LAW 9614 - Appellate Advocacy

Prerequisite(s): LAW 9101 & LAW 9102. Fulfills writing requirement, Second year preferred.
This course involves the study and practice of advocacy skills at the appellate level in both state and federal courts. Reading assignments and class discussion will focus on: (1) persuasive writing techniques; (2) the appellate doctrines that influence and often determine the outcomes of cases; (3) the institutional, policy, and procedural considerations that appellate courts consider in the decision-making process; (4) the unique role that appellate judges play in the evolution of law; and (5) oral advocacy skills. Students will draft an appellate brief based on an abbreviated record from a case pending in the United States Supreme Court. In addition, students will practice and perform a fifteen-minute oral argument before a panel of judges. This course will mirror actual appellate practice, and is designed to give students real-world experience in the appellate litigation process. This is a skills-based course and may satisfy the writing requirement. Credit(s): 2