Law Concentration Criminal Law and Advocacy

Criminal Law and Advocacy Concentration

Prerequisite

To be eligible for the Criminal Law and Advocacy Concentration, you must take Evidence (LAWS 311) as one of your core electives. Credits for this course do not count toward the 21-credit concentration requirement, but the grade in this prerequisite does count toward the concentration GPA requirement in determining whether or not the certificate is awarded with honors. All students must also successfully complete the required course of Criminal Law (LAWS 113).

Requirements

1. Coursework

To receive the certificate for this concentration, you must earn 21 Criminal Law and Advocacy specialty credits, divided as follows (not all courses are offered every year):

Clinical Requirement:

You must earn at least 3 credits through participation in the following programs. No more than 6 clinical credits count toward the 21-credit requirement for the concentration, except with the permission of the concentration director. The credit allotted to coursework in conjunction with a clinic counts as a course credit, not as a clinic credit.

Required Coursework:

In addition to LAWS 311 (credits for which do not count toward the 21-credit requirement), you must take the following courses. Credits for these courses will count toward your 21-credit concentration requirement.

The remaining credits needed to satisfy the requirements for this concentration should come from the following designated courses:

¹

Alternate Dispute Resolution interscholastic competitions (but not intramural) may count if the concentration director finds there is a substantial criminal law and/or criminal procedure component. The participation must be connected to the legal questions in roles such as advocate, problem drafter, etc. The efforts of organizers, coaches, and schedulers, while extremely important, are not eligible for credit. (1, 2, or 3 credits)

²

Mock trial interscholastic competitions (but not intramural) may count if the concentration director finds there is a substantial criminal law and/or criminal procedure component. The participation must be connected to the legal questions in roles such as litigator, problem drafter, etc. The efforts of organizers, coaches, and schedulers, while extremely important, are not eligible for credit. Participation in the legal aspects – i.e., litigator, problem drafter – of the Quinnipiac University School of Law Criminal Trial Advocacy Competition will count. (1, 2, or 3 credits)

³

Moot Court interscholastic competitions (but not intramural) may count if the concentration director finds there is a substantial criminal law and/or criminal procedure component. The participation must be connected to the legal questions in roles such as litigator, problem drafter, etc. The efforts of organizers, coaches, and schedulers, while extremely important, are not eligible for credit. (1, 2, or 3 credits)

2. Writing Requirement

You must write a substantial paper (or a series of shorter writings that, taken together, comprise a substantial amount of written work) on a topic or topics related to Criminal Law or Procedure. (If you write a substantial paper, you may use that paper to satisfy the law school's Advanced Writing Requirement, as set forth in the Academic Regulations, section I.E., as well as the Criminal Law and Advocacy certification program.) A paper written for a journal may qualify if the concentration director approves the topic. A brief written for a moot court competition or within an externship position may qualify if the student can attest that the work was their own. The concentration director must approve the topic and the format for the written work used to satisfy this requirement. Note: It is possible for completed work to count for more than one concentration if there is sufficient coverage of both subject matters.

3. Honors

Students who achieve a GPA of 3.20 or better in the coursework used for the concentration will receive the certificate for the concentration with honors.

4. Options

If you have excess credits, you may designate any course or paper as not counting toward the concentration, so long as it is not required for the concentration, and you meet the concentration requirements with another course. If you have more than 21 credits, the concentration director will count the courses with the highest grades in determining whether or not to bestow the honors designation. Note that the GPA calculation includes all courses required for the concentration, including LAWS 311 — Evidence.

5. Waiver

The concentration director and the associate dean for academic affairs may waive any requirement for the concentration (other than the GPA requirement), if both agree to do so. Any waiver requests must be submitted in writing with the application for the concentration.