Concentrations and Certificates: Northern Kentucky University, Greater Cincinnati Region

In addition to core courses to prepare students with the fundamental skills every lawyer must have, Chase offers collections of courses – known as “concentrations” or “certificates” – that allow students to focus their elective courses in specific areas of law for their future practices. These focus areas are the Child and Family Law Concentration, Certificate for Excellence in Advocacy, Certificate in Transactional Practice Law, and Certificate in Labor and Employment Law.

Child and Family Law Concentration

Our Mission

Child and family law work forms a significant part of many Chase graduates’ practice. This Certificate of Concentration is designed to make its holders more qualified to practice in the area of child and family law and more desirable to employers. Moreover, participation in the program provides a supportive community within the law school and networking opportunities in the practice community.

The Child and Family Law Concentration is a course of study and a set of experiences that are designed to elevate a student’s familiarity with child and family law while developing important professional skills and contacts in the legal community. Students who complete the program will have knowledge of the law and basic competence in the subject area so that they may enter the legal profession ready to practice.

Requirements

Course Work

Students must complete 15 credit hours in order to complete a certificate in this concentration. Students who successfully complete the
concentration will receive a Certificate of Concentration and a notation on their Chase transcript. Students must pass all courses within the program with a 2.5 or higher. They must include:

Family Law (3 Credits). Family Law is a prerequisite/co-requisite for all other courses in the program.
Children and the Law or Juvenile Justice Seminar (3 Credits; Research Paper That Meets AWR-R Standards in the Course)
Six Credits of Experiential Learning, including one Simulation Course and One Live-Client Course:
- Simulation Course (2-3 Credits)
  - Accepted Simulation Courses:
    DV Prosecution and Trial; Interviewing, Counseling and Negotiation; Trial Advocacy; Pre-Trial Litigation; Mediation; or Mediation (Family Focus)
- Live-Client Course (3-4 Credits)
  - Accepted Live-Client Courses:
    Children’s Law Center Clinic or a Field Placement in Juvenile Law, Family Law, Children’s Law, Domestic Relations, Domestic Violence, or other related topic
Electives (3+ Credits)
- Currently-Accepted Electives:
  Client-Centered Practice; Bioethics; Domestic Violence Seminar; Education Law; Law; Family Law Drafting Lab; Federal Taxation; Poverty Law; Reproductive Technologies; Special Education; Tax; Women and the Law

Community Service

Students must complete 15+ hours of community service in a child or family-serving agency approved in advance by Chase faculty.

Court Observations

Students must complete a minimum of two hours of observation in a domestic relations/family court and complete a reflection. A reflection form will be available on the Concentration web page.

Leadership Activity

Students must complete a minimum of 20 hours participating in a child or family law-related leadership activity. Sample activities may include: writing an article for a bar journal, sitting on the board of a legal non-profit, participating in a leadership training program for lawyers, or providing community education workshops on a particular issue. This activity must be approved in advance by Chase faculty.

Annual Programs

Chase faculty will offer annual twice-a-year cohort meetings and advising sessions, and annual networking opportunities with practitioners, Chase graduates and employers in the local area.

Submission Form

Submit this checklist form to the registrar, Jenny Young, at youngj3@nku.edu or to NH 317 (or GH 330E) upon completion.

Questions?

If you have questions or need information about the Certificate of Concentration, please contact:

Professor Amy Halbrook
Nunn Hall 545
halbrooka1@nku.edu
9859) 572-6405

Certificate Programs

Certificate for Excellence in Advocacy

The Certificate for Excellence in Advocacy allows students through course work and mock competitions to develop essential skills in various aspects of advocacy: pre-trial and trial, writing, client interaction and Alternative Dispute Resolution. Award of the certificate requires earning a grade of B or better in designated courses and an overall cumulative Chase GPA of 3.000 or better. Detailed requirements may be found in the Chase Student Handbook.

Certificate in Transactional Practice Law

The Certificate in Transactional Practice Law allows students to develop important skills for practices in business and finance, such as drafting agreements, utilizing accounting and finance principles and providing pro bono services. Award of the certificate requires earning a grade of B or better in designated courses. Detailed requirements may be found in the Chase Student Handbook.

Certificate in Labor and Employment Law

The Certificate in Labor and Employment Law allows students to develop skills in such underlying fields as administrative law, labor and employment law, employment discrimination, mediation and employment benefits. Students must complete either a research project with a grade of B or better or complete a field placement with a lawyer in a relevant field. Detailed requirements may be found in the Chase Student Handbook.

Requirements

Course Work

To achieve the concentration, a student must:

Complete a total of 12 credit-hours in four specified courses of three hours each ‒ Labor Law, Employment Law, Employment Discrimination and Advanced Legal Research ‒ and achieve an overall Grade Point Average of 3.00 or better for those courses, and take three credit-hours from among three specified courses ‒ Administrative Law, Mediation or Employee Benefits Law ‒ and achieve an overall Grade Point Average of 3.000 or better for them.
Complete either an Advanced Writing Requirement-Research within the concentration that meets or exceeds specified standards or a qualified field-placement of 100 hours during a semester.
File a petition with the associate dean for academics or a designee at least two months prior to the expected date of graduation, demonstrating that all requirements of the concentration have been completed or will be completed prior to graduation.

Submission Form

Submit this checklist form to the registrar, Jenny Young, at youngj3@nku.edu or to NH 317 (or GH 330E) upon completion.

Questions?

Detailed explanations of requirements to receive the Employment and Labor Law Concentration can be found in the Chase Student Handbook, available online. Questions about the concentration or specific requirements may be addressed to the associate dean for academics at rosenthall@nku.edu.