Appellate Courts and Advocacy Workshop
Spring term, Block X
Th 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Mr. Brian Wolfman
3 classroom credits LAW-30610A
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
The doctrinal portion of the course, and the corresponding small to medium-sized writing assignments, will be covered during the first two-thirds of the course. The appellate brief and oral argument will be completed at the end of the Term. In addition to classroom sessions, students will have one-on-one meetings with the teacher to review draft appellate briefs. Students who are considering enrolling in this course should read the more detailed course description located at http://www.citizen.org/documents/hlsdetaileddescri ption2009.pdf.
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.