Public Defender Clinic
SLN #: 13111Course Prefix: LAW-772
Course Section: 001
Credit Hours: 6
Instructor(s): Lowrance
Course Books: View List of Books
Course Description:
Students enrolled in the Public Defender Clinic represent indigent clients in felony cases under the close supervision of an experienced public defender. While representing indigent clients, students will receive intensive instruction in client and witness interviewing, all aspects of trial advocacy, sentencing advocacy, handling evidentiary hearings on constitutional issues, as well as in ways to improve their public speaking style. This training occurs in the context of offering quality legal representation to clients of limited financial means in considerable need of assistance.
Students are expected to spend 300 hours in the Clinic during the semester (approximately 30 hours of training and 270 hours of casework). As a general guideline, students are expected to work 20 hours per week. Students participate in a mandatory seminar, with instruction in courtroom advocacy, interviewing and counseling skills, substantive law and court procedure.
The Public Defender Clinic is a graded course (6 credits). Evidence is a pre-requisite. Students must have taken or concurrently be enrolled in Professional Responsibility, Criminal Law and Civil Procedure Trial Advocacy is not a pre-requisite, but if you have been through this course, the skills are beneficial to students' cases.
One week prior to the start of the semester, students are required to attend a mandatory three-day training session.
This course fulfills the professional skills requirement for graduation.
NOTE: Please see the Clinical Program website for more details as well as the application. https://law.asu.edu/clinics
Additional Information:
Credit Hours: 6
Grading Option: Letter Grade Only
Graduation Writing Requirement: No
Flexible/Upper-Level Writing Requirement: No
Skills Requirement: No
Simulation Course: No
Experiential Learning: No
Seminar: No
Prerequisite: Evidence is a pre-requisite. Students must have taken or concurrently be enrolled in Professional Responsibility, Criminal Law and Civil Procedure.
Special Withdrawal Course: Yes. Because of administrative considerations and professional obligations to courts and clients, no student pre-registered for a clinical offering shall be allowed to drop the clinic later than one month preceding the first day of classes, or to add the clinic, unless approval is obtained from the Director of the Clinical Program.
Limited Enrollment Number: 5
Final Exam Given: No
Attendance Policy: Per Statement Of Student Policies
Additional Attendance Policy: Mandatory
* The law school has a policy that is used to calculate credit hours. Please see the Statement of Student Policies.