Course Schedule

Advanced Criminal Law Skills will take a criminal case from its inception through trial, plea or dismissal. Students will perform skills weekly on different elements of the case. 

Three key components of the class are:

• Learning how to evaluate a criminal case at intake;
• Leaning how to handle a criminal case once it is filed (with motions, charging decisions and plea negotiations);
• Learning how to successfully take a criminal case through jury trial (including witness prep).

Ethics will also be included.  The course is recommended for those with an interest in a career in criminal law, especially those considering employment in either a prosecutor’s or public defender’s office.

This course will take a criminal case from its inception through trial, plea or dismissal. Students will perform skills weekly on different elements of the case such as intake evaluation, pretrial motions, plea negotiations, witness preparation and trial. Ethics will also be included. The course is recommended for those with an interest in a career in criminal law, especially those considering employment in either a prosecutor's or public defender’s office.

The class will be a combination of remote and in person exercises.  No student will be required to appear in person, but students will be given the option of doing so on some of the class days.  The hope is to give students the chance to perform in ways that are currently being used in different jurisdictions around the country.    Obviously this is evolving and subject to change.  The plan is also to involve guest appearances by some former students who took this class and are now working in public defender or prosecutor’s offices.

This course will take a criminal case from its inception through trial, plea or dismissal. Students will perform skills weekly on different elements of the case such as intake evaluation, pretrial motions, plea negotiations, witness preparation and trial. Ethics will also be included. The course is recommended for those with an interest in a career in criminal law, especially those considering employment in either a prosecutor's or public defender’s office.

The class will be a combination of remote and in person exercises.  No student will be required to appear in person, but students will be given the option of doing so on some of the class days.  The hope is to give students the chance to perform in ways that are currently being used in different jurisdictions around the country.    Obviously this is evolving and subject to change.  The plan is also to involve guest appearances by some former students who took this class and are now working in public defender or prosecutor’s offices.

This course will take a criminal case from its inception through trial, plea or dismissal. Students will perform skills weekly on different elements of the case such as intake evaluation, pretrial motions, plea negotiations, witness preparation and trial. Ethics will also be included. The course is recommended for those with an interest in a career in criminal law, especially those considering employment in either a prosecutor's or public defender’s office.

The class will be a combination of remote and in person exercises.  No student will be required to appear in person, but students will be given the option of doing so on some of the class days.  The hope is to give students the chance to perform in ways that are currently being used in different jurisdictions around the country.    Obviously this is evolving and subject to change.  The plan is also to involve guest appearances by some former students who took this class and are now working in public defender or prosecutor’s offices.

Students who have taken LAW 179P, Adv Skills: Criminal Court may not take LAW 179P, Advanced Criminal Law Skills.

This course is a broad survey of three main types of legal writing: objective analysis, persuasive analysis, and transactional drafting. The course will also cover many other topics crucial to high-level professional writing: use of forms, advanced legal citation, the plain English movement, advanced grammar and punctuation, document design, legal usage, and editing. Students will receive individual critiques of their writing, and lectures will use model answers and sample critiques.

This course is a broad survey of three main types of legal writing: objective analysis, persuasive analysis, and transactional drafting. The course will also cover many other topics crucial to high-level professional writing: use of forms, advanced legal citation, the plain English movement, advanced grammar and punctuation, document design, legal usage, and editing. Students will receive individual critiques of their writing, and lectures will use model answers and sample critiques.

Advanced Legal Writing Practicum covers writing mechanics, legal analysis, organization, and clarity as well as managing research-and-writing projects. A key focus is on written work for a summer or full-time legal job.

This 2-day course (5.75 hours each day) covers two broad legal-writing topics. Day one covers mechanics: common mistakes in word usage, grammar, and punctuation—and how to avoid and fix them—plus the most challenging advanced topics in the mechanics of legal writing. Key goals are to strengthen your writing credibility and raise your writing IQ. Day two covers broader concepts: concision, persuasion, organization, and revision, as well as some citation and transactional drafting. The course requires pre-class reading and quizzes and a final written project. Pass-fail.

This 2-day course (5.75 hours each day) covers two broad legal-writing topics. Day one covers mechanics: common mistakes in word usage, grammar, and punctuation—and how to avoid and fix them—plus the most challenging advanced topics in the mechanics of legal writing. Key goals are to strengthen your writing credibility and raise your writing IQ. Day two covers broader concepts: concision, persuasion, organization, and revision, as well as some citation and transactional drafting. The course requires pre-class reading and quizzes and a final written project. Pass-fail.

