S. Trial Practice

Enrollment is limited to 12 students. The seminar does not fulfill the legal writing requirement. The course is open to second- and third-year students, as well as LLM students. Evidence is a pre-requisite for the course. The course grade will be based upon class participation, preparation, and improvement, based on feedback provided during class. Students who do not attend the first class without first notifying the instructor will not be eligible for registration in the course, or for admission into the course from the wait list. Those students who are on the wait list will improve their chances of being enrolled in the class by attending the first class and speaking to the professor.

During this course, each student will, step by step, conduct a trial. The organization of the course follows the actual conduct of a trial, from opening statements, direct examinations, cross-examinations and summations. It also includes instruction on, and critique of, each of those skills. In addition, the class will cover the introduction of exhibits, impeachment of witnesses and objections.

The course begins with a discussion of the lessons litigators can learn from jurors' views of lawyers during trials. The class will then be divided up into groups. Over the course of the semester, each group will perform simulated trial exercises, followed by feedback from the professor and classmates.