COURSE REGISTRATION INFORMATION

3L course request forms are due in the School of Law's Administrative Suite by April 14. An explanation of the process, timetable and other pertinent information regarding course requests and registration follows. Most of the information is directed to those who will be 2L and 3L students during the fall '03 semester. Part-Time (flex) students, who will still be 1Ls next academic year should be sure to read the paragraphs included in, 1L Students & the Course Selection, Registration and Approval Process and should become familiar with the other topics as well, for future semester purposes.

Advisement Convocation

An Advisement Convocation will be held Tuesday, April 1^st at 12:00 noon in the Student Commons. Professors teaching in the various subject areas will be present to answer questions and to inform students about courses covering specific areas of the law, the content of course offerings and matters pertinent to the value of courses to career goals. Questions about the course request process and requirements will also be answered--See Dean Berman and Carol Pegues at the Convocation should you have any questions.

Elective Course Information "Handbook"

The "handbook" arranged by course number, contains specific information about elective courses offered during the summer and fall 2003 semesters, including prerequisites, method of grading, course summary, books used and relevance of the course for career purposes. It is designed to assist students in course selection and may be found at: www.law.umkc.edu/academic/index.htm.

Questions?

We know that questions often arise regarding meeting degree requirements, including meeting residency and research and writing requirements. Feel free to e-mail Dean Berman and/or Carol Pegues for answers to questions you may have and also to let him them know of any difficulties you may be having with the registration process. Their email addresses are: BermanJ@umkc.edu; PeguesC@umkc.edu. Frequently asked questions (FAQ) and answers will be posted on the web at: www.law.umkc.edu/academic/index.htm. Click on FAQ.

Course Request Timetable

3L's completed course request forms due in Administrative Suite	Friday, April 4 (by 12 noon)
3L's "approved" or "disapproved" course request forms returned to students' mailboxes	Monday, April 7^th (after 3 pm)
3L's revised course request forms due in Administrative Suite for second approval	Wednesday, April 9 (by noon)
3L's revised course request forms returned to students' mailboxes	Friday, April 11 (by 3 pm)
2L's completed course request forms due in Administrative Suite	Friday, April 11 (by noon) --please do not submit before April 11
2L's "approved" or "disapproved" course request forms returned to students' mailboxes	Monday, April 14 (after 3 pm)
2L's revised course request forms due in Administrative Suite for second approval	Wednesday, April 16 (by noon)
2L's revised course request forms returned to students' mailboxes	Thursday, April 17 (by 3 pm)

Matters to Consider When Deciding Which Courses to Request:

(1) Degree Requirements and Courses that Are Required

See these topics covered below. Click on Requirements for a J.D. Degree and Required Courses.

(2) Credit Hours Per Semester

A full-time student must take at least 13 credit hours per semester (except during the last semester) and may not take more than 16 credit hours per semester, except with the permission of the Associate Dean.

(3) Six Semesters in Residence

A student must complete six semesters "in residence." This means that a student must carry at least 10 credit hours each semester in courses requiring attendance at regularly scheduled class sessions. For residency purposes, two UMKC summer sessions may count together to form one residency semester. Thus, students taking five regular semesters and two summer sessions totaling at least ten residency hours may graduate in 2 1/2 years. The fact that a course is not a graded one (e.g., Trial Advocacy I & II) does not mean that it is a non-residency course. It is a residency course if there are regularly scheduled class sessions for it at the law school. If you are in doubt as to whether a course meets the requirement, see Questions?, above.

Courses that carry partial residence credit toward minimum of 10 (except in last semester when they count in full toward the 10):

Law 656 Public Defender Trials Clinic 3hr credit/ 1 hr residency

Law 705 Trial Advocacy III 2 hr credit/ 1 hr residency

Law 748 Appellate Advocacy III 2 hr credit/ 1hr residency

No residency credit ever toward minimum of 10:

Law 746 Legal Research

Law 746R Independent Study

Law 800 Legal Research Thesis

Any course taken in another part of the university (unless cross listed)

Courses that are considered residence courses during a student's last semester:

All for credit clinics, competitions & journal participation

Full residency credit for in-house clinics:

Law 834R Tax Clinic

Law 752S Child & Family Services Clinic

Law 757R Entrepreneurial Law and Practice Clinic

(4) Residency for Purposes of Tuition

The residency requirement, provided above, should not be confused with the issue of whether or not someone is a resident of Missouri for purposes of tuition and fees. Information concerning residency for purposes of tuition and fees may be obtained from the UMKC Cashier's Office.