This 2-day course (5.75 hours each day) covers two broad legal-writing topics. Day one covers mechanics: common mistakes in word usage, grammar, and punctuation—and how to avoid and fix them—plus the most challenging advanced topics in the mechanics of legal writing. Key goals are to strengthen your writing credibility and raise your writing IQ. Day two covers broader concepts: concision, persuasion, organization, and revision, as well as some citation and transactional drafting. The course requires pre-class reading and quizzes and a final written project. Pass-fail.

This two-credit course studies problems faced by litigants in complex matters, including challenges presented by the “American Rule,” evolving class action procedures, joint and several liability rules, attorney and jury bias, electronic data, and statistical evidence.  Time permitting, the class will host guest lectures on practical aspects of managing and conducting litigation.

The goal of this course is to promote strategic and tactical thinking about how to use (or resist) rules governing complex litigation, anticipate complex litigation issues before they arise, and explore other tools that can further client objectives. 

Grading:  Your final course grade will be based on class participation (on-call and volunteer discussion), and a final exam.  Class will be lecture and questions and answer; students will be notified of on-call status prior to the next class.  Students can earn additional credit for constructive class participation and thoughtfulness.  Conversely, students can earn demerits for being unprepared and for non-participation.   The final exam may cover every issue on the syllabus, even if not addressed in class.

Attendance:  Attendance for each lecture is expected.  Repeated, unexcused absences will adversely affect final grades.

The course will cover topics not usually covered in patent law courses. For the first eight weeks, the course will address advanced topics and new developments in the law. The topics will be addressed in more depth than in typical courses and will include policy considerations. There will likely be one guest speaker that will present on a special topic. For the rest of the term, the students will select topics, choose the readings, and lead the discussion. Topic selection will require instructor approval. Students will also be expected to write a term paper on the same topic as the one chosen for presentation. Prerequisites: The student should have taken or be concurrently taking a course that includes patent law (which could be a survey course).

Successful lawyers of all types are able to craft solutions to clients’ seemingly intractable problems. Sophisticated clients have already explored solutions with their in-house legal staff before bringing their case or problem to you. Finding solutions requires following a proven process which can be learned, practiced and refined. This is a skills course where students will learn and practice specific skills of design thinking, divergent thinking and ideation to become more agile thinkers and creative problem solvers.

The purpose of the course is to expose students to contemporary policy challenges in the national security arena and, in doing so, provide the student a framework for making future decisions across the entire public policy spectrum. Students will be exposed to a variety of geopolitical scenarios and working in conjunction with a “national security team” they will develop a list of options for government leaders. The course goes beyond the theoretical and analytical to understanding exactly how national security policy is made in the most complex and politically sensitive environments. In the scenarios, students will be confronted with the challenges of whether to conduct a drone strike in a denied area, address the development of nuclear weapons in Iran, a potential conflict between Russia and NATO, whether to intervene in a potential Global contagion and several other current international problems. Students will learn to understand the implications of U.S. actions on both international and domestic policy. Throughout the course we will also examine the role of leadership in policy making.

Course Overview

This course will involve an intensive team research project related to the challenges of aging in prison. We will be conducting the work on behalf of a community partner, the ACLU’s National Prison Project, and we will have responsibility for updating sections of a major report on this topic that the National Prison Project published 12 years ago (At America’s Expense: The Mass Incarceration of the Elderly).

Geriatric individuals represent the fastest growing segment of the incarcerated population due to 1990s-era policies allowing for the imposition of extremely long sentences, including life without parole. Many of those sentenced in the 1990s are now hitting their 50s and 60s or beyond, and policy makers and corrections officials are now reaping the consequences of those tough-on-crime policies. Aging in prison presents numerous challenges, including high medical costs, chronic health needs, management of a physically vulnerable population, dementia, mobility concerns, and hospice needs. At the same time, this population presents few public safety risks, if they were to be released to the community, but in many cases, the individuals have nowhere to go. And, for many people, the law currently prohibits their release. From humanitarian, cost, and public safety standpoints, the geriatric population in prison is an ideal target for policymakers to consider for decarceration efforts.

Our class will be doing a 50-state analysis of elder incarceration issues. We will gather and analyze demographic data, examine the impact that COVID had on this older population, identify strategies such as compassionate release for reducing the number of geriatric individuals behind bars, highlight policies that states have implemented to address the aging population, and assess the fiscal impact of savings from early releases. A large part of our efforts will be focused on data analysis and the creation of graphs to illustrate our findings, and we will also be translating this data into prose.

