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Students will have one day a week they will be in court. It will typically be the same day each week unless your schedule is more flexible. Most days, you will be finished by noon. Once you are finished with your cases for the day, you can leave court. If the case is set for a contested bench trial, it may be set for the afternoon of your court day, or another day set by the judge. You may be able to request a setting that fits the court’s schedule and yours. There may occasionally be a virtual hearing; however, most hearings are now in-person.
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Students must be in the office at least two mandatory hours each week and have an additional two hours when the student is available for office interviews. You will get more out of your experience if you spend extra time in the office and in court. Office visits are usually conducted in-person, but you may have occasional virtual meetings. The Juvenile Public Defender’s Office is located just off South Congress and Oltorf.
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Initially, students will be assigned Class A and B misdemeanors like shoplifting, burglary of a vehicle, and assault. As we progress in the semester, a student may be assigned felony property crimes. Students act as first chair with the supervising attorney guiding and assisting. Students may also work as second chair on a more serious case.
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Yes, the clinic accepts both 2L and 3L students.
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The class meets for two sessions each week as scheduled for the first 6-7 weeks. After this, the class will meet once a week usually on Tuesday.
We do have some meetings outside of class which typically occur on Fridays. Our outside meetings generally follow this schedule. We meet as a group with the Juvenile Public Defender’s Office on the Friday after classes start. We tour the detention facility in Austin on the second Friday. On the second or third Friday in February (from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.), we will tour the Texas Juvenile Justice Department high security facility in Giddings and meet with youth who have been incarcerated there.
Additionally, students participate in a mock hearing outside of the regular class time and can sign up based on their schedule. In April, students will present to students at an Austin middle school on constitutional rights and protections and the consequences for youth who break the law.
If you have questions about these dates and your schedule, please contact Pam Sigman.