Criminal Justice Advocacy: Clinical Seminar
Spring term, Block K
Th 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Mr. David Poole
2 classroom credits LAW-92010A Spring
2 optional clinical credits Spring
This seminar examines the role of the defense lawyer as an advocate in the criminal justice system, focusing on such aspects of practice as interviewing and counseling, investigation, theory formation and refinement, litigation skills, and dispositional advocacy. It will also examine the criminal and juvenile justice systems, considering such issues as equity, efficiency, ethics, and the constitutionality of all stages of the process.
Readings from a broad variety of sources and disciplines will address these issues, and will provide a framework for weekly discussions. Those discussions will integrate simulations, problems arising from students' clinical work, and a range of advocacy skills. There will be a take-home examination.
Students enrolled in the seminar's clinical component will spend a minimum of ten hours a week representing clients in adult criminal and juvenile delinquency cases in local courts, supervised by clinical instructors at the Criminal Justice Institute. Students will represent their clients at all stages of the process, including interviewing and counseling, investigation, conducting legal research, motions hearings, and trials. They may also represent juvenile clients in administrative proceedings such as school disciplinary and delinquency classification hearings.
This course is open to any 2L or 3L student. (Please note that the Massachusetts practice rule allowing students to represent clients in criminal and juvenile delinquency cases requires that a student be a 3L to "appear" in court. 2L students enrolled in the clinical component participate in all aspects of representing their clients, but the rule requires that the clinical instructor with whom they are working address the court.)
Students who would like to participate in the clinical component must enroll through clinical registration. Please refer to the Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs website at http://www.law.harvard.edu/academics/clinical for clinical course registration dates, drop/add deadlines, and other clinical registration information.