Course Catalog

<p>This course is designed to teach all students, however they plan to use their law school education, the skills necessary to creatively solve problems in whatever professional context they might arise. We use the classic James Harr’s A Civil Action (Vintage 1996) to teach the interpersonal, communication and analytical skills lawyers need to become successful problem solvers. This story demonstrates how Jan Schlichtmann could have achieved a more successful outcome for his clients if only he had applied these basic skills in that case. With this foundation, we develop an understanding of problem- solving methodology and the use of negotiation and mediation, two of the primary ADR processes for solving problems. Experiential learning is the fundamental teaching method. Students will learn to apply negotiation and mediation theory in simulated exercises with students playing the roles of negotiator, mediator, advocate and client in these simulations. Students receive feedback on their performance based on in-class faculty observation as well a post-exercise class discussion. Arbitration is the third process within the ADR constellation. We begin with a discussion of ad how to determine whether arbitration is an appropriate process for solving a client's problem. Then, we focus on the legal infrastructure of arbitration, the Federal Arbitration Act and recent cases that have shaped the current arbitration legal landscape. We also discuss legislative efforts to address issues of fairness in arbitration, particularly focusing on mandatory class action waivers and their impact on consumers and employees. The course concludes with a discussion of other creative ways to resolve disputes, including the use of the apology and its use at the University of Michigan Hospital to address claims of medical malpractice.</p>

• Type: Practice Simulation

This course covers the basic institutions of civil litigation in an adversary jury trial system. It explores the different procedural devices that arise out of the relationships among the parties, the judge, and the jury. Many litigation topics are covered, including issues relating to pleadings, discovery, other pretrial procedures, joinder, preclusion, and jurisdiction.

• Type: First Year Required

This seminar will examine the ways in which transsubstantive procedural doctrines shape the enforcement and meaning of civil rights laws. Topics will include the Ashcroft v. Iqbal standard for granting a motion to dismiss; judicial applications of the summary judgment standard; obstacles to the certification of classes seeking injunctive or declaratory relief; the process for amending the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure; restrictions on the use of federal legal aid funds; and statutory fee shifting.

• Type: Seminar

Civil Rights in Federal Courts: Understanding and Tracking Legal Change In his second term, President Trump has sponsored an avalanche of legal change in the federal government. Many challenges to this change have been filed in federal courts across the country. And the Trump Administration is affirmatively seeking court ratification of its initiatives, trying to leverage court intervention in its favor. A large portion of the resulting cases address civil rights, broadly construed: they touch on immigration rights, "diversity, equity, and inclusion," gender identity, labor rights of employees and other topics. Others address the basic distribution of powers between the three branches of government. Students in this class will learn about these controversies as they play out, studying both substance, procedure, and dynamics of the interaction between executive actions and judicial fora in which they are contested. The class will also cover how to read, understand, and summarize court filings for publication. In addition to learning about legal change, class members will help inform the public about it, contributing to the Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse (https://clearinghouse.net). Students will monitor various compilations to find when litigation is filed, and will bring the cases into the Clearinghouse, a website used by many thousands of people each week that allows the public to search for and read about lawsuits and access the underlying filings. Demand for information about these cases is very widespread; the Clearinghouse is a key national resource. Every student will be responsible for at least 7 hours per week of outside-of-class work contributing to the shared class projects. There will be no exam. This class is open to students who have previously worked on the Clearinghouse (and in fact, you're encouraged to enroll). There will be a mandatory training session for all class members to learn to use/add to the Clearinghouse on a weekend day early in the semester, [Date TBA, but probably Sept. 6 or 7] from 10-3. Prior enrollment in Law 992: Research Projects - Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse is not required, nor does prior participation exclude students from enrollment eligibility.

• Type: Upper Class

Professor Chaney's section: This course will explore the practical, conceptual and procedural mechanics of civil rights practice through mock litigation of one or more simulated case studies. Students will engage the stages of litigation, including claim and defense development, preparing and answering pleadings, crafting written discovery, conducting effective depositions, and presenting oral argument, while exploring the nuanced issues that arise in civil rights practice, including client management, dealing with client and personal trauma and triggers, establishing noneconomic harm, and collaborative practice. Professor Steinberg's section: This course examines how civil rights lawyers use federal civil rights litigation to address contemporary social problems. Students will develop and litigate a simulated case based on an actual controversy in Detroit where police officers "removed" unhoused individuals from tourist-friendly areas against their will. Students will gain experience in client interviewing, public records requests, writing demand letters, drafting complaints, responding to motions to dismiss, oral argument, depositions, and negotiations. They will also learn how to overcome the many procedural obstacles to justice posed by 42 U.S.C. section 1983 and explore the ethical issues faced by public interest lawyers when representing clients in civil rights cases. The course will emphasize how litigation can be most effective in achieving social change when it is a part of an "integrated advocacy" campaign that includes public education, legislation, and/or community action.