(5) At Least 80 Hours in Courses Requiring Attendance at Regularly Scheduled Class Sessions in the Law School

Only courses requiring attendance at regularly scheduled class sessions at the law school meet this requirement. Thus, credit for clinics, research & writing, independent study, courses taken in other units of the university (unless cross- listed) journal participation and competitions do not count toward the 80 hours.

The only exceptions are

Law 656 Public Defender Trials Clinic 3 hr credit/ 1 hr residency

Law 705 Trial Advocacy III 2 hr credit/ 1 hr residency

Law 748 Appellate Advocacy III 2 hr credit/ 1hr residency

Law 834R Tax Clinic full residency credit

Law 752S Child & Family Services Clinic full residency credit

Law 757R Entrepreneurial Law and Practice Clinic full residency credit

JD/MBA students & JD/MPA students have to have 76 residency hours

(6) In order to graduate you must take at least one course as a 2L or 3L that meets the School's Jurisprudence requirement

The schedule of courses indicates courses that meet the requirement with a "J" in the "Notes" section of the listing of courses.

(7) In order to graduate you must satisfy the School's Uniform Commercial Code requirement

All students must take at least one course designated as one that satisfies this requirement. The courses meeting this requirement are Commercial Transactions, Sales & Leasing, and Secured Transactions. "UCC" appears in the "Notes" section of the schedule indicating that a course meets the requirement.

(8) In order to graduate you must satisfy the School's Advanced Torts requirement

All students must take at least one course designated as one that satisfies this requirement. "AdvT" appears in the "Notes" section of the schedule indicating that a course meets the requirement. Such courses are normally only offered during the winter semester. A 1L may, but is not required, to take the course during the winter semester of his or her first year.

(9) In order to graduate you must satisfy the School's R & W requirement

This requires students to have a rigorous writing experience evidencing legal analysis resulting in a paper of professional quality. For more information about the requirement, including the criteria for satisfying it and the methods that may be used, please click on R&W Information, Standards & Criteria, below.

(10) How to fill out the Course Request Form

You may obtain the Course Request Form from Carol Pegues in the Administrative Suite. There is a form for 2Ls (yellow) and another form for 3Ls (Blue), please be sure to select the correct form.

First, complete the top portion, providing name, address, etc. Be sure to indicate when you plan to graduate (e.g., May '04 , Dec. '04, etc.) and the number of credit hours you already enrolled in since beginning law school so that when your sheet is reviewed you can be advised if there is a difference shown in the School's records.

Second, list each course requested, starting with the lowest to the highest course number requested (e.g., list Law 731 before Law 754, etc.). The first box for each course ("apvd") is for completion by the administrative office, so leave that box blank.

Be sure to provide the reference number for each course in the Ref # box. Reference numbers for Law 746, which is used for R&W enrollment and Law 746R which is used for other independent research/study projects are the reference numbers of the individual faculty members overseeing the R&Ws and independent research/study projects. The reference numbers are listed at www1.law.umkc.edu/Academic/Summer2003/ResearchWritingNumbers.htm for Law 746 and at www1.law.umkc.edu/Academic/Summer2003/IndependenceStudyNumbers.htm for Law 746R.

When you receive a copy of the form back, it will be checked if the course is approved for you to take, otherwise the course will be lined through. Since some courses will be oversubscribed (see Courses Oversubscribed, below), it is important that you indicate how important the course or section of a course is for you to take in your mind. Show this by placing a number in the box labeled "Pref". A "1" means it is the course you most want to take, a "2" the next in importance, etc. Please do not leave the space blank or it will be assumed that you have no preference. Likewise, do not place a "1" for every course, for that will indicate that you have no ranked preferences among the courses. Be sure to also list your alternate selections, since some of the courses you request may be oversubscribed. Also, indicate for the alternates which course each is an alternate for--do that in the box labeled "For." Thus if you request Law 765 and want Law 867 to be an alternate choice for that course, indicate in the "For " box, "765."

