Judicial Clerkship Clinic (5 credits)
Justice Lawrence Bracken, Adjunct Professor of Law
Clerkships provide the opportunity to observe the confidential workings of a court and to experience litigation from a judge's perspective. The Judicial Clerkship Clinic combines a placement as a clerk in the chambers of a trial or appellate judge with a weekly three-hour seminar focusing on various aspects of litigation and the judicial process.
Working approximately twelve (12) to fifteen (15) hours per week, in either state or federal court, students research and write about issues assigned by the judge, as well as participating in the conduct of trials and other court proceedings. For example, a student may assist in jury selection or sit in on a pre-trial conference with the judge and the attorneys on a case, thereby observing the conduct and skill of lawyers and their interactions with the judiciary. Integrating theory with an examination of the judicial function and the adversary process, the seminar component focuses on judicial decision-making, utilizing readings, student journals, and discussions of issues arising from the field placements.
Being an "insider" affords a privileged seat from which to consider the broad questions of how justice can best be administered; whether the adversary system reliably yields fair results; and how well litigants, witnesses, and the public are served by the current operations of the nation's courts.
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