Pretrial Practice and Settlement

3 units

Enrollment limit: 12 students per section. Drop deadline: Monday, Aug. 17, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Prerequisite: Civil Procedure. Course work in Ethics, Evidence, Employment Law, and Employment Discrimination may be helpful if taken before or simultaneously with this course, but are not prerequisites. Pretrial Practice and Settlement will focus on developing the skills necessary for effective client representation at the pretrial stage of litigation, from the initial client interview through settlement negotiations. Several sections of this course are offered, each of which meets at a different time with a different instructor. In this course, students will litigate two civil cases. Successful completion of the written and in-class exercises will require mastery of basic lawyering skills and the ability to analyze factual situations under the appropriate substantive laws. Students must complete legal research throughout the semester in order to learn and correctly apply the governing rules. There will be weekly reading assignments and regular written assignments, including pleadings, discovery requests, motions, and settlement documents. Students will also participate in simulations of the lawyering process in class each week. Attendance and preparation are required. A STUDENT WHO MISSES MORE THAN TWO CLASSES OR WHO MISSES ANY CLASS WITHOUT FIRST INFORMING THE INSTRUCTOR IS SUBJECT TO REQUIRED WITHDRAWAL FROM THE COURSE - this includes partial absences and absences for school activities (e.g., moot court, mock trial, etc.). WITHDRAWAL POLICY: In order to try to avoid the sort of last-minute shuffling that, in the past, has resulted in interested students being notified of Pretrial openings too late for them readily to change their schedules and enroll, the following policy is in effect: IF YOU ARE ENROLLED IN THIS COURSE AFTER THE DROP DEADLINE, YOU WILL NOT BE PERMITTED TO DROP THE COURSE. Any student enrolled in Pretrial Practice and Settlement as of the above date will receive a grade for the course and risks receiving a failing grade. The course will be graded on a modified pass/fail basis (HP-3.90, P, LP-3.00, F-2.50). Grades will be based on performance on written assignments and in-class simulations, as well as participation in class discussion. When determining grades, a premium is placed on strong written and oral communication. Because written assignments and in-class performance depend upon the particular roles assigned each student, this course will not be graded anonymously. [Note: Students cannot take both Pretrial Practice and Settlement (LAW 5602) and Pretrial Practice: Criminal (LAW 5603).]