal Externship** 4 or

5

Domestic Violence Seminar** 3

Juvenile Law** 3

National Security** 3

Law Review note or Special Project**

1 In lieu of 3 credits of elective

courses, 150 hours of volunteer externship work (certified by supervising attorney and approved by director of certification

program)

Required 25 hours of pro bono

work on behalf of indigent/low-income noncitizens (certified by a supervising attorney and approved by director of certificate program)

##

Total Units Completed: ##GPA:

* Already required by WSCL curriculum for graduation.

** These credits must involve a writing or advocacy component that relates to immigration law and be approved by the director of the certificate program. Typically, written work product that otherwise satisfies the Upper Level Writing

Requirement (ULWR) will enable the student to allocate credits earned in the course towards the ILC.

#

Students may also receive credit for other courses with a substantial immigration law or advocacy component either at WS or taken elsewhere by petition.

##

A cumulative GPA of 2.5 in those courses are required.

I have reviewed the status of this student and have determined this student



is /



is not currently on track to complete the Immigration Law Certificate Program. I have advised the student on any additional requirements that must be satisfied to complete the program.

________________________________________ ______________________

Professor Date

I have reviewed this form with the ______ have been advised of my status and any additional requirements I need to complete in order to obtain the Immigration Law Certificate.

________________________________________ ______________________ Student Date Additional Comments:____________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________