Your assignment might be to help a poor family keep their home, to confer with a convicted felon at Minnesota s Stillwater Prison, or to assist a refugee in applying for U.S. citizenship. William Mitchell s trial advocacy program has been recognized as among the best in the nation. According to the 2001 U.S. News and World Report s Best Graduate Schools guide, William Mitchell ranked 9th in trial advocacy. Students learn by performing videotaped exercises in every class, and are critiqued by experienced lawyers and judges. The course covers case preparation, opening statements, direct examination, cross-examination, exhibits, expert witnesses, jury selection, summation, and advocacy ethics.
Cases cover a range of civil and criminal problems.
Students prepare written questions, outlines, and a trial brief, and try a complete bench trial or arbitration case and a full-day jury trial. Students will not be allowed to drop this course after the end of the first class. Final trial, weekly written work. Offered as a full-semester course during the fall and spring semesters, and in a concentrated format during summer session. Civil Advocacy Clinic Students take full responsibility for representing real clients.