• Type: Practice Simulation

Students litigate civil rights cases addressing issues such as: racial justice, police misconduct, voting rights, fair housing, student rights, free speech, women's rights, LGBT rights, immigrant rights, ethnic and religious discrimination, disability rights, and the right to privacy. Taught by the former long-time legal director of the ACLU of Michigan, the goal of the course is to prepare students to use the law to advance social justice. Students will have the chance to litigate civil rights cases on behalf of individuals as well as larger impact cases. Students, under faculty supervision, will gain experience in many of the following areas: working with impacted communities to identify injustices; researching and developing winning legal theories; interviewing potential clients; writing public record requests and demand letters; drafting complaints; researching and writing briefs; arguing motions; taking depositions and engaging in other discovery; negotiating settlements; trying cases; drafting appellate briefs; and arguing appeals. It is anticipated that students will work primarily in federal court and will learn how to avoid the many procedural minefields that civil rights litigants face when seeking injunctive relief or recovering damages under 42 U.S.C. section 1983. The course will also emphasize how litigation can be most effective in achieving change when it is part of an "integrated advocacy" campaign that includes public education, legislation and/or community action. Students will be encouraged to work in coalitions and with community groups to win not only in the court of law, but also in the court of public opinion. Although the Civil Rights Litigation Practicum (Law 807) is not a prerequisite, students who take the class will generally be given preference in enrollment. Students must take the Initiative for a letter grade; it is ineligible for letter grade conversion to pass ("P") election. It fulfills the Law School's professional responsibility requirement for graduation and the New York Pro-Bono requirement, but not the New York State Bar ethics requirement. The Initiative can either fulfill the Law School's professional responsibility requirement for graduation or the credits can count toward the Experiential Learning requirement, but not both.

• Type: Clinic

The Civil-Criminal Litigation Clinic (CCLC) is designed to prepare students to litigate in any substantive field in any practice setting, from large firm to legal services. Our students nearly uniformly report that they are steps ahead of most of their peers on the first day of work as summer associates and as new lawyers entering practice. Students represent multiple clients each term at every stage of a case, from intake, through investigation and discovery, motion practice, negotiation, trial, and, occasionally, appeal. Students take "first chair" responsibility for every aspect of the work. They leave with the ability to approach a case with confidence, research and develop a legal strategy, and litigate it, no matter what practice setting or substantive field. We also emphasize improving students' legal writing, oral advocacy, communication skills, and teamwork. Students must concurrently enroll in the corresponding 4-credit Clinic course and 3-credit Clinic seminar (LAW 920 AND LAW 921). The seminar component helps students develop fundamental litigation skills they use in representing their real clients. In the seminar, students participate in multiple simulations covering everything from interviewing to negotiation, multiple simulated courtroom exercises, and a mock jury trial at the end of the term. Other class sessions cover the role of the lawyer, ethical issues in law practice, client-centered lawyering, the adversarial process, issues affecting the Clinic's client populations, and case rounds. Both the seminar and fieldwork are graded. The Clinic meets the New York State Bar pro bono requirement (https://michigan.law.umich.edu/academics/experiential-learning/clinics/civil-criminal-litigation-clinic). The seminar fulfills the Law School's professional responsibility requirement for graduation but does not fulfill the New York State Bar ethics requirement.

