"Courtroom Ethics" is an advanced ethics seminar for law students who anticipate a litigation focus in public or private practice. Trial lawyers routinely face extremely difficult ethical dilemmas during trial. What must they do in the face of client perjury in open court? How do they resolve the problem of opposing counsel's refusal to abide by the court's rulings? What happens when the lawyer becomes aware of a judge's involvement with opposing counsel? How do they respond to the client's insistence that evidence be hidden, or a slanted view of it be argued to the jury? Are there courtroom solutions for witness perjury, juror misconduct, evidence spoliation, judicial intemperance, and client fraud? This course will focus on real life in Arizona’s courtrooms. It will provide solutions for the unexpected, yet inevitable ethical crisis that most trial lawyers face in the first few years of practice. The ethics of client preparation, witness coaching, voir dire, opening statements, direct and cross-examination, dealing with opposing counsel, interacting with judge and jury, and closing arguments will be covered in class. Society's disagreements are resolved in courtrooms. Thus, the pivotal need for ethical conduct is highest where the level of aggression is the greatest. My goal for Courtroom Ethics— 2017 is to provide a framework of reference within which ethical dilemmas can be resolved. I will identify ethical rules and standards of practice, but the course will focus on solutions to ethical dilemmas, rather than merely identifying them.

Additional Information:
Credit Hours: 1
Grading Option: Pass/Fail Only
Graduation Writing Requirement: No
Flexible/Upper-Level Writing Requirement: No
Skills Requirement: No
Simulation Course: No
Experiential Learning: No
Seminar: Yes
Prerequisite: Evidence, Professional Responsibility, Civil Procedure, and an expressed intent to become a trial lawyer in public or private practice.
Special Withdrawal Course: No
Limited Enrollment Number: 12
Final Exam Given: No
Attendance Policy: Per Statement Of Student Policies

* The law school has a policy that is used to calculate credit hours. Please see the Statement of Student Policies.