Public Interest + Social Justice Certificate

Graduates throwing caps in the air

The Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice at Berkeley Law administers a specialized certificate program for graduating J.D. and LL.M. students that recognizes successful completion of a course of study focused on public interest and social justice.

SUBMISSION PROCESS

We are no longer accepting applications for the Public Interest + Social Justice Certificate for AY 24-25. The deadline to apply was March 3. LATE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. Please apply at the application link below.

Link to application form

*Please note that you can double-list courses and writing requirements for both the PISJ Certificate and the Race and Law Certificate*

 

REQUIREMENTS

J.D. students must complete the following to be eligible for the Certificate:

  1. At least two (2) courses listed under the Social Justice and Public Interest category or subcategory in the course catalog. Courses must be at least two units to qualify.
  2. At  least one (1) course in the law school’s clinical program (in-house or EBCLC) or completion of a field placement with a public interest/social justice focus.
  3. One (1) core course in procedure from the following list of core courses:
    • Civil Procedure
    • Evidence
    • Criminal Procedure
    • Administrative Law
    • Constitutional Law
    • Legislation
    • Federal Courts
  4. One (1) paper or other written product on a public interest/social justice topic that meets the standards for either Option 1 or Option 2 of the the J.D. writing requirement. Refer to the Academic Rules for the complete scope and standards of this requirement. Students should submit a paper written to fulfill a course requirement at Berkeley Law; LAW 299 individual research-and-writing projects can also meet this requirement.

LL.M. students must complete the following to be eligible for the Certificate:

  1. At least two (2) courses listed under the Social Justice and Public Interest category or subcategory in the course catalog. Courses must be at least two units to qualify.
  2. Sixty (60) hours participation in a Pro Bono Project, clinic, or field placement with a public interest/social justice focus.
  3. One (1) core course in procedure from the following list of core courses:
    • Civil Procedure
    • Evidence
    • Criminal Procedure
    • Administrative Law
    • Constitutional Law
    • Legislation
    • Federal Courts
  4. A rigorous research and writing experience under the supervision of a member of the faculty, which results in a single written work of at least 15 pages in length, and can be written for a class taken at the law school.

STUDENTS WISHING TO SATISFY THE WRITING REQUIREMENT WITH CLINICAL WORK:

Your supervising attorney will need to confirm your work by sending an email to henderson.center@law.berkeley.edu.

 For an example email requesting confirmation from your supervising attorney please visit: https://berkeley.box.com/s/l9kbhto50vsr0gqmebkyr4mdwqowi3s1

PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT ANY CONFIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS OR FILES!

VARIANCES

There is some flexibility in the application of the certificate requirements, allowing students to substitute other curricular activities for a shortfall in the formal requirements. Students who are close to meeting the Public Interest and Social Justice certificate requirements may submit a Public Interest and Social Justice certificate application along with a brief (one paragraph) request for a variance.

The Henderson Center does not approve of variance requests in advance, only at the time of receiving the application. 

Please email the Henderson Center with any questions: henderson.center@law.berkeley.edu