Student Learning Outcomes

(a) Knowledge and understanding of substantive and procedural law concerning advocacy skills:

To obtain the Certificate, students ultimately are assessed on their knowledge of, and practical skills in, all aspects of litigation and in alternative forms of dispute resolution. Students graduate with a broad knowledge of planning lawsuits, client counseling, pretrial practices and procedures, trial advocacy, and post-trial matters.

To accomplish this overall goal, several benchmarks exist throughout students’ second and or third year of study in pursuit of the Certificate:

1. Students should possess basic knowledge of the civil and criminal adjudicatory systems from the pre-lawsuit counseling stage to post-resolution enforcement.
2. Students should become familiar with various contexts in which civil and criminal litigation occurs from the state courts to the federal courts to administrative courts to  alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.
3. Students should expand their specialized knowledge of these systems in courses such as Complex Litigation, Criminal Practice in Kansas, Jurisdiction, Administrative Law, and Federal Courts.

(b) Civil litigation and advocacy analysis and reasoning, legal research, problem-solving, professional skills, and written and oral communication in the civil litigation context:

To earn the Certificate, students are assessed on the development of legal analysis, legal communication, and legal research as relevant to litigation. Students will graduate with the ability to analyze complex problems, find and deploy a variety of authorities from the sources of civil and criminal law. They are able to communicate effectively in a variety of fora from the trial court to the appellate court to a mediation.

To accomplish this overall goal, several benchmarks exist throughout the second and/or third year of study in pursuit of the Certificate:

1. Students should be able to engage in legal analysis and communication of their research outcomes related to client representation in a civil and/or criminal dispute orally and in writing to a diverse audience, and to solve real-world problems that occur in litigation settings.
2. Students develop legal analysis skills with respect to statutes, case law, administrative agency regulations, and analytical, research, and communication skills to the advanced level appropriate for a major project in courses such as Complex Litigation, Jurisdiction, Criminal Procedure, Administrative Law, and Federal Courts, and develop some representational and problem-solving skills to an intermediate level.  Indeed, many of these courses are taught in a brief-writing and oral argument format, which enhances this skill development.
3. Students develop trial and alternative dispute resolution practical skills in the required Trial Advocacy course and Alternative Dispute Resolution course, both of which are simulation classes.  Students further develop live-client lawyering skills in required clinical and/or field-placement settings such as the Legal Aid Clinic and the Project for Innocence Clinic.  Additional experiential and simulation courses, such the Deposition Skills Workshop and Criminal Prosecution Field Placement Program, deepen students’ advocacy skills development.

(c) Exercise of proper professional and ethical responsibilities to clients and the legal system, which includes:

To earn the Certificate, students are assessed on their ability to demonstrate a commitment to professionalism, ethical behavior, service, and, as appropriate, leadership. To accomplish this overall goal, several benchmarks exist during the second and/or third year of study in pursuit of the Certificate:

1. Students gain an appreciation for ethical issues in civil litigation in Professional Responsibility, mandatory inclusion of meaningful ethical and cultural competency trainings in the clinical and field placement programs and other relevant disciplines and codes of conduct.
2. Students recognize service obligations and opportunities for service and leadership in poor and marginalized communities on in all of our clinical settings and many of our field placement postings, which explicitly limit representation to clients below designated income thresholds.
3. Students will demonstrate a high level of professionalism and ethical behavior, and cultural competency, through their written work and practical experiences.

(a) Knowledge and Understanding of Substantive and Procedural Law Relating to Business and Commercial Law:

Students who earn a Certificate in Business and Commercial Law will receive a solid grounding in the substantive law of business organizations, as well as advanced exposure to a variety of more specialized areas of business or commercial law.

To accomplish this overall goal, several benchmarks exist throughout students' second and/or third year of study in pursuit of the Certificate:

1. Students should possess a basic knowledge of corporate and commercial law principles in courses in the areas of Business Associations and Secured Transactions.
2. Students should possess an understanding of related substantive and procedural law issues in courses in the areas of international law, accounting, finance, taxation, and antitrust law
3. Students should expand their specialized knowledge in Business and Commercial Law by completing courses such as Bankruptcy, Business Planning, Mergers & Acquisition, and Securities Regulations.