• Type: Clinic

The Civil-Criminal Litigation Clinic (CCLC) is designed to prepare students to litigate in any substantive field in any practice setting, from large firm to legal services. Our students nearly uniformly report that they are steps ahead of most of their peers on the first day of work as summer associates and as new lawyers entering practice. Students represent multiple clients each term at every stage of a case, from intake, through investigation and discovery, motion practice, negotiation, trial, and, occasionally, appeal. Students take "first chair" responsibility for every aspect of the work. They leave with the ability to approach a case with confidence, research and develop a legal strategy, and litigate it, no matter what practice setting or substantive field. We also emphasize improving students' legal writing, oral advocacy, communication skills, and teamwork. Students must concurrently enroll in the corresponding 4-credit Clinic course and 3-credit Clinic seminar (LAW 920 AND LAW 921). The seminar component helps students develop fundamental litigation skills they use in representing their real clients. In the seminar, students participate in multiple simulations covering everything from interviewing to negotiation, multiple simulated courtroom exercises, and a mock jury trial at the end of the term. Other class sessions cover the role of the lawyer, ethical issues in law practice, client-centered lawyering, the adversarial process, issues affecting the Clinic's client populations, and case rounds. Both the seminar and fieldwork are graded. The Clinic meets the New York State Bar pro bono requirement (https://michigan.law.umich.edu/academics/experiential-learning/clinics/civil-criminal-litigation-clinic). The seminar fulfills the Law School's professional responsibility requirement for graduation but does not fulfill the New York State Bar ethics requirement.

• Type: Clinic

The CEC is one of the law school's transactional legal clinics and prepares students for corporate and transactional practice in all sectors, including the private and nonprofit sectors. The CEC's mission is to promote economic, racial, and social justice and community and economic development in Detroit and other disinvested urban areas of the region. The clinic supports vibrant, diverse, and sustainable communities by providing transactional legal assistance to neighborhood-based small businesses, nonprofit organizations, community-based organizations, and social enterprises. Student attorneys interact with clients, normally represent multiple clients, and assume primary responsibility for all matters affecting their clients under close faculty supervision. The CEC works with both start-up and established clients primarily in these areas: * Entity formation, structuring, and governance * Drafting, negotiating, and reviewing contracts and other agreements * Tax * Intellectual property * Regulatory compliance * Real estate and land use * Employment * Risk management Student attorneys gain practical lawyering experience in the CEC. Student attorneys interview and counsel clients; develop and plan client strategy; draft legal documents, memos, and correspondence; manage relationships with clients, counterparties, co-counsel, and colleagues; identify legal issues, research them, and evaluate different alternatives; negotiate agreements; and implement client decisions. Student attorneys assess their own work and receive detailed feedback from CEC faculty in weekly meetings. The weekly seminar is a time for discussion of lawyering and client issues, including issues facing under-resourced communities in the Detroit metropolitan area and nationally, and the role race and racism have played in creating and continuing the adverse conditions in these communities and the processes of community and economic development in these urban areas. The CEC prepares students for careers in corporate, government, or public interest practice. There are no formal prerequisites. Knowledge of business law, including the substantive law of enterprise organizations, tax, nonprofit, land use, intellectual property and employment is not necessary, but may be helpful. Students receive seven credits for the Clinic: three for the seminar and four for the client work. Each component is graded separately. The CEC meets the New York Pro Bono requirement. The Clinic seminar fulfills the Law School's professional responsibility requirement for graduation, but does not fulfill the New York State Bar ethics requirement.

• Type: Clinic

This course will examine aggregate litigation in the federal courts, with a primary focus on class actions and multidistrict litigation. Topics will include attorney compensation; class certification procedures and requirements; settlement of class actions and multidistrict litigation; and the preclusive effects of class and non-class litigation.

• Type: Upper Class

This is a clinical course in which each student is assigned to help represent an indigent defendant in the appeal of his or her felony conviction, under the supervision of attorneys from Michigan's State Appellate Defender Office. The focus of the course is on the completion of an effectively written appellate brief on behalf of the client, to be filed in state or federal court. The goal of the course is to develop the student's understanding and skill in all phases of appellate advocacy. The student will review the trial transcripts and lower court records, interview the client in prison (with the instructor), develop a strategy for appeal, conduct legal research, and help draft the client's brief on appeal. Feedback is provided by frequent individual meetings with the instructors, as well as oral argument before a panel of attorneys experienced in criminal law. The course gives the student the opportunity to work on a real case with real consequences for the client. While most directly relevant to those interested in criminal law, its lessons in appellate advocacy should be of general interest. Class size is limited to 12 students to assure individual attention to each student. The Clinic is a 4 credit course and meets the New York Pro-Bono requirement. Students must enroll in the 3 credit clinic and the 1 credit field component, taken concurrently. The 3 credit clinic and 1 credit field component are mandatory graded and ineligible for letter grade conversion to pass ("P") election. The Clinic fulfills the Law School's professional responsibility requirement for graduation, but does not fulfill the New York State Bar ethics requirement. For students who matriculated in or after May 2016, the Clinic can either fulfill the Law School's professional responsibility requirement for graduation, fulfill the upper-level writing requirement, or the credits can count toward the Experiential Learning requirement -- it cannot be used to fulfill more than one of these three particular requirements.

