The primary objective of the course is to instruct students in the skill of persuasion. Lawyers serve as advocates for their clients on an everyday basis. Most people associate advocacy with the representation of clients in trial and appellate courts. Although advocacy is crucial in the courtroom setting, lawyers also represent their clients interests in many other contexts. Lawyers write letters, speak on the telephone, negotiate, and make presentations in non-judicial settings on behalf of their clients.
Advocacy can be oral, or written, or a combination of both.
It can focus on the facts of a problem, or on legal rules as they relate to a case, or on a combination of both. The advocate s challenge is to marshal the facts and the law in support of a client s position and then to present the view in a way that convinces another that the client s position should prevail. You will learn the skills of advocacy through a series of classroom discussions and simulation exercises. All students will prepare a number of written and oral assignments. After an introduction to advocacy, you work on four major assignments during the semester.