CRIMINAL DEFENSE PRACTICE

POLISCI 314

Substantive and procedural aspects of criminal law, including the purposes of criminal justice, specific crimes, criminal responsibility and punishment, legal concepts of proof, and 4th, 5th, and 6th Amendment issues. The case approach is used. Not open to students with credit for POLI SCI 452 prior to fall 2017

LAW 862

Represent people in prison in Wisconsin seeking relief from excessive sentences; may include people suffering from severe mental illness. Interview clients at correctional institutions, conduct legal and factual research, draft letters and motions, and possibly deliver oral argument in court; work on motions for sentence modification, petitions for sentence adjustment, and parole advocacy; reflect on the lawyer's role in the criminal legal system, explore the causes of the disparate impact of criminal punishment on marginalized populations.

LAW 797

Focus on understanding the role of the prosecutor in the criminal justice system; developing skills related to making informed charging decisions, drafting charging instruments, effective motion practice, and representation of the state in various court proceedings such as initial appearances, guilty pleas, sentencing, and post-conviction motions.

LAW 798

Covers the Wisconsin Rules of Professional Conduct as specifically applied to criminal defense practice. Topics covered include perjured testimony, confidentiality, client counseling, witness interviewing, handling evidence, hard bargaining, statements regarding judicial qualifications and contempt of court.

LAW 849

The skills that lawyers use up until the time of trial.