(b) Statutory Analysis and Reasoning, Administrative Law Principles, and Dispute Resolution:

Students will receive valuable instruction in ethics, professionalism, and skills, such as problem-solving, counseling, negotiation, and document drafting, in various capstone courses, which build on prerequisite courses and integrate knowledge, skills, and values.

To accomplish this overall goal, several benchmarks exist throughout students' second and/or third year of study in pursuit of the Certificate:

1. Students should be able to engage in statutory analysis in the areas of business and commercial law and communicate these concepts in writing.
2. Students should have an understanding of how statutes, case law, administrative agency regulations are developed and interpreted, and an understanding of how these sources fit within the larger body of business and commercial administrative law.
3. Students should be exposed to instruction in problem-solving and dispute resolution techniques commonly employed in the business and commercial law area through participation in courses such as Arbitration, Business Planning, and Mergers & Acquisitions.

(c) Exercise of Proper Professional and Ethical Responsibilities to Clients and the Legal System and Familiarity with Basic Transactions that Business and Commercial Attorneys Encounter:

Students who earn a Certificate in Business and Commercial Law will be familiar with many of the transactions that business and commercial attorneys encounter in practice, and they will possess the knowledge and skills necessary to begin their careers.

To accomplish this overall goal, several benchmarks exist throughout students' second and/or third year of study in pursuit of the Certificate:

1. Students should gain an appreciation for ethical issues in Professional Responsibility and through cultural competency trainings available to students.
2. Students should be familiar with the basic types of transactions business and commercial law attorneys encounter and understand the role of the attorney in representing parties in these transactions.
3. Students should develop professional skills in the area of business and commercial law by participating in courses that include training in counseling, negotiation, and document drafting.

The Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources Law Certificate charts a course of study that supports students to develop deep knowledge and competencies in the area of law and policy affecting use and protection of the environment. This Certificate program seeks to bridge the divisions between environmental law, energy law, and natural resources law, helping students to understand the interrelationship among these areas of law and how they affect regulated clients and our shared environment.

(a) Knowledge and understanding of substantive and procedural law concerning use and protection of the environment:

To obtain this Certificate, students are assessed on their knowledge of federal Environmental Law and Administrative Law, which comprise the Certificate’s core requirements, and related areas of specialized study, from Energy Law to Public Lands. The core courses ensure that all Certificate students graduate with a common critical foundation while allowing students the flexibility to achieve specialized knowledge through a focused or more varied selection of courses within the Certificate’s purview.

To accomplish this overall goal, several benchmarks exist throughout students’ second and or third year of study in pursuit of the Certificate:

1. Students should possess a basic knowledge of federal Environmental Law and Administrative Law.
2. Students should gain experience in a field placement with the Environmental Protection Agency, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, or a local environmental or natural resources law public interest group, and/or through in-depth research culminating in a paper on an environmental, energy, or natural resources law topic through the Legislative Field Placement Program, Public Policy Practicum, Kansas Law Review, Kansas Journal on Law & Public Policy, or a supervised independent research project.
3. Students should expand their knowledge through specialized study of the Certificate’s elective courses, which address critical areas of law relevant to use and protection of the environment, such as Biodiversity Law, Climate Change Law & Policy, Energy Law, Native American Natural Resources, Oil and Gas, Public Lands, and/or Water Law. Students may extend this knowledge through one course further afield but nonetheless highly pertinent to the Certificate’s focus, such as Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability, and the Law.

(b) Legal analysis and reasoning, legal research, problem-solving, professional skills, and written and oral communication in the environmental, energy, and natural resources law context:

To earn the Certificate, students are assessed on the development of legal analysis, legal communication, and legal research as applied in the environmental, energy, and natural resources law context. Students will graduate with the ability to analyze complex problems and find and deploy relevant sources of law, including federal environmental statutes, the Code of Federal Regulations and the Federal Register, federal administrative orders and agency guidance documents, and judicial opinions. Students should be able to communicate effectively in a variety of settings and to various audiences.

To accomplish this overall goal, several benchmarks exist throughout the second and/or third year of study in pursuit of the Certificate:

1. Students should be able to demonstrate the ability to interpret proposed and final administrative rules, statutes, agency guidance, and judicial opinions, as well as the ability to synthesize their interpretations with relevant new or existing law.
2. Students should be able to engage in legal analysis and communicate their research and conclusions at an advanced level, with professionalism, orally and in writing, to multiple, diverse audiences.
3. Students should have the skills and depth of understanding of the field to help avoid and resolve problems that arise among regulated entities, governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private parties in connection to environmental, energy, and natural resource issues.
4. Students should develop representational and problem-solving skills through analysis of stakeholder positions and interests, identifying strengths and weaknesses of a client’s position in context, and study of the lawyer’s role in a variety of environmental, energy, and natural resources law settings.