A copy of your request form will be returned to you--see Course Request Timetable, above. It will either indicate that the courses are approved or will indicate that a resubmission is required. The comment section will explain why a resubmission is required if it is not obvious from the changes made to your request on the form. In some cases, an administrative change will be made on the form, such as moving a 2L to a different section of a required course.

(11) Courses Oversubscribed

When requesting a course consider the possibility that the course may be oversubscribed, i.e. more students may request the course than will be approved to enroll in it (due to number of seats, limited enrollment course, etc.) In such an event, enrollment preference will be given to third year students. In the event there is more than one section of a course, such preference will only be in regard to course enrollment, not section enrollment. Where insufficient seats are available for all members of a class (second year or third year) desiring to take that course, students will be selected by the associate dean for enrollment based upon priority requests and, where necessary, based on random assignment.

(12) Wait list.

A list of closed courses will be posted on the web after they close and a waiting list process will begin for each closed class. Students on the wait list will be contacted by telephone and/or email as seats become available in the order in which the wait list request was made, with priority given to 3L students. A wait list request form may be obtained from Marcia Pinkman in the Administrative Suite.

(13) Financial Aid

The number of credit hours taken per semester often impacts the eligibility for financial aid. Be sure to check with the Student Financial Aid Office in regard to such eligibility.

The Next Steps After You Have Received an Approved Schedule of Courses

First, IN-House Law School Registration

After receiving approval to register for courses for the summer and/or fall '03 semesters, you will need to obtain and complete Schedule of Classes card (s)(one card per semester of enrollment--Fall only or Summer and Fall). The card (s) may be obtained from Carol Pegues in the Administrative Suite. Please list the courses you have been approved to take in course number numerical order (with the lowest course number listed first, i.e. Law 741 before Law 765, etc.). Please print clearly in ink. No course should be listed, nor should you telephone or web register for a course or a section of a course that has not been approved for you to take during the course selection process by the law school. The card will be reviewed to ensure conformity with your approved courses. Additionally, you will be administratively removed from a course you have not been approved to enroll in.

Second, Campus Registration

After you have completed the In House Law School Registration, you should proceed to enroll in the courses through the university system. This may be done (1) in person at the campus registration and records office in the campus administrative center building--this must be the method used to register for a course in which the Credit in Lieu of Grade Option is being used--see below, (2) by using the touch tone phone system (444-8008); or (3) by registering via the web using the Student Terminal Access to Records ("Star") system. Information on how to do so by using method (2) and (3) is provided below. Remember, do not try to register for a course that you have not received approval to register for during the in-house law school registration process

Registration for courses using the web

Instructions may be obtained by beginning at the following campus website:

www.umkc.edu/registrar/star/ During your initial call to the system, you will be asked to confirm your month and date of birth (MMDD). The system then will prompt you to assign a 4-digit Personal Identification Number (PIN).

Registration for courses using the touchtone phone system

Call 444-8008 and follow instructions. During your initial call to the system, you will be asked to confirm your month and date of birth (MMDD). The system then will prompt you to assign a 4-digit Personal Identification Number (PIN).

Registering for a graded course on a Credit/ in Lieu of Grade basis must be done in person

After completion of the first year, a student may take one elective course ordinarily graded (except a 4-credit-hour class) on an ungraded basis. For a "pass" to be posted on the student's record, work done for the course must be equivalent to a grade of C- or better; otherwise, the actual grade received will be posted. A student must make this election before the beginning of the semester by completing and filing the appropriate form (available at the Law School) in person at Registration and Records (115 Administrative Center, 5115 Oak). Accordingly, you may not register for such a course via telephone registration or the web. You must hand carry the completed Credit in Lieu of Grade Option form to the campus registration and records office at the Administrative Center, and it must be filed with that office (in person) no later than Friday, May 16 th for the summer 2003 semester and Friday, August 22 for the fall 2003 semester, and the elected option may not be revoked thereafter. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Adding and Dropping Classes:

Drop/adds may be requested by completing a drop/add form available from Carol Pegues in the administrative suite. The form will be given to Dean Berman for approval or disapproval and returned to the student. In general, a course may not be added after the class has met for one week. Remember, adding or dropping a course via the web or telephone registration without law school approval will not be effective and you will be administratively removed from any course you have not been approved to enroll in and will be returned to any course you do not have permission to drop.

