Ex. Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem Community Defense

Course Information

Course Number
L6656
Curriculum Level
Upperclass
Areas of Study
Clinics, Externships, and Experiential Learning, Criminal Law and Procedure, Legal Profession and Professional Responsibility
Type
Externship
Additional Attributes
Experiential Credit

Section 001 Information

Instructor

Section Description

Year-long offering - students will be register during the Extersnhip enrollment process in Spring, for the Fall and Spring terms.

The Community Defense Externship offers students the opportunity to learn about and experience the practice of indigent criminal defense in a holistic community-based setting through a combination of lecture, discussion, research, writing, mooting and direct client representation of residents of Northern Manhattan facing criminal charges in New York County's criminal courts.

The Community Defense Externship is a year-long 8-credit offering and consists of a weekly seminar and a placement at the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (NDS). During the field placement, the students will be responsible for all aspects of at least one misdemeanor case, beginning with the client interview and arraignment at New York County Criminal Court. Students will also be matched one-to-one with NDS Staff Attorneys and will spend the year assisting their attorneys in all aspects of their cases, including writing and researching motions, investigations, social service and mitigation work, plea bargaining, and preparing for pre-trial hearings, trials, and sentencing. Matt Knecht and Seth Steed will teach the course. Students should plan to avoid permanent scheduling commitments on Fridays, as to ensure adequate time for fieldwork. Occasional Friday commitments are permissible.

There are no prerequisites for this course but preference will be given to students who have taken Evidence and Criminal Procedure. Students who wish to take a Trial Practice course are encouraged to take Advanced Trial Practice after this externship or concurrently with it in the spring semester.

School Year & Semester
Fall 2021
Location
JGH 728
Schedule
Class meets on
  • Monday
4:45 pm - 6:35 pm
Points
2
Method of Evaluation
Other
J.D Writing Credit?
No

Learning Outcomes

Primary
  • At the end of the course, students will have acquired understanding of and/or facility in a specific body of law, including major policy concerns
  • At the end of the course, students will have acquired understanding of and/or facility in doctrinal analysis, including close reading of cases and precedents, and application to facts
  • At the end of the course, students will have acquired understanding of and/or facility in statutory and regulatory analysis, including close reading of statutes and regulations, and application to facts
  • At the end of the course, students will have acquired understanding of and/or facility in ethical and professional issues
  • At the end of the course, students will have acquired understanding of and/or facility in use of other disciplines in the analysis of legal problems and institutions, e.g., philosophy; economics,other social sciences; and cultural studies
  • At the end of the course, students will have acquired understanding of and/or facility in various lawyering skills, for example, oral advocacy, legal writing and drafting, legal research, negotiation, and client communication

Course Limitations

Instructor Pre-requisites
None
Instructor Co-Requisites
None
Recommended Courses
None
Other Limitations
Admission is by instructor permission during the Externship application period - see the Externships webpage for more information.

Additional Section for Ex. Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem Community Defense

Section 001

School Year & Semester

Spring 2022

Instructors

Location

JGH 722

Schedule

Class meets on
  • Wednesday

Points

2

Section 002

Section 002

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