(c) Exercise of proper professional and ethical responsibilities to clients and the legal system, which includes:

To earn the Certificate, students are assessed on their ability to demonstrate a commitment to professionalism, ethical behavior, service, and, as appropriate, leadership. To accomplish this overall goal, several benchmarks exist during the second and/or third year of study in pursuit of the Certificate:

1. Students will understand the concept of environmental justice on multiple scales, from the local to the global, and recognize opportunities in law and policy to advance environmental justice for poor and marginalized communities. 
2. Students gain an appreciation for ethical issues in environmental law, policy, and practice, including ethical issues that may confront counsel for a regulated entity, a government attorney evaluating a permit application, or a public interest lawyer representing a disadvantaged community.
3. Students will demonstrate a high level of professionalism and ethical behavior, and cultural competency, through their written work and practical experiences.

(a) Knowledge and understanding of substantive and procedural law concerning International Trade and Finance and related fields:

To obtain the Certificate, students ultimately are assessed on their knowledge of the International Legal System and International Legal Doctrines. Students graduate with a broad knowledge of foundational and other core areas of the International Law, specialized knowledge in International Trade and Finance, and experience with advanced study, particularly through courses such as International Trade Law, Advanced International Trade Law, and International Commerce and Investment.

To accomplish this overall goal, several benchmarks exist throughout students’ second and or third year of study in pursuit of the Certificate:

1. Students should possess a basic knowledge of the International Legal System and International Legal Doctrine.
2. Students should be familiar with the Economic and Financial aspects of International Law, develop familiarity with an important sector in International Business, such as Banking, Energy, or Intellectual Property, and possess specialized knowledge in a Comparative Law area, such as Chinese, Civil, European, and/or Islamic Law.
3. Students should expand their specialized knowledge in International Trade and Finance, through study in courses such as the aforementioned ones.

(b) International legal analysis and reasoning, legal research, problem-solving, professional skills, and written and oral communication in the international and comparative legal context:

To earn the Certificate, students are assessed on the development of legal analysis, legal communication, and legal research as relevant to International Law, particularly International Trade and Finance. Students will graduate with the ability to analyze complex problems, find and deploy a variety of authorities from the sources of International Law, including treaties and other cross-border agreements, and judgments from international tribunals. They are able to communicate effectively in a variety of cross-cultural settings.

To accomplish this overall goal, several benchmarks exist throughout the second and/or third year of study in pursuit of the Certificate:

1. Students should be able to engage in International Legal analysis and communication of their research outcomes, orally and in writing, to a diverse, multi-national audience, and to solve real-world problems that occur in common international business settings.
2. Students develop interpretation skills with respect to treaties, implementing statutes and regulations, and international decisions, and analytical, research, and communication skills to the advanced level appropriate for a major project in International Trade and Finance, and develop some representational and problem-solving skills to an intermediate level.
3. Students use some of their representational and problem-solving skills at an advanced level in a setting, including an oral and/or written presentation, requiring the student to synthesize knowledge, skills, and values that are connected with different constituencies and cultures in the international arena.

(c) Exercise of proper professional and ethical responsibilities to clients and the legal system, which includes:

To earn the Certificate, students are assessed on their ability to demonstrate a commitment to professionalism, ethical behavior, service, and, as appropriate, leadership. To accomplish this overall goal, several benchmarks exist during the second and/or third year of study in pursuit of the Certificate:

1. Students gain an appreciation for ethical issues in International legal practice, including through familiarity with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other relevant disciplines and codes of conduct.
2. Students recognize service obligations and opportunities for service and leadership through poor and marginalized communities that are not fully integrated into the international trading and financial system, and/or that suffer adjustment costs associated with globalization.
3. Students will demonstrate a high level of professionalism and ethical behavior, and cultural competency, through their written work and practical experiences.

