Clinic Practice: Center on Wrongful Convictions (708-1)

Instructors

Sara Sommervold

Andrea Lewis

Meeting Info

McCormick 175 - Getz Hall: Mon 2:45PM - 4:00PM

Overview of class

Students in the Center on Wrongful Convictions (CWC) course will develop key lawyering skills by assisting in the representation of clients who were wrongfully convicted and/or imprisoned for serious crimes. Simultaneously, they will gain broad knowledge of criminal post-conviction law and key issues in the criminal legal system that can lead to or result from wrongful conviction. Class sessions will be devoted to discussing matters relevant to post-conviction litigation; lawyering skills development; case rounds to discuss specific case issues; guest lectures by criminal justice leaders and experts; and discussions with system-impacted people. Ideally, students will remain with the CWC course for at least two semesters. Thus, fall semester classes will provide students with an introduction to post-conviction remedies, the criminal legal system, the issues that lead to wrongful convictions, and ethical considerations that arise in the practice area. Spring semester classes will further explore the actors in the criminal legal system and litigating legal errors that are salient in wrongful convictions work.

Class Attributes

Satisfies Experiential Learning degree req
Constitutional Law
Constitutional Law or Procedure an element
Criminal Law and Procedure Practice Area
Civil Litigation & Dispute Resolution

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: MSL and Tax Students are not eligible to enroll.