The practice/simulation course introduces students to the major categories of federal criminal investigations — public corruption, national security,
organized crime, economic crime, drug and firearm offenses, and child
exploitation — to the law enforcement agencies that conduct these
investigations, to the techniques they use (e.g. electronic
surveillance, search warrants, and informants) and to the front-line
constitutional issues at stake. The course then turns to the role of the
prosecutor, focusing on the critical strategic decisions made by
assistant United States attorneys during grand jury investigations, plea
negotiations, trial, and sentencing. Caselaw and statutory materials are
supplemented by guest lectures and panel discussions that include
representatives from the principle federal law enforcement agencies —
FBI, ATF, DEA, ICE, and Secret Service — as well as transcripts from
recent prosecutions in the Eastern District of Michigan. Students will
draft search warrants and indictments, argue from both the government
and defense perspective in mock detention and sentencing hearings,
negotiate plea agreements, calculate sentencing guidelines, and conduct
voir dire, as well as observe first-hand ongoing federal criminal cases
in Ann Arbor and Detroit.