Graduating 3Ls: Special Information

Students planning to graduate in December 2003 and to take the February Bar Examination (Kansas or Missouri) should please note:

1. For December 2003 graduation, you must fill out an “Application For Graduation", by September 24th and return it to Carol A. Pegues. If you have any doubt as to whether or not you have submitted this form, please see Carol.

2. The University will not permit the Law School to certify your graduation or release your diploma to the Kansas or Missouri bar authorities if you have a balance due on your University account, e.g., for parking fines, outstanding fee balances, etc. The deadline to pay all account balances is December 1^st

3. Your Research & Writing (R & W) paper must be approved by your supervising faculty member, and a signed R&W completion form turned in to Carol A. Pegues, no later than Monday, January 12, 2004 (no exceptions). Most faculty members do not have time to review R & W papers either during or after the exam period (because of grading), so you should plan on submitting your final draft before the last day of class, if you want to meet the certification deadline. The faculty member, of course, may provide for the exact date when the final draft is due, which may be much earlier.

4. Final reminder: To take the bar examination for Kansas and Missouri, the school must certify that you have completed all degree requirements by January 12, 2004.^.

5. Faculty CANNOT extend the graduation/bar certification deadlines.

6. If you haven’t done so already, you must file a completed R&W Record’s Office Form (gold form) with the School’s Record’s Office (Carol A. Pegues) prior to the start of the fall semester. The form indicates how you intend to satisfy the R&W requirement and contains dates when aspects of the paper are due. It must be signed by both the student and the supervising professor. The form may be obtained from Carol A. Pegues in the Administration Suite.

Requirements for a J.D. Degree

The requirements for the J.D. degree:

1. Completion of 91 credit hours, 80 of which must be classroom credits (76 if a JD/MBA or JD/MPA student).;

2. A cumulative grade-point average of at least 2.0

3. Six semesters in residence carrying not less than 10 classroom credit hours each semester, i.e, in courses requiring attendance at regularly scheduled class sessions in the law school. Although three years of law study are usually required, students may graduate in two and one-half years. To do so requires attending at least two summer sessions. Each summer session may be considered one-half a semester for residency purposes, provided at least 10 classroom hours are completed in the two summer sessions;

4. Completion of all required courses (see Required Courses, below);

5. Fulfilling the school's research and writing requirement. This requires students to have a rigorous writing experience evidencing legal analysis resulting in a paper of professional quality.

6. Completion of the school's advanced torts requirement. This requires students to take at least one 3-hour course from a designated list of advanced torts courses offerings;

7. Completion of the school's jurisprudential requirement. This requires students to take at least one course from a particular group of jurisprudential elective course offerings;

8. Regular and punctual class attendance.

Required Courses

First Year Required Courses

All students must complete the following required courses during the first year:

Full-Time Program

Fall Semester (15 credit hours)

Contracts I (3)

Criminal Law (3)

Introduction to Law and Lawyering Processes I (3)

Torts (3)

Property I (3)

Winter Semester (14 credit hours)

Civil Procedure I (3)

Constitutional Law I (3)

Introduction to Law and Lawyering Processes II (2)

Property II (3)

Contracts II (3)

Part-Time (Flex) Students

Flex students must take three of the required courses, including Introduction to Law and Lawyering Processes, in their first year. The remaining courses must be completed in the student's second year of study

Other Required Courses

Students must complete the following courses as a condition of graduation:

Required to be Taken During the Summer Preceding or Fall of Second Year:

Business Organizations (4)

Federal Taxation (3)

Civil Procedure II (2)

Required to be Taken During the Summer Preceding or Winter of Second Year

Evidence (3)

Required to be Taken During the Second or Third Year:

Criminal Procedure I (3)

Commercial Transactions, Sales and

Leasing or Secured Transactions (3)

Professional Responsibility (2)

A course that fulfills the Schools Jurisprudence requirement (2-3)

Completion of the School's R&W requirement (See R&W Information: R&W Standard and Criteria, below)

Required to be Taken at any Time Prior to Graduation and May be Taken During the Second Semester of the First Year:

A course that fulfills the School's Advanced Torts requirement. (3)

Other Information

Graduation in Two and One Half Years

Despite the six semesters in residence requirement, provided above, students may graduate in two and one half years. To do so requires attending at least two summer sessions in order to accumulate enough credit hours to meet the graduation credit hour requirement. Each summer session may be considered half a semester for purposes of the residency requirement. Thus, at least 10 credit hours in courses requiring attendance at regularly scheduled class sessions in the law school must be taken in two summer sessions to satisfy the residency requirement. Students desiring a lighter load in their sixth semester may combine the last semester with a previous summer semester to accumulate the required ten "in residence" hours.