• Type: Clinic

This is a clinical course in which each student is assigned to help represent an indigent defendant in the appeal of his or her felony conviction, under the supervision of attorneys from Michigan's State Appellate Defender Office. The focus of the course is on the completion of an effecitvely written appellate brief on behalf of the client, to be filed in state or federal court. The goal of the course is to develop the student's understanding and skill in all phases of appellate advocacy. The student will review the trial transcripts and lower court records, interview the client in prison (with the instructor), develop a strategy for appeal, conduct legal research, and help draft the client's brief on appeal. Feedback is provided by frequent individual meetings with the instructors, as well as oral argument before a panel of attorneys experienced in criminal law. The course gives the student the opportunity to work on a real case with real consequences for the client. While most directly relevant to those interested in criminal law, its lessons in appellate advocacy should be of general interest. Class size is limited to 12 students to assure individual attention to each student. The Clinic is a 4 credit course and meets the New York Pro-Bono requirement. Students must enroll in the 3 credit clinic and the 1 credit field component, taken concurrently. The 3 credit clinic and 1 credit field component are mandatory graded and ineligible for letter grade conversion to pass ("P") election. The Clinic fulfills the Law School's professional responsibility requirement for graduation, but does not fulfill the New York State Bar ethics requirement. For students who matriculated in or after May 2016, the Clinic can either fulfill the Law School's professional responsibility requirement for graduation, fulfill the upper-level writing requirement, or the credits can count toward the Experiential Learning requirement -- it cannot be used to fulfill more than one of these three particular requirements.

• Type: Clinic

This course focuses on the procedural rules that regulate the use of evidence at trial. The rules covered include those relating to the competence of witnesses, the mode of examination, relevance, impeachment, character evidence, hearsay, expert evidence, privileges, and judicial notice. Particular attention is paid to the Federal Rules of Evidence.

• Type: Upper Class

In the Federal Appellate Litigation Clinic, second- and third-year law students will gain hands-on experience in various stages of federal appellate litigation. Under the supervision of their clinic instructors, students will prepare and file briefs on behalf of criminal defendants and/or habeas petitioners in the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Each student will manage an appeal from its inception, and will gain hands-on experience by reviewing the district court record and identifying issues for appeal, developing a theory of the case, researching substantive law, and preparing the client's merits brief. When appropriate in view of timing and subject matter considerations, students will have an opportunity to write reply briefs and conduct oral arguments in Cincinnati before a panel of judges on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Weekly class meetings will include case discussions and instruction on how to litigate effectively a federal criminal appeal. Students will meet frequently with instructors who will provide individualized feedback as students prepare their appellate briefs and oral arguments. In addition to developing their written and oral advocacy skills, students can expect to gain an understanding of the practical aspects of federal appellate litigation. While the clinic will be relevant to all students of law, it will be particularly valuable to students who plan to pursue federal clerkships or who have an interest in criminal or appellate litigation. The Federal Appellate Litigation Clinic meets the New York Pro-Bono requirement. FALC is a 5 credit course of which all credits are graded. The Clinic fulfills the Law School's professional responsibility requirement for graduation, but does not fulfill the New York State Bar ethics requirement. For students who matriculated in or after May 2016, the Clinic can either fulfill the Law School's professional responsibility requirement for graduation, fulfill the upper-level writing requirement, or the credits can count toward the Experiential Learning requirement -- it cannot be used to fulfill more than one of these three particular requirements.

• Type: Clinic

An intensive and critical examination of the role of federal courts in maintaining a constitutional order in the United States. Among the topics considered are justiciability, the power of Congress to control the jurisdiction of federal and state courts, Supreme Court review of state court decisions, federal habeas corpus for state prisoners, and suits challenging official action.

