1. Understand, through first-hand observation, the everyday operation of the Criminal Courts and be able to describe them. 
2. Develop an understanding of the wide diversity of defendants going through the Criminal Law System. 
3. Develop an understanding of client interviewing and client relations. 
4. Develop an understanding of constructing a Theory of the Case. 
5. Develop an appreciation for the intersections of gender, race, poverty, and the criminal law system. 
6. Develop an understanding of the typical documents in a state-level criminal case, including arrest warrants, indictments, 
client interviews, police reports, and plea agreements. 
7. Develop an understanding of pre-trial motion and hearing practice in criminal procedure.

This course introduces students to the indigent defense system through externship placements in public defender offices throughout Northeast Georgia. Students will gain practical experience in core legal skills including interviewing clients and witnesses, investigation, research and writing, and courtroom advocacy. The seminar is designed to facilitate your learning within your externship, to provide a safe space to discuss your work, to offer opportunities to group problem solve, to explore your professional identity as a future lawyer, and to increase your understanding of how the criminal legal system, including the indigent defense system, work in practice. There will also be required reflection journals. Reflection journals allow students to think critically about various aspects of their work, assess its impact on their professional development, and enhance their understanding of the systemic issues within our criminal legal system. The mid-semester journal must be a minimum of 3 pages and the end-of-the-semester reflection journal must be a minimum of 5 pages.

1. Theory of the Case
2. Investigation: Statutory Discovery; Pre-trial Motions - 
Discovery-Related
3. Search and Seizure
4. Elements of the Offense
5. Pleading Guilty
6. Interviewing Exercise
7. Race and Representation
8. Domestic Violence Cases
9. Indigent Defense, Swimming Against the Current

UGA Student Honor Code: "I will be academically honest in all of 
my academic work and will not tolerate academic dishonesty of 
others." A Culture of Honesty, the University's policy and 
procedures for handling cases of suspected dishonesty, can be 
found at www.uga.edu/ovpi.