Interdisciplinary Courses Taken in Other UMKC Schools

A student may enroll in up to 10 hours of courses in other UMKC schools and colleges and apply such hours toward the J.D. degree. The course(s) must be an appropriate upper‑level (500 or above) interdisciplinary course. The Associate Dean must approve the course (in advance of enrollment) as an appropriate one for law credit. A request to enroll in such course (indicating why you believe the course is appropriate for law school credit and your career objectives) must be appended to your course request sheet. Grades earned in such courses will not count in your law school GPA (even though a grade will appear on your official UMKC transcript), nor will the credits count toward the residency requirements, unless the course is cross-listed.

Journal-Staff Participation (Law Review/Urban Lawyer)

Students depending on journal-staff participation credit hours to meet the credit hour graduation requirement should indicate on their course request sheet for each semester the number of credits they will be receiving for each such participation. Students are responsible for making certain that at the appropriate time the Records Office is advised of the credits for journal staff participation. Students seeking credit for such participation are specifically directed to two faculty policies impacting the receipt of credit for such participation.

A student may NOT serve concurrently as an editor of the Law Review and Urban Lawyer

Two students may NOT hold the same editorship on a journal (except for Urban Lawyer Assistant Editors).

Auditing Courses

Law students may audit a course only with the written approval of the professor offering the course. The approval must be appended to the Course Request sheet or indicated by the professor's initials next to the course on the sheet. Regular punctual attendance is required in audited courses. An audited course may not thereafter be taken for credit. An Audit course WILL NOT count toward the 91 hour degree requirement.

Bar Examination Information

Click on www1.law.umkc.edu/Students/barexam.html, for detailed information about the Missouri and Kansas bar examinations, including past Missouri Bar Examination questions.

Disabled Student Services

UMKC endeavors to make all activities, programs and services accessible to students with disabilities. A Coordinator for Disabled Student Services is available to advise students and arrange for reasonable accommodations concerning all aspects of campus life. It is important that students contact the Coordinator at least six weeks prior to the beginning of classes to arrange for providing appropriate documentation and the prescribing of reasonable accommodations in the classroom. For information call (816) 235-5696. Speech and hearing impaired use Relay Missouri, 1-800-735-2966 (TT) or 1-800-735-2466 (Voice.)

THE BOARD OF CURATORS AND THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-KANSAS CITY ARE COMMITTED TO THE POLICY THAT THERE SHALL BE NO DISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF RACE, COLOR, CREED, SEX, AGE, NATIONAL ORIGIN, DISABILITY, OR VIETNAM ERA VETERAN STATUS. THIS POLICY PERTAINS TO EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, ADMISSIONS, ACTIVITIES AND EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES. THE VICE PROVOST FOR AFFIRMATIVE ACTION, LOCATED IN ROOM 354 ADMINISTRATIVE CENTER (5115 OAK), IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL RELEVANT PROGRAMS AND MAY BE CONTACTED AT (816) 235-1323, 235-2721. SPEECH AND HEARING IMPAIRED USE. RELAY MISSOURI: 1-800-735-2966 (TT) OR 1-800-735-2466 (VOICE).

R&W Information, Standards & Criteria

Standard Each law student shall have a rigorous writing experience evidencing legal analysis resulting in a paper of professional quality.

Criteria The student’s written work should meet the following criteria:

1. Analysis Does the piece reflect an informed understanding of the doctrines and theories used? Has the author critically appraised the case(s), doctrines, statues or ideas developed? Does the piece include a thorough presentation of the relevant available resources? Does the piece show creativity and original work? Is the analysis thorough, well written and organized?