• Type: Upper Class

This seminar will study how judges (and courts) make decisions and the factors that help shape the content of judge-made law. Questions for study may include: To what extent are judges constrained by law, and how? When judges have discretion, what factors influence how they exercise it? What role does precedent and stare decisis (both horizontal and vertical) play? Who helps set the judicial agenda? How can judges affect which cases they hear and when? How does judging change on multi-member courts? To what extent does public opinion matter?

• Type: Seminar

The course deals with jurisdictional issues generally, as well as the special problems arising in cases involving more than one jurisdiction (state or nation), i.e. cross-boundary disputes. More specifically, it addresses three major areas. The first is the question of jurisdiction, i. e. the power of the courts to hear and decide a case; this question arises both among the several states and between state and federal courts. The second area is choice of law, i.e. the question which law should apply; this is, again, an issue both among states or nations and between state and federal law. Finally, the course covers the recognition of judgments rendered by one sovereign (state, federal, or foreign court) in the courts of another sovereign. In most law schools, some of these issues (especially jurisdiction) are covered in first-year civil procedure. At Michigan, we believe that they are better understood as part of the package described above and in an upper class setting.

• Type: Upper Class

Technology has fundamentally transformed how litigation is conducted, and the pace of change is accelerating. This course will teach students what they must know to succeed in the new world of technology enabled litigation. We will cover how lawyers deploy sophisticated technology and services to: manage big data and harvest key information; handle specialty matters involving white collar crime, civil liability investigations, cyber incident responses, and federal challenges to mergers and acquisitions; and meet professional obligations and avoid sanctions from courts and regulators. Recent enforcement guidance and initiatives from the DOJ, SEC and FTC have raised the stakes of missteps substantially for counsel and clients in these areas. We will have technical and operational experts conduct simulation exercises in key areas, in which students will participate, to provide real-world, practical knowledge that can be applied when students enter litigation practice.

• Type: Upper Class

Mediation is a powerful, popular and oft-required dispute resolution process in which attorneys are frequently involved, whether they are serving as mediators in legal disputes or as advocates for their clients in the mediation process. In this experiential practicum, through simulated conflicts, role play and guidance from experienced mediators, you will act as both mediators and advocates for your clients in mediation. You will learn the ins-and-outs of the mediation process, and you will learn and utilize practical and effective mediation skills, strategies and techniques, including client preparation, management of difficult personalities, and effective oral and written mediation advocacy. This is a very interactive, hands-on course in which you will learn communication and conflict resolution skills that you will find useful, not only in your mediation practice, but in many areas beyond it.

• Type: Practice Simulation

One of the first medical-legal partnerships to be based in a law school setting, Pediatric Advocacy Clinic (PAC) students become part of an interdisciplinary team working to improve child health by providing legal assistance to low-income families on issues related to child health. Casework includes advocacy around special education, school discipline, domestic violence and family law, Medicaid and other public benefits, and housing conditions. PAC students take "first chair" responsibility for their cases and are involved in all aspects of a case. They learn a range of advocacy skills, from preventive legal advocacy (focusing on identifying issues at an early stage and on developing creative, multidisciplinary approaches to addressing them) to traditional litigation skills in both administrative and trial court settings. The PAC is 7 credits (4 for the seminar and 3 for the clinic) and all credits are graded. The PAC meets the New York Pro Bono requirement. The Clinic seminar fulfills the Law School's professional responsibility requirement for graduation, but does not fulfill the New York State Bar ethics requirement.

• Type: Clinic

One of the first medical-legal partnerships to be based in a law school setting, Pediatric Advocacy Clinic (PAC) students become part of an interdisciplinary team working to improve child health by providing legal assistance to low-income families on issues related to child health. Casework includes advocacy around special education, school discipline, domestic violence and family law, Medicaid and other public benefits, and housing conditions. PAC students take "first chair" responsibility for their cases and are involved in all aspects of a case. They learn a range of advocacy skills, from preventive legal advocacy (focusing on identifying issues at an early stage and on developing creative, multidisciplinary approaches to addressing them) to traditional litigation skills in both administrative and trial court settings. Students in the seminar learn substantive law and core lawyering skills and engage in reflection and simulations designed to solidify these skills. The PAC is 7 credits (4 for the seminar and 3 for the clinic) and all credits are graded. The PAC meets the New York Pro Bono requirement. The Clinic seminar fulfills the Law School's professional responsibility requirement for graduation, but does not fulfill the New York State Bar ethics requirement.

