Course Section | Columbia Law School

Section Description Provided by Instructor

PLEASE NOTE SEMINAR LOCATION BELOW.


This Prosecution Externship at the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York offers students the opportunity to learn about investigating and prosecuting federal criminal cases in United States District Court. Students will be placed in the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, where they will work with Assistant United States Attorneys representing the federal government in a wide range of criminal prosecutions, including ones involving firearms, narcotics, fraud, immigration, child exploitation, public corruption, terrorism and violent crimes. The externship will also consist of a weekly seminar taught by Ronnie Abrams, former Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division and Chief of the General Crimes Unit.

The seminar will meet on Mondays at 5:30 p.m. at the U.S. Attorney's Office located at One Saint Andrew's Plaza in downtown Manhattan. It will provide an overview of the criminal justice system, from the investigation and decision to charge a case through trial and sentencing. It will also analyze the ethical issues that arise at every stage of a criminal prosecution. The seminar will consist not only of a discussion of practice and case law but will have a practical component in which students will learn through simulations and practice exercises.