2. Authority Are the assertions supported? Is the support more than a single source? Does the authority come from a variety of sources? Is interdisciplinary support offered when appropriate? Does the student over-rely on a single source?

3. Format The research and writing requirement is intended to focus on legal analysis. That analysis can come in a variety of forms from an interoffice memorandum, an advocacy brief, or a scholarly article. While that analysis underlies legal drafting, drafting legal documents would not meet the criteria. A piece satisfying the research and writing requirement should be approximately thirty (30) pages, evidencing sufficient use of authority and encompassing multiple drafts.

How Satisfied:

The requirement may be satisfied by writing one of the following:

Seminar Paper Whether a seminar paper meets the R&W requirement is a decision for the law professor teaching the course/seminar. If the R&W requirement is met by the seminar paper as required by the professor, the student does not also register in Law 746 Legal Research (2 hrs). If the seminar paper meets the R&W requirement only if the paper is longer than that required for the seminar itself, than the student must also enroll in Law 746 Legal Research (2 hrs.).

Elective Course Paper Whether a paper in an elective course meets the R&W requirement is a decision for the law professor teaching the course/seminar. If the R&W requirement is met by the course paper as required by the professor, the student does not also register in Law 746 Legal Research (2 hrs.). If the course paper meets the R&W requirement only if the paper is longer than that required for the course itself, than the student must also enroll in Law 746 Legal Research (2 hrs.).

Independent Study Paper If the R&W is to be satisfied in this way, the student must register in Law 746 Legal Research (2 hrs.). The paper can not be on a topic encompassed within the course description of an available seminar or elective course and a designated professor must agree in writing to supervise the paper and to certify to its fulfilling the R & W requirement.

Law Review Comment/Urban Lawyer Annotation/Matrimonial Law Journal Project Can be used to satisfy the R&W requirement, provided a faculty member supervises the writing and certifies to the Records Office that the work meets the R&W requirement. Although a student may receive additional academic credit for satisfying the R&W requirement with Urban Lawyer written work (in addition to any staff/editor hours received), neither a Law Review Note or Comment nor a Matrimonial Law Journal Project may be so used to obtain additional academic credit hours. Students desiring to obtain two R&W credit hours for faculty supervised and certified Urban Lawyer written work should enroll in Law 746 Legal Research (2 hrs.).

Appellate Advocacy III or National Team Brief

Satisfactory completion of Appellate Advocacy III and rewriting the brief so that it is of professional quality; or satisfactory completion of Appellate Advocacy IV and writing an Appellate Advocacy IV brief of professional quality. The Appellate Advocacy professor must certify to the Records Office that the student has fulfilled the R&W requirement in this manner. If the requirement is to be satisfied in this way, the student will not register in Law 746 Legal Research (and will not receive additional credit), but need only be enrolled in the Appellate Advocacy course.

A brief used in other competitions, including the Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competition, the Giles Sutherland Rich Moot Court Competition and the Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, may be used to satisfy the criteria if a faculty member certifies to the Records Office that the student has fulfilled the requirement in this manner. Students desiring to obtain two R&W credit hours for writing such a brief should enroll in Law 746 Legal Research (2 hrs.).

Form to Designate the Manner of Satisfying the requirement

All students must identify the method by which they propose to satisfy the R & W requirement before the start of their last semester of law school. Please pick up the gold form in the Records Office for this purpose. It provides the various options available to fulfill the requirements and asks for dates when aspects of the paper must be completed. The form must be completed and filed as soon as possible after the professor agrees to oversee the R&W project. Students planning to graduate in December are required to file their forms prior to the start of the fall semester. Upon completion of the R&W paper, the supervising faculty shall submit to the Records Office a copy of the paper (in written or electronic format) and the signed approval form. The Records Office will retain the signed approval forms and the R&W papers.

Adjunct Professors

While adjunct professors may supervise an R&W paper, they may not do so alone. A regular faculty member must also be willing to co-supervise and to oversee the proper performance and completion of the paper, and to certify that the paper fulfills the requirement. The name of the co-supervising faculty member must be provided to the Records Office at the time of registration.

Enrollment in Law 746

All students who enroll in Law 746 (R&W Requirement) must provide the reference number of the faculty member supervising the research on the course request sheet. The Law 746 reference numbers for the faculty are listed at: www1.law.umkc.edu/Academic/Summer2003/ResearchWritingNumbers.htm.

