International Law Certificate
I. Overview
Capitalizing on its special curriculum, internationally recognized faculty and Silicon Valley location, the law school offers a program intended to prepare the student in an international career in the 21st Century.
Public international law binds states in their relations with each other, as well as persons on whom such law bestows rights and duties. It comprehends political, social, economic and humanitarian issues, both globally and regionally.
In addition to the traditional areas of public international law, which create a constant demand for legal talent, the practice of private international law has undergone significant growth as businesses now compete in international markets, and avail themselves of investment opportunities in newly opened markets.
The certificate in international law course of studies prepares students to address these legal issues.
II. Notice of Intent
Students who intend to qualify for the International Law Certificate are required to file a Notice of Intent with the Office of the Center for Global Law & Policy. This Notice is for tracking purposes, and will not be used to determine a student’s eligibility for the Certificate. The Center for Global Law & Policy uses the information obtained from the Notices to plan the number and frequency of course offerings.
III. Requirements for International Law Certificate
The international Law Certificate is a specialty in international law available only to matriculated Santa Clara University J.D. students. The ILC is administered by the Center for Global Law & Policy. Courses taken at other universities or institutions do not count toward the ILC, except as stated below.
Students who successfully complete each of the stated requirements will qualify for an ILC.
A. Core Course Requirements
Successfully complete a minimum of 12 units total, consisting of 6 units from the list of Approved International Law Certificate Courses.
Of the 12 units required, students must successfully complete:
AND at least one of the following courses:
216 International Business Transactions
217 Regulation of International Business Transactions
B. Elective Units
The remaining required 6 units must be taken from the list of Approved International Law Certificate Courses and successfully completed.
C. Minimum GPA/Mandatory Grades
Students must achieve a minimum grade of a B- for any course counting toward the ILC. In addition, the overall GPA in courses and the Summer Law Study Abroad Program counting toward the ILC must be a B or higher. All work must be taken for a grade.
D. Writing Requirement
Complete a substantive research paper that analyzes a relevant issue or cutting-edge problem related to international law. The purpose of the paper is to demonstrate the student's ability to identify, thoroughly analyze, and write about a relevant substantive legal issue or problem. The paper topic should be sufficiently broad in scope, contain analysis and/or critique of the subject chosen and propose a practical or theoretical resolution (or some combination thereof) to the issue.
Students must submit to the office of the Center for Global Law & Policy prior to graduation:
(1) one clean (unmarked) copy of the approved paper;
(2) one electronic copy in Microsoft Word format;
(3) an original, completed, signed Library Release Form; and
(4) an original, completed, signed Certificate of Originality.
Heafey Law Library will maintain a collection of these projects. To review International Law Certificate papers placed on reserve from previous years, please visit the Law Library and request reserve materials.
The writing requirement can be satisfied in one of three ways:
1. Complete an original piece of writing on a current topic approved by and under the supervision of a full-time international law faculty member. Students may have adjunct faculty supervisors only with prior approval of the Assistant Dean for International and Comparative Law. Students may use a comment or article written for the Santa Clara Law Review; however, the paper must independently be reviewed and signed-off by a full-time faculty member. Submission or acceptance of a comment or article by an SCU journal does NOT automatically satisfy the writing requirement for the ILC.
2. Complete a brief for the Jessup Moot Court Competition, which brief is approved by the faculty advisor to the Competition.
3. Receive the grade of B- or higher on a substantive paper that has been or will be submitted in one course from the list of Approved International Law Certificate Courses for which a written paper has been or will be used as a method of evaluation, and which paper satisfies the paper requirements stated below. Students who seek to satisfy the writing requirement in this manner must obtain the approval and signature of the professor who taught the course on the ILC application form. Papers written for classes that are not from the list of Approved International Law Certificate Courses may be considered for approval in special circumstances; provided, however, that the overall content of the paper is grounded in international law, meets all other substantive requirements, and is approved by both the professor who taught the course and the Assistant Dean for International and Comparative Law.
