In the Federal Appellate Litigation Clinic, third-year law students will gain hands-on experience in various stages of federal appellate litigation. Under the supervision of their clinic instructor, students will prepare and file briefs and pleadings on behalf of indigent criminal and/or habeas appellants in the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Most student teams 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 federal 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 their instructor, 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.