Fall or spring semester: 3 credits
Litigation
Laboratory brings lawyers and students together to analyze, critique and
develop the lawyers’ current cases. Practitioners bring live, ongoing cases to
class to work collaboratively with students allowing law students to learn and
practice pre-trial and trial litigation skills.
A different lawyer with a different case will
participate in most class sessions by bringing pre-trial or trial issues to
work through during class. Typically, the lawyer provides materials for the
students to review before class. During the weekly class, students will
discuss, argue, debate and work with the lawyer to identify and solve hard
issues. Students often step into some litigation role: making an argument or
examining a live witness in preparation for an upcoming trial. Following each
class, students will complete an assignment gauged at providing deeper feedback
to the guest lawyers. In classes when lawyers are not included, students will
learn practical litigation skills through various advocacy exercises, including
a comprehensive litigation ethics exercise. In this innovative class, started
at DePaul in 2007, attorneys
and students approach various challenging litigation problems including
determining best theories and themes for the case, working on opening or
closing argument, preparing clients and witnesses for depositions or trial,
conceiving and arguing motions, creating exhibits or solving other related
issues.
While this
course is ideal for students who want to pursue a legal career in criminal or
civil litigation, particularly for those interested in trial work, this course
would also be valuable to students pursuing transactional law to learn
litigation strategies.
The
lawyers who bring their cases to DePaul are invariably energized by the Lab
experience:
“I left with a notebook full of ideas for opening, cross
examination and voir dire. The feedback and insight regarding facts, issues,
and law was invaluable! It really helped us evaluate where our focuses need to
be so that we can present the best case on behalf of our client.”
Students are
just as pleased:
“I may have learned more in this class than in my entire law
school career. I felt motivated to put maximum effort into every single week
and assignment while never really getting stressed about ‘how I’m doing.’ The
course allows students to have a comfortable space to craft arguments, try new
things, and work with many real live attorneys on their pending cases. I
learned a lot about myself and litigation.”
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Course Information
Instruction: This course is a combination of lecture, in-class discussion, skills instruction, and client counseling.
Number of Students: Up to 12 per semester.
711 License: A 711 license is not required to participate in the Litigation Lab.
Prerequisites: None. Students are permitted to apply for, and enroll in, Lit Lab and a Clinic during the same semester.
Eligibility: Only rising 2L and 3L students are eligible to apply.