Appellate Courts and Advocacy Workshop
Winter/Spring term
M,T,W,Th,F 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Mr. Brian Wolfman
3 classroom credits LAW-30610A Winter/Spring
(2 credits Winter + 1 credit Spring)
The Appellate Courts and Advocacy Workshop combines a substantive review of key appellate litigation doctrines concerning appellate jurisdiction, standards of review, and other topics, with an intensive advocacy component, ranging from motion and brief writing to oral argument. The course considers each stage of the appellate litigation process, beginning with a general overview, moving to the various bases for appellate jurisdiction in the federal courts, then discussing standards of review, and concluding with an intense review of the anatomy of an appellate brief. We will also briefly consider U.S. Supreme Court practice.
Students considering appellate court clerkships after graduation may find this course useful. There are about a half dozen small to medium-sized writing assignments. These assignments do two things: They introduce students to some aspect of appellate practice and demand application of one or more of the course's doctrinal topics. In addition to these smaller assignments, students are also responsible for writing an appellate brief and conducting an oral argument. For all assignments, students are provided copies of relevant practice rules, statutes, cases, and other items. No outside research is involved. Enrollment is limited to 20 students.
The doctrinal portion of the course, and the corresponding small to medium-sized writing assignments, will be covered in the Winter Term. Classroom sessions will be in regular three-hour blocks, although on one or two days, a shorter extra session will be added to accommodate special topics and guests. The appellate brief and oral argument will be completed during the Spring Term. Spring Term meetings will take place at mutually convenient times and will include a one-on-one meeting with the teacher. Students must take both the Winter and Spring sessions, and students will receive one grade after completing the Spring component that will apply to both sessions. Students who are considering enrolling in this course should read the more detailed course description located at: http://www.citizen.org/documents/hlsdetaileddescription2008.pdf
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The instructor, Brian Wolfman, is the Director of Public Citizen Litigation Group (PCLG), a public interest law firm in Washington, D.C. He has litigated dozens of cases in courts of appeals and in the Supreme Court. To learn about PCLG's work generally, and its Supreme Court Assistance Project specifically, go to http://www.citizen.org/litigation and http://www.citizen.org/litigation/supremecourt/ respectively.