Additional Guidelines for Submission of the ILC paper
All papers submitted for the ILC must be a minimum of 20 pages in length, and must consist of substantive legal analysis. Papers that do not qualify for the ILC include outlines, agreements, memoranda, and letters. A paper, brief or motion may count toward this requirement only if: (i) it is entirely original to the student (i.e., no sections were written or significantly edited by any other person); and (ii) it was drafted specifically for a course at Santa Clara University School of Law, or a national or regional moot court or trial competition; and (iii) it otherwise satisfies the requirements for the ILC paper. Edits made under the direction or suggestion of a Santa Clara University School of Law professor during the review process of the paper are acceptable and do not conflict with this originality requirement. If you have any questions regarding whether a paper will qualify for the ILC, contact the Assistant Dean for International and Comparative Law.
Following is the required format for the paper:
1. Title page listing the following information:
a. Title of the paper
b. Full legal name of author
c. Date of submission
d. Course Name (if applicable)
e. Name of professor who approves the paper
2. Table of Contents
3. Footnotes preferred
4. Font size of 10-12 pt.
5. Standard 1-inch margins
6. Single-sided print on white paper only
Submitted papers that do not comply with this format, even if signed off by a faculty member, will be returned to the student, and the issuance of an ILC will be delayed until the formatting requirements are fully satisfied.
E. Summer Overseas Law Session Requirement
All students desiring an International Law Certificate must complete one of the School of Law Summer Law Study Abroad Programs. Summer overseas programs administrated by any school other than Santa Clara University School of Law will not satisfy this requirement. If International Law, International Business Transactions, or Regulation of International Business Transactions is offered for three semester units or more of credit at a Santa Clara University School of Law summer law study abroad program, the course(s) will satisfy the core course requirement. The units, however, do NOT count toward the 12 units required for the Certificate. In such case, all 12 required units must be taken from the list of Approved International Law Certificate Courses. For example, if a student were to take International Law (3-units) on the Oxford program, the student need not take International Law again. However, the student must still take 12 units from the Approved International Law Certificate Courses, including either International Business Transactions or Regulation of International Business Transactions. Specific questions regarding the SCU summer law study abroad programs should be directed to the Center for Global Law & Policy.
F. Transfer Units
All academic work must be taken at Santa Clara University School of Law, including at a Santa Clara University School of Law Summer Law Study Abroad session, unless prior approval is granted by the Assistant Dean for International and Comparative Law. Approved credit from other institutions may be applied toward the ILC only if the grade of B- or higher was earned, and those credits applied from other institutions will be transferred only as credit for purposes of calculating the ILC GPA.
G. Applying for a Certificate
Applications will not be accepted until the student’s last semester, when the requirements for the certificate are essentially completed. Typically, applications are due two months prior to the end of the fall or spring semester, as applicable. Students graduating in July must comply with the deadlines applicable to spring graduates, unless alternate arrangements have been made with the Assistant Dean for International and Comparative Law.
Students interested in obtaining a International Law Certificate must submit an Application for Award of International Law Certificate to the Office of the Center for Global Law & Policy. It is expected that the applications will be incomplete when submitted, pending receipt and confirmation of final grades. The paper requirement must be satisfied, and all approvals and other requirements satisfied and turned in to Center's Office prior to graduation.
The application deadline for J.D. students graduating in December is November 16th of that year.
The application deadline for J.D. students graduating May is February 22nd of that year.
Applications for the ILC submitted to the Office of the Center for Global Law & Policy after the stated deadlines will only be accepted upon written petition to and approval of the Dean or Associate Dean for the Center for Global Law & Policy. Please only leave these applications with the appropriate office. Students who submit their applications after the applicable deadline will not be listed as qualifying for a Certificate on graduation materials. Students are solely responsible for meeting these deadlines.
Students may only obtain one Certificate. Thus, students must elect whether to obtain a High Tech Law Certificate in Intellectual Property, Corporate Transactions (if available), or an International High Tech Law Certificate, or an International Law Certificate, or a Public Interest and Social Justice Law Certificate.
It is the responsibility of the student to see that all requirements are satisfied and all approval signatures are obtained to receive the ILC. Additionally, there is no "candidacy" for this Certificate. Therefore, it is not acceptable to indicate candidacy for a Certificate on a resume. However, students may indicate that they are pursuing a Certificate or intending to complete the requirements for a Certificate.
H. Contact Information
I. Forms:
J. Current List of Approved International Law Certificate Courses
Courses may be added to this list from time to time by the Center for Global Law & Policy. Please check with the Center for the most current list of approved courses.