Students who earn the certificate for this concentration learn about the regulation of the employment relationship in the United States. Topics addressed include the employment at will doctrine, employment discrimination law, labor relations law, wage-hour law, employee privacy rights, and administrative law.
Workplace law is a dynamic and challenging field that deals with contemporary social issues. For example, in recent years, significant workplace issues have arisen from the #metoo movement, the COVID-19 pandemic and work-from-home/return-to-work policies, and the increase in union organizing activities.
Those who specialize in this field often work either for a government agency, corporation, labor union, or in private practice, representing employers, employees, or unions.
A substantial component of workplace law involves settling disputes, and Quinnipiac is uniquely positioned to ensure that you have a competitive advantage in that area. Our Center on Dispute Resolution's training and its Quinnipiac/Yale Workshop on Dispute Resolution are valuable assets for our students. The center holds workshops, sponsors prominent speaking events on campus, and offers opportunities to train with lawyers in the field. You can also gain practical experience participating in national and regional mock trial and dispute resolution competitions.
In our Civil Justice Clinic, you’ll have opportunities to represent real clients with cases relating to unemployment and unpaid wages. And in our employment and labor externship program, you’ll perform the work that workplace lawyers do, whether you choose a law firm, a government agency, or work in-house at a corporation. Because this concentration offers a wide variety of courses, you can individualize your experience and focus on a specific area in workplace law that interests you, such as mediation and arbitration, discrimination law, or workers’ compensation.
For specific information on the program offerings, please contact:
Professor Brad Saxton
Co-Director, Workplace Law Concentration
Quinnipiac University School of Law
370 Bassett Road
North Haven, CT 06473
Email: brad.saxton@qu.edu
Adjunct Professor Michael Soltis
Co-Director, Workplace Law Concentration
Quinnipiac University School of Law
370 Bassett Road
North Haven, CT 06473
Email: michael.soltis@qu.edu
Workplace Law Concentration
Requirements
1. Coursework
To receive the certificate for this concentration, you must take Evidence (LAWS 311) and Administrative Law (LAWS 114) as two of your four required core electives, plus 21 credits of workplace law courses as specified below. Credits for Evidence and Administrative Law do not count toward the 21-credit concentration requirement, but the grades in these courses do count toward the concentration GPA requirement. (Note: Not all courses are offered every year).
Required Courses
In addition to Evidence (LAWS 311) and Administrative Law (LAWS 114), you must take the following courses, which will count toward the 21 required credits:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| LAWS 434 | Employment Law | 3 |
| LAWS 426 | Employment Discrimination Law | 3 |
| LAWS 327 | Labor Law | 3 |
| LAWS 515 | Alternative Dispute Resolution Exp. | 2-3 |
| or LAWS 428 | Negotiation | |
Core Courses
In addition to the required courses, you must also take at least two of the following core workplace law courses:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| LAWS 314 | Employee Benefits | 2 |
| LAWS 356 | Arbitration | 2-3 |
| LAWS 372 | Representation in Mediation Exp | 2 |
| LAWS 428 | Negotiation | 2-3 |
| LAWS 508 | Worker's Compensation | 2 |
| LAWS 587 | Disability Law | 2 |
Remaining Credits
The balance of the credits is to be earned from the following courses, if you have not already fulfilled the 21-credit requirement from the courses listed above:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| LAWS 205 | Business Organizations | 4 |
| LAWS 315 | Trial Practice Exp | 2-3 |
| LAWS 338 | Visual Persuasion in the Law Exp | 3 |
| LAWS 347 | Remedies | 3-4 |
| LAWS 357 | Federal Courts | 3 |
| LAWS 572 | Immigrat'n & Natural'n Law | 3 |
| LAWS 574 | Pretrial Litigation in State Courts | 2-3 |
| Independent Research Project, where the paper is devoted to a workplace law topic approved by the concentration director. | ||
| Clinical or externship courses in addition to those required below, as approved by the concentration director. | ||
| Other courses or journal work as approved by the concentration director in consultation with the course instructor. | ||
2. Clinical Requirement
At least 3 credits counting toward the 21-credit requirement must be earned in one or more clinic and/or externship placements approved by the concentration director in consultation with the director of the relevant clinic or externship.
3. Writing Requirement
You must complete a substantial paper or a series of shorter writings that together comprise a substantial amount of written work on a topic or topics related to Workplace Law. If you write a substantial paper, you may also use that paper toward your Advanced Writing Requirement. The concentration director must approve the topic or topics for any written work used to satisfy this requirement. A paper written for a journal may qualify if the concentration director approves the topic and the paper meets the guidelines for satisfying the substantial paper portion of the Advanced Writing Requirement (see Academic Regulations, Section I.E).
4. Waiver
Students who fall short of specific credits or coursework needed to satisfy the concentration requirements (other than the GPA requirement) may apply for a waiver of requirements, to be granted at the discretion of the concentration director and the associate dean for academic affairs.