(a) Knowledge and understanding of substantive and procedural law concerning social justice

To accomplish this overall goal, several benchmarks exist throughout students' second and/or third year of study in pursuit of the Certificate:

1. Students should possess basic knowledge of systems that create unequal status hierarchies and thus diminish democratic ideals in the everyday lives of marginalized individuals and communities.
2. Students should possess knowledge about substantive areas of law from the perspective of underrepresented and/or oppressed communities.
3. Students should expand their specialized knowledge by taking subject-specific, social justice-related courses, such as, by way of example, Asylum and Refugee Law, Mass Incarceration, LGBTQ Seminar, and/or Federal Indian Law.

(b) Legal analysis and reasoning, legal research, problem-solving, professional skills, and written and oral communication, particularly as they relate to social justice lawyering

To accomplish this overall goal, several benchmarks exist throughout students' second and/or third year of study in pursuit of the Certificate:

1. Students should understand how statutes, case law, administrative agency regulations are developed and interpreted, and an understanding of how these sources fit within the larger body of civil rights and social justice law.
2. Students should develop advocacy skills in the context of representing underrepresented persons or communities, whether through public policies, changes within the legal system, or litigation.
3. Students should demonstrate the ability to identify, analyze, and develop strategies to address social justice problems in the public interest including those that cause inequity as to rights, privileges and opportunities.

(c) Exercise of proper professional and ethical responsibilities to clients and the legal system, particularly as they relate to social justice lawyering

To accomplish this overall goal, several benchmarks exist throughout students' second and/or third year of study in pursuit of the Certificate:

1. Students should be familiar with the basic types of civil rights actions that social justice attorneys encounter and understand the role of the attorney in representing parties in such actions.
2. Students should understand the historical and ongoing role the legal system plays in addressing, perpetuating, or otherwise influencing the rights and interests of underrepresented persons or communities
3. Students should possess lawyering skills specific to working with one or more underrepresented group, including development of interpersonal skills and cultural competencies in a clinical or internship setting.

(a) Knowledge and Understanding of Substantive and Procedural Law Concerning Tax and Business Transactions:

Students who earn a Tax Certificate will have developed an in-depth understanding of the substantive law relating to individual and business enterprise taxation. Students will also be exposed to a variety of specialized areas of tax law including tax-exempt organizations and pension and employee benefit plans.

To accomplish this overall goal, several benchmarks exist throughout students' second and/or third year of study in pursuit of the Certificate:

1. Students should possess basic knowledge of the individual income tax system including items of income, allowable deductions and credits, and gains from property transactions.
2. Students should possess basic knowledge of the corporate and partnership tax system, including the tax effects of entity formations, distributions to equity holders, and liquidations.
3. Students should expand their specialized knowledge of these systems in courses such as Business Planning, Mergers & Acquisitions, Business Associations, and Nonprofit & Tax-Exempt Organizations.

(b) Statutory Analysis and Reasoning, Legal Research, Problem-Solving, and Professional Skills in the Tax Law Context:

By working with a complex area of the law, students will be given an opportunity to improve their statutory construction and analysis skills and, at the same time, be tested on their ability to read voluminous regulations and understand how those regulations and other agency pronouncements fit within the larger body of administrative law. In addition, students will be exposed to instruction in problem-solving, counseling, and negotiation.

To accomplish this overall goal, several benchmarks exist throughout students' second and/or third year of study in pursuit of the Certificate:

1. Students should be able to engage in statutory analysis in the areas of individual and entity taxation and communicate these concepts in writing.
2. Students should have an intermediate level of understanding of how various sources of tax law are developed and interpreted and a general understanding of how tax sources fit within the larger body of administrative law.
3. Students should be exposed to instruction in problem-solving and dispute resolution techniques commonly employed in the Tax area through participation in courses such as Federal Tax Procedure, Business Planning, and Mergers & Acquisitions.

(c) Exercise of Proper Professional and Ethical Responsibilities to Clients and the Legal System particularly as they relate to Tax Practice:

A student who completes the Tax Certificate will be prepared to enter with confidence a tax or business-related practice era and have the skills and knowledge to continue building expertise and to operate within an area of the law that is constantly evolving through the issuance of statutory amendments, judicial decisions, and regulatory revisions.

To accomplish this overall goal, several benchmarks exist throughout students' second and/or third year of study in pursuit of the Certificate:

1. Students should gain an appreciation for ethical issues in Professional Responsibility and through cultural competency trainings available to students.
2. Students should develop an understanding of professional responsibility and ethical issues as they relate to the field of Tax Law through doctrinal courses and through participation in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program.
3. Students should demonstrate a high level of professionalism and ethical behavior by representing real clients as part of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program.

