Elder Law Certificate of Concentration
Objective
To help prepare those students planning a career in elder law by ensuring that they take courses particularly applicable to elder law, receive mentoring from members of the faculty with experience and interest in elder law, and rewarding such students who have demonstrated high degrees of ethics and competence in elder law.
Eligibility
Any Stetson law student in good standing who has completed not less than 30 credits and not more than 45 credits may apply for acceptance into the Elder Law concentration. The Co-directors of the Center for Excellence in Elder Law will make final determinations on all applications for acceptance into this program based upon consideration of the student's demonstrated commitment to the program and the likelihood that they will be able to successfully complete the requirements of the program.
Requirements
In order to receive at graduation the Certificate of Concentration in Elder Law, a student must make a timely application for inclusion in the program, be accepted into the program, and do the following:
- Complete at least 21 hours in the Approved Curriculum, including successful completion of each course in the Required Curriculum, with an average G.P.A. of at least 3.0 among all of those courses taken from the Approved Curriculum. Further, the student shall not have received a grade of less than 2.5 (or "S" in any course not graded on the 4.0 scale) in any of those courses taken in the Approved Curriculum;
- Students must have achieved at least a 2.25 in Professional Responsibility. A student who has not completed the course must achieve the required grade in this course or the student will be dropped from the concentration;
- Participate in the Required Mentoring;
- Demonstrate to the satisfaction of the assigned Mentor his/her commitment to the ethical and professional practice of law;
- Fulfill the Elder Law Pro Bono requirements;
- Fulfill the administrative hours requirement; and
- Fulfill his/her writing requirement by writing a paper in the area of elder law to the satisfaction of Professors Flowers or Morgan.
Required Mentoring
Upon being selected into the Elder Law Concentration, a student will be assigned a Mentor who is a member of the College of Law faculty. The student will be expected to meet regularly with such Mentor, no less than one time each semester, for the purpose of discussing their advancement toward completion of the requirements for receipt of the Certificate in Concentration. Further, such students, as a prerequisite for registration for each upcoming semester, will be required to obtain the approval of their Mentor regarding their course selection. It is the goal of this Required Mentoring that the participating members of the faculty will pass along to the students the benefit of their own experience and/or expertise in the field of elder law. Prior to the student's receipt at graduation of the Certificate of Concentration, the Mentor will have to attest to the student's successful completion of all requirements for the certificate listed above.
Pro Bono
The College of Law requires each student, before graduating, to have completed 60 hours of Pro Bono work. To receive the Certificate of Concentration in Elder Law, 30 of those 60, must be in elder law (20 legal and 10 non-legal).
Administrative Hours
Each student selected for membership into the Elder Law concentration program will be required to provide at least 10 hours on administrative activities of the Center for Excellence in Elder Law, serving as Elder Law ambassadors at Center events, assisting in preparation of Center events and working on Center projects.
Elder Law Certificate of Concentration Approved Required Curriculum
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | 21 Credits | |
| LAW 3320 | ELDER LAW SEMINAR | 3 credits |
| LAW 3592 | INTERVIEWING AND COUNSELING | 2 credits |
| LAW 3115 | INTRO TO AGING AND THE LAW | 3 credits |
| LAW 3712 | LONG TERM CARE PLANNING (JD) | 2 or 3 |
| LAW 3781 | PUBLIC BENEFITS LAW | 2 or 3 |
| LAW 3930 | TRUSTS AND ESTATES | 4 credits |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| LAW 4520 | 5 credits | |
| LAW 4500 | CIVIL LEGAL SERVICES CLINIC | 5 credits |
| LAW 3315 | ELDER & DISABILITY LW EXTRNSHP | 3 to 4 credits |
| LAW 3895 | FLA CRCT CRT (TRIAL) EXTRNSHP (probate judge placement only) | 4 credits |
| LAW 4570 | VETERAN'S ADVOCACY CLINIC (up to 4 credits towards concentration) | 1 to 5 credits |
Elder Law Additional Curriculum
Courses from this list are only required and/or considered for minimum GPA, if needed to complete the 21 hour requirement.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| LAW 3040 | ADMINISTRATIVE LAW | 3 credits |
| or LAW 3490 | FLORIDA ADMINISTRATIVE LAW | |
| LAW 3045 | ADMIN LAW FOR HEALTH CARE | 2 to 3 |
| LAW 3090 | ADVANCED LEGAL RESEARCH (pathfinder in Elder Law) | 2 credits |
| LAW 3296 | DISABILITY LAW | 2 to 3 credits |
| LAW 3316 | ELDER LAW DRAFTING & PRACTICE | 2 credits |
| LAW 3318 | ELDER LAW LITIGATION | 1 credit |
| LAW 3319 | ELDER LAW PRACTICE MANAGEMENT | 2 credits |
| LAW 3390 | ESTATE PLANNING | 3 credits |
| LAW 3480 | FED TAX OF EST, TRUSTS & GIFTS | 3 credits |
| LAW 3541 | INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH PROJECT (topic must be approved by Elder Law Faculty Advisor ) | 1 to 2 credits |
| LAW 3761 | NEGOTIATION AND MEDIATION | 2 credits |
| Any course listed in the required curriculum that was not used to fulfill the required course portion of the concentration | ||