Course Description
Under supervision, students will assist in preparing briefs and other documents submitted to the United States Circuit Courts of Appeals, the Board of Immigration Appeals, the United States Supreme Court, or the Office of the United States Pardon Attorney.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate law students will not be doing any extra work beyond
that required of the Juris Doctor students. J.D. students are
post-baccalaureate students and the workload expected of them
is the same workload expected of post-baccalaureate graduate
students. Law students are professional students, not
undergraduate students. Graduate law students are primarily
international lawyers seeking expertise in the American legal
system. This expertise is gained through exposure to Juris
Doctor courses.
Athena Title
Appellate Lit Clinic Summer
Prerequisite
JURI 4156S/6156S
Semester Course Offered
Offered summer semester every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
This course picks up where the Appellate Litigation Clinic II leaves off in the spring semester. Students will draft petitions for certiorari in cases where the Circuit Courts of Appeals have denied our clients relief, prepare clemency petitions to the Office of the United States Pardon Attorney when appropriate, and write merits briefs to the Circuit Courts of Appeals and Board of Immigration Appeals for any cases still pending at the appellate court level during the summer term. Overall, the course will teach students the intricacies of appellate practice, including how to write persuasively, how to communicate with clients, and how to learn and follow the applicable procedural rules.
Topical Outline
Topics covered in the class will include: 1. Rules of Professional Responsibility, including rules relating to client contact and client advocacy 2. Rules of Appellate Procedure 3. Rules of the Supreme Court of the United States 4. Rules Governing Petitions for Executive Clemency 5. Substantive material addressed in court briefs 6. Practices for writing persuasive court briefs and clemency petitions