Effectively representing Indian nations and tribes requires an understanding of the laws, history and policies that affect them. For more than 200 years, the United States has pursued conflicting policies for dealing with the Indigenous peoples located within its borders. As a result, there exists an extremely complicated body of federal, state and tribal law that affects every aspect of indigenous life.

The complexity of "Indian law," and the lack of specific programs designed to educate graduates as to the unique legal and cultural needs of Indian people, has created a situation in which lawyers representing Indian tribes place too great an emphasis on state law and federal law when dealing with Indian nations. As a result, these lawyers may unconsciously be contributing to the weakening of unique tribal legal and governance traditions by recommending the adoption of tribal laws and policies founded upon the Anglo-American legal and political traditions rather than the unique traditions of their tribal clients.

The certificate program is designed to ensure that law students aspiring to a career representing Indian nations have the skills necessary to appreciate and strengthen the unique nature of Indigenous tribal legal systems. Students may satisfy the certificate requirements by taking courses such as Sovereignty and Self-Determination, Federal Indian Law, Native American Natural Resources, and the Tribal Judicial Support Clinic, combined with several law courses in the area of economic development, taxation, federal courts and natural resources.

(a) Knowledge and understanding of substantive and procedural law concerning tribes and American Indians:

To obtain the Certificate, students ultimately are assessed on their knowledge of Indian law, which includes both Federal Indian Law and Tribal Law. Students graduate with a broad knowledge of foundational and other core areas of Indian law, specialized knowledge in Federal Indian Law, and experience with advanced study, particularly through courses such as Sovereignty, Self-Determination, and Indigenous Nations and Economic Development in Indian Country.

To accomplish this overall goal, several benchmarks exist throughout students’ second and or third year of study in pursuit of the Certificate:

1. Students should possess a basic knowledge of federal Indian law following completion of the survey course.
2. Students should be familiar with tribal law (i.e. the laws of individual tribes) through completion of advanced elective courses, such as Sovereignty, Self-Determination, and Indigenous Nations, Native American Natural Resources, Indian Gaming, and/or Economic Development in Indian country.
3. Students should expand their specialized knowledge of Indian law, through study in courses that include significant units on Indian law – such as Water Law or Oil and Gas Law.
4. Students should also gain experience working directly with tribes and Indian law through either the Tribal Judicial Support Clinic or an approved field placement.

(b) Legal analysis and reasoning, legal research, problem-solving, professional skills, and written and oral communication in the Indian law context:

To earn the Certificate, students are assessed on the development of legal analysis, legal communication, and legal research as relevant to Indian law. Students will graduate with the ability to analyze complex problems, find and deploy a variety of authorities from the sources of Indian law, including treaties and judgments from tribal courts. They are able to communicate effectively in a variety of cross-cultural settings.

To accomplish this overall goal, several benchmarks exist throughout the second and/or third year of study in pursuit of the Certificate:

1. Students should be able to engage in legal analysis and communication of their research outcomes related to Indian law and the representation of tribes, orally and in writing, to a diverse audience, and to solve real-world problems that occur in common tribal and federal settings.
2. Students develop interpretation skills with respect to treaties, administrative agency regulations, and tribal court rulings, and analytical, research, and communication skills to the advanced level appropriate for a major project in Indian law, and develop some representational and problem-solving skills to an intermediate level.
3. Given students are required to either participate in the Tribal Judicial Support Clinic or an approved field placement related to Indian law, students use some of their representational and problem-solving skills at an advanced level.

(c) Exercise of proper professional and ethical responsibilities to clients and the legal system, which includes:

To earn the Certificate, students are assessed on their ability to demonstrate a commitment to professionalism, ethical behavior, service, and, as appropriate, leadership. To accomplish this overall goal, several benchmarks exist during the second and/or third year of study in pursuit of the Certificate:

1. Students gain an appreciation for ethical issues in Indian law practice, including ethical issues typically confronting tribes and conflicts of interest inherent in the federal government’s trust relationship with federally recognized tribes.
2. Students recognize service obligations and opportunities for service and leadership through experiential learning in either the Tribal Judicial Support Clinic or an approved field placement. 
3. Students will demonstrate a high level of professionalism and ethical behavior, and cultural competency, through their written work and practical experiences.