Criminal Defense Clinic Description - LAWN863

5 Credits

The Criminal Defense Field Clinic provides students with the opportunity to engage in the actual practice of criminal law under the supervision of the faculty supervisor and an experienced Attorney at the Legal Aid or Public Defender’s Office. Each student is placed with an attorney and works with that attorney on the attorney’s cases for a minimum of 12 hours each week, through all phases of the criminal process, from arraignment through trial. Students may accompany attorneys to court, participate in client and witness interviews, conduct investigations, review documents, draft motions, and help develop case theory and litigation strategies. In addition to the required field hours, students attend a weekly 3-hour seminar where the faculty supervisor focuses on selected topics in criminal law and procedure, evidence, ethics, and lawyering skills. The substance of the seminar may be drawn from the cases the students are working on, may include simulations, and may focus on the students’ experiences with their attorney/cases, with particular scrutiny of the political, social, economic, and psychological factors that frequently determine the outcome of criminal proceedings. (No prerequisite.)