Courses and Curriculum

The Legal Practicum: General Practice course is designed to provide real-world, hands-on experience in matters involving the general practice of law. Through this course, participants resolve a number of legal issues–negotiating their client’s DWI charge in district court, arguing for or against an attorney’s disciplinary action at the Court of Appeals and conducting a full-day tort trial in front of a mock jury are just a few examples.

Participants receive feedback on their written work and on their oral presentations, allowing them to experiment with different methods and find what works best. In addition, participants apply theory to legal problem solving, address ethical problems, review theory and substance, work cooperatively with others, refresh and improve their writing and lawyering skills, and develop and improve their oral presentation skills.

The Advanced Advocacy course is designed to prepare students to be effective advocates.

The primary learning methods are performance, critique, discussion, and video review. The class is divided into small groups, with at least one instructor for each small group of students and two for video classes. When there are two instructors, one instructor conducts a live critique with the student and the other instructor reviews the recorded performance with the student. When no video reviewer is present, the student reviews the video alone. Students prepare written materials, perform oral exercises, and act as witnesses or opposing counsel. Instructors and other members of the small group critique and discuss performances.

This is a one-week intensive simulation course in which students will simulate making deals and resolving disputes as lawyers, with emphasis on reviewing documents, identifying legal issues, counseling clients orally and in writing, negotiating, drafting, and working collaboratively. The course focuses on the student’s role as a professional and enables the student to identify strengths and weaknesses for further professional development. Students will research and write on a range of related doctrinal issues, including business law, privacy law, international law, intellectual property, and constitutional law.

Learn negotiation in a variety of contexts, including transactional settings, multi-party deals, conflict resolution, and litigation settlement strategy.

Learn negotiation, drafting, and advocacy in both the transactional and litigation contexts.