Health Law Certificate

Available to all Hamline JD students, the Health Law Certificate combines coursework, experiential learning, and networking opportunities that provide you with knowledge, skills, and insight critical to the successful practice of health law. Courses are taught by Hamline Law faculty and industry professionals in multiple areas that let you explore health law from a variety of perspectives or focus on a specific area of interest. Upon successful completion of the Certificate, you will earn a notation on your transcript and a credential to share with prospective employers that reflects the knowledge, skills, and connections you acquired through the Certificate.

The 14 unit curriculum is designed to leave students with an adequate opportunity to take bar courses and recommended non-health law electives because the best health lawyers need to first be well-rounded, skilled lawyers. Together with their certificate advisors, students design a curricular plan that incorporates bar courses and recommended non-health law courses that are particularly relevant to their anticipated area of practice. For example, a student interested in Medical Malpractice litigation should take Advanced Litigation Practice and Negotiation in addition to bar courses like Evidence. A student interested in doing transactional work at a health law firm should take courses like Administrative Law, Tax II, and Intellectual Property along with bar courses like Corporations. Health Law students are also encouraged to look beyond the expansive law school curriculum and to take relevant courses offered through Hamline University's Graduate School and School of Business.

Requirements

To successfully complete the Certificate, you must fulfill the following requirements. Please see the Certificate Handbook for detailed information and requirements.

• Coursework: Establish a strong foundation in health law through 8 credits of core courses and at least 6 credits of elective courses. Elective courses are offered in a variety of areas, including health policy, corporate/transactional, compliance/regulation, and litigation. Suggested electives are listed on the Certificate Planning Tool, and course descriptions are here.
   
• Experiential Learning: Learn outside the classroom and gain practical experience through the Health Law Clinic, Health Law Practicum, pro bono work in a health law setting, or a series of job shadowing experiences. The Experiential Learning requirement is the cornerstone of the certificate program and provides insights into and real-world experience in the practice of health law.
   
• Extra-Curricular Activities: Engage with the health law community through at least six extra-curricular activities or events. Through these events, you will be introduced to health law issues and have an opportunity to network with health law professionals.

You will also meet with a Certificate Advisor a minimum of two times: upon admission for an initial advising meeting and upon completion for an exit interview. Your Certificate Advisor can help guide you to appropriate electives, experiential learning opportunities, and extra-curricular activities that are in line with your health law interests and desired career path.

Throughout the Certificate, you will use the Requirements Checklist to record requirements as you fulfill them. It may be helpful to bring this to advising meetings. You will submit the completed Requirements Checklist at your exit interview.

Recommended Courses

Being a good health lawyer requires having a well-rounded competence in the law. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you complete your bar courses and some additional courses, depending on your area of interest in health law. Recommended courses are listed on the Certificate Planning Tool.  

Apply

To apply to the Health Law Certificate Program, you must be a current JD student at Hamline University and submit an application. Once admitted, a staff or faculty member of the Health Law Institute will contact you to schedule your initial advising meeting. If you have any questions, please refer to the Certificate Handbook for more information regarding the application procedure or contact Cheri Harthaus at 651-523-2610.

You are encouraged to apply early in your tenure so that you can meet with your Certificate Advisor to develop a completion plan and have sufficient time to complete the Certificate.  It is recommended that weekday students submit their application by February of their first year and weekend students submit their application by September of their second year.  Although some students submit their application later in their tenure, this will help you to maximize your experience in the Health Law Institute so that you can plan for the required classes, experiential learning, and extra-curricular activities as needed.    

The requirements of the Health Care Compliance Certificate are very similar to the Health Law Certificate.  We recommend that you also consider applying for the Health Care Compliance Certificate.

About Hamline's Health Law Institute

Hamline University School of Law established the Health Law Institute in 2006 to provide a broad range of learning opportunities to students, scholars, and health care professionals. Since its inaugural year, the Health Law Institute has educated the leaders of today and the leaders of tomorrow with specialized classes and externships from professors who know both the courtroom and the boardroom. Through our national speaker series and advanced expertise classes for working professionals, we have partnered to learn with the Upper Midwest's health care community to instilling practical skills, providing a forum for health law policy issues, and nurturing scholars and practitioners through our curriculum and events.

Visit Hamline University's Health Law Institute to learn more.