Criminal Justice Clinic

6-8 units

Open to 3L and second-semester 2L J.D. students eligible for Missouri Supreme Court Rule 13 student practice certification. This clinic provides real life lawyering experience with the criminal justice system at the state trial level and will work under the supervision of the faculty member teaching this course. The student's primary experience will be to serve as a Rule 13 certified attorney with the St. Louis County office of the Missouri Public Defender, the second largest criminal defense office in the state. The goal is for each student to: (1) conduct at least two, and hopefully more, preliminary hearings in felony cases; (2) conduct bond reduction negotiations and, when necessary, hearings for persons awaiting trial; (3) participate in multiple aspects of pending felony cases, such as brainstorming the theory of defense; researching and writing motions, briefs, and/or jury instructions; interviewing possible defense experts; preparing deposition questions for prosecution witnesses; and, if possible, (4) take primary responsibility for preparing at least one misdemeanor case for trial. In addition, students may observe depositions and the entering of guilty pleas, participate in probation revocation hearings, and second-chair a felony trial (which essentially means that the student will assist with all aspects of preparation for trial and issues that arise during trial, and that the student will sit beside the defendant and lead counsel during the trial, but the student will not take a witness, conduct voir dire, or participate in opening statements or closing arguments during the felony trial). The lawyering skills students will use and develop include: problem solving, legal analysis and reasoning, legal research, factual investigation, client interviewing and counseling, communication skills, negotiation, litigation skills, organization and management of legal work, and recognizing and resolving ethical dilemmas. Because different types of hearings take place in the morning while other hearings take place in the afternoons, each student must have at least two mornings (8:45 - noon) and two afternoons (1:15 - 5:00) Mondays through Thursdays free to be in the clinic. Students will also meet as a class at the Public Defender's office (and occasionally at the law school) from 3:30-5:50 p.m. on Wednesdays. Students who have completed Evidence, Pretrial, Trial, a course from the ethics curriculum, and Criminal Procedure: Investigation may receive preference. Note: Students are prohibited from taking more than one clinic/externship/supervised practicum in the same semester. Students who are not in good standing (for either academic or disciplinary reasons) are not eligible to participate in a clinic/externship. The clinics/externships have a different drop deadline than other law school courses. Student will not be allowed to drop any law clinic without good cause and the instructor's permission. Students will earn 6 credits for the clinic, although a student may earn up to 8 credits with permission of the professor depending on workload. For 6 credits, students must work a minimum of 255 hours over the course of the semester; 7 credits (298 total hours) or 8 credits (340 total hours). The course is graded on a modified pass/fail basis: HP (3.90), P, LP (3.00) and F (2.50).