• Type: Clinic

Public Interest Litigation Ethics In this course, we will examine professional ethics and professional responsibility with a concentration on the practice of public interest law. We will utilize the Model Rules of Professional Conduct (Model Rules) and will use a variety of sources of guidance to help us understand the rules and their application. More specifically, we will identify and analyze ethical issues that arise in the practice of public interest law -- public defense and prosecution, government lawyering, immigration, and civil rights cases. Among the issues we will address are client loyalty, communications, confidentiality, and conflicts of interest. We will also consider how our personal morality interacts with and impacts our professional ethical responsibilities.

• Type: Upper Class

Compensation at law for private wrongs and intentional wrongs as well as accidents, with principal emphasis on harms to person and property. Special areas such as product liability, defamation, or business torts will be treated selectively.

• Type: First Year Required

This course explores a more diverse and deepened analysis of trial advocacy tied to the subject matter of the conflict and potential resolutions for that conflict. Students will learn basic tenants of all trial advocacy. These tenants include mechanics of pre- trial practice (motion practice including the differences between written and oral advocacy) as well as simulated trial tasks. Those trial tasks focus on the chronological development of a trial: jury selection; opening statement; direct and cross examination; exhibits; objections; impeachment and rehabilitation; experts and closing arguments. As part of the analysis, students provide weekly written reflections on the oath of office all attorneys are required to make as a condition for the privilege to practice law. That reflection includes identification and discussion of core values and expectations that their advocacy choices reflect those values. In lieu of a final exam, students will engage in a competition in conjunction with students from Wayne State Law School.

• Type: Practice Simulation

Learn to litigate while serving those who have served our country in the Veterans Legal Clinic. VLC students first chair their cases, engaging in all aspects of litigation, including: * interviewing clients * drafting pleadings * writing and arguing motions * negotiating with opposing attorneys * handling evidentiary hearings and trials. The VLC is a general civil litigation clinic in which students regularly get into court to represent veterans in all kinds of civil litigation matters, including: * contract disputes * family law * landlord-tenant cases * consumer actions * civil rights cases. Students are taught by seasoned litigators who meet frequently with students to discuss strategy and who give detailed feedback on written work and all other aspects of representation. Yet students are given significant autonomy and empowered to make strategic decisions in their cases. At the end of the semester, students will be prepared to handle any kind of litigation case and will understand how to successfully manage a case from intake to resolution. Students also participate in the VLC seminar, which teaches students the skills they need to provide top-notch representation to their veteran clients. Seminar sessions focus on skills like interviewing, negotiation, discovery, motion practice, evidence, and trial skills. Students also act as the attorneys in an in-class mock trial of a current or past VLC case. Students participate in case rounds, during which they work with each other to solve problems in their cases, and throughout the semester students in the VLC seminar are asked to reflect on their and their classmates' work, the role they play as attorneys in their clients' lives and society generally, and their ethical and moral obligations. Students will leave the VLC seminar as competent, confident, and reflective legal advocates.

• Type: Clinic

Learn to litigate while serving those who have served our country in the Veterans Legal Clinic. VLC students first chair their cases, engaging in all aspects of litigation, including: * interviewing clients * drafting pleadings * writing and arguing motions * negotiating with opposing attorneys * handling evidentiary hearings and trials. The VLC is a general civil litigation clinic in which students regularly get into court to represent veterans in all kinds of civil litigation matters, including: * contract disputes * family law * landlord-tenant cases * consumer actions * civil rights cases. Students are taught by seasoned litigators who meet frequently with students to discuss strategy and who give detailed feedback on written work and all other aspects of representation. Yet students are given significant autonomy and empowered to make strategic decisions in their cases. At the end of the semester, students will be prepared to handle any kind of litigation case and will understand how to successfully manage a case from intake to resolution. Students also participate in the VLC seminar, which teaches students the skills they need to provide top-notch representation to their veteran clients. Seminar sessions focus on skills like interviewing, negotiation, discovery, motion practice, evidence, and trial skills. Students also act as the attorneys in an in-class mock trial of a current or past VLC case. Students participate in case rounds, during which they work with each other to solve problems in their cases, and throughout the semester students in the VLC seminar are asked to reflect on their and their classmates' work, the role they play as attorneys in their clients' lives and society generally, and their ethical and moral obligations. Students will leave the VLC seminar as competent, confident, and reflective legal advocates.

• Type: Clinic