The School's Trial and Appellate Advocacy Programs

There has been much interest regarding our trial and appellate advocacy programs. Because these are areas in which we excel and in which there is traditionally strong student interest, we would like to explain how these programs work so that you can make scheduling decisions.

Introduction

Both appellate and trial advocacy are taught in sequenced courses. The Appellate Advocacy sequence begins first. In fact, you have already begun that sequence, because Introduction to Law II (in which you write a brief and do an appellate argument) serves as Appellate Advocacy I. Therefore, if you are interested in continuing to develop appellate advocacy skills and, perhaps, participating in our competitive program, you should enroll in the Fall in Appellate Advocacy II. The Trial Advocacy sequence begins in the Winter semester of the second year and is a prerequisite for participation in the trial advocacy competitions.

Appellate Advocacy Sequence

Appellate Advocacy II is a one-credit course. It meets for class sessions during the first half of the semester and culminates in student presentation of oral arguments. The course introduces students to a unique Missouri appellate process and students are required to write Points Relied On and a Summary of Argument (3 page total) on each side of a case set in the Missouri Supreme Court. They then argue the case twice (once on each side) in front of panels of lawyers. The arguments take place in the Jackson County Courthouse two Saturdays in October or early November. The top 16 students in Appellate Advocacy II will be invited to participate in the Ellison Moot Court Competition (Appellate Advocacy III) in the Winter Semester. That course involves a problem set in the United States Supreme Court and requires that students write a full brief and argue before actual judges one Saturday in March or early April at the federal courthouse. Appellate Advocacy III is a two-hour course. Awards are given for the Top Oralist, Best Brief and Best Advocate Overall. In addition, the top six students from Appellate Advocacy III are chosen to be members of the National Moot Court Team (and to enroll in Appellate Advocacy IV, a one credit course) during the Fall of their third year. All participants in Appellate Advocacy III are invited and expected to join the Moot Court Board.

Trial Advocacy Sequence

Trial Advocacy begins in the Winter of the second year. Students enroll in Trial Advocacy I (2 credit hour course), which involves one weekly large class presentation/demonstration and one small group session in which the skills learned are practiced. Dean Berman oversees the course and the assessments are conducted by local litigators and trial judges. The class culminates in trials held at the courthouse in April. Any student who takes Trial Advocacy I and desires to do so may then enroll in Trial Advocacy II, which focuses more on strategy development and skill refinement, in the Fall of the third year. The course meets once per week and receives two credits. Full trials are conducted at the end of the semester. Members of the National Trial Teams are selected from those participating in Trial Advocacy II. They enroll in Trial Advocacy III and compete in regional and national trial competitions during the Winter semester of the third year.

Summation

Both our appellate and trial advocacy programs help prepare students to practice law. Students who complete our Advocacy programs should be able to pick up a file of a case being litigated, organize it and present it before a court and a jury in a persuasive way. Similarly, if unsuccessful in the trial of a case, they will be prepared to present the case properly and persuasively before an appellate court.

Both our trial and appellate programs have been successful in recent years in producing teams that have been very competitive at Regional and National competitions. Additionally, students who participate on our National Moot Court and Trial Teams receive the H. Michael Coburn Advocacy Scholarships in the semester in which they compete. There are additional opportunities for participation in interschool moot court competition, including the Jessup International Moot Court Competition, Frederick Douglass Moot Court (sponsored by National BLSA), and other specialized moot court competitions. Students interested in these programs are strongly encouraged to take Appellate Advocacy II in the Fall.

Whether you have a desire to be a trial or appellate advocate, compete for your school, or merely want to overcome the fear of speaking in front of others, these courses are for you.

1L Students & the Course Selection, Registration and Approval Process

Flex students entering their second year of study who have not completing all of their 1L courses will have to enroll in the 1L courses not completed. Flex students should contact Assistant Dean Davis if they have any questions about course selection and enrollment.

1L flex students begin In-House Law School Registration on April 17. The procedure is detailed above. See, First, IN-House Law School Registration.

1L students then proceed to the campus registration process. See, Second, Campus Registration; Registration for courses using the web; and Registration for courses using the touchtone phone system.