The first few weeks of the course will involve substantive classes and a few assigned readings to provide students with the necessary background for their research project. After that, the class will function more informally, with regular meetings between student teams and the instructor to ensure ongoing progress. Teams will likely each consist of three to five students, with each team working on different aspects of the larger project. Students will be investigating practices all over the country, and will have the opportunity to speak with experts and practitioners as part of their research.

There may also be an opportunity to visit a Texas prison facility that holds a large number of geriatric individuals.

Prerequisites

This course is limited to second-year LBJ students who have had IEM and who have an understanding of descriptive statistics and analysis. No advanced statistical background is necessary. First-year LBJ students with relevant background can be admitted by permission of the instructor. Law students do not need to have this statistical analysis background, but should be comfortable with policy analysis.

Students should be prepared to engage in substantial research and writing, and should be comfortable working in teams on a significant project. While a background in criminal justice or corrections is not required for the class, it would certainly be helpful.

Instructors

This project is being coordinated by the Prison and Jail Innovation Lab (PJIL) at the LBJ School. PJIL is a national policy resource center focused on ways to improve the safe and humane treatment of people in custody. Course instructors Michele Deitch and Alycia Welch serve, respectively, as Director and Associate Director of PJIL.

Our community partner is the ACLU’s National Prison Project (NPP), the country’s leading prisoners’ rights organization. The NPP’s project lead is Alyssa Gordon, a 2022 graduate of UT Law School and a former student of Michele’s, who is the NPP’s Borchard Fellow. The directors of the NPP are David Fathi and Corene Kendrick (LBJ 1996), both of whom are nationally-respected attorneys. Students will have the opportunity to learn from all of them during the semester.

Learning Objectives

Through this class, students will develop skills in conceptualizing, conducting, and completing a significant research project that will be of use to policymakers, corrections practitioners, journalists, and advocates. They will learn how to research and write for a policy audience, and will improve their skills in data analysis and fiscal analysis. Students will also improve their teamwork and project management skills.  

Course Requirements and Grading

Students are expected to attend all classes and team meetings, participate fully in the group work activities, submit work to their teammates in a timely manner, and produce work products that are well-written, accurately analyzed, and responsive to the assignments. Each team will produce a variety of work products, to be determined in collaboration with our partner. Teams may also be asked to conduct an oral briefing about their research.

Students will be graded on the basis of the quality of their individual contributions to the group project, the overall group project (a team grade), and on class participation.  Students will also be asked to submit a self-assessment as well as an assessment of their fellow team members’ participation in the group work.

This course is cross-listed between the LBJ School and the Law School, which will allow for an interdisciplinary approach to this topic.

Course Overview

This course will involve intensive team research projects to identify and catalogue positive culture change developments in prisons and jails across the United States. While correctional institutions remain dangerous places that harm the people who live and work inside them, there are pockets of good things happening in an effort to shift the culture of these facilities and provide a safer and healthier environment. For example, there are a number of prisons that have been trying to implement innovative practices modeled on the Scandinavian correctional system. Other agencies have begun prison arts programs or prisoner-run radio stations, to mention just a few of these kinds of changes. The goal of this project is to track down these types of initiatives, both large and small, and to gather information about them in a single detailed public-facing database so as to enable other jurisdictions, policy-makers, and advocates to be inspired and to use these initiatives as models for change. Our efforts to elevate these initiatives will also serve to support correctional leaders who are trying out new ways to help improve the correctional environment, an uphill battle for many of these directors.

This project is being conducted in collaboration with the Prison and Jail Innovation Lab (PJIL) at the LBJ School. PJIL is a national policy resource center focused on ways to improve the safe and humane treatment of people in custody. Course instructors Michele Deitch and Alycia Welch serve, respectively, as Director and Associate Director of PJIL. The database that our class will be preparing will be published on an online resource website that PJIL is developing.

The first few weeks of the course will involve substantive classes and a few assigned readings to provide students with the necessary background for their research project. After that, the class will function more informally, with regular meetings between student teams and the instructor to ensure ongoing progress. Teams will likely each consist of three or four students. Students will be investigating practices all over the country, and will have the opportunity to speak with experts and practitioners as part of their research.

Although this is considered an “advanced” class, there is no prerequisite for the course.  However, students should be prepared to engage in substantial research and writing, and should be comfortable working in teams on a significant project. While a background in criminal justice or corrections is not required for the class, it would certainly be helpful.

Learning Objectives

Through this class, students will develop skills in conceptualizing, conducting, and completing a significant research project that will be of use to policymakers, corrections practitioners, journalists, and advocates. They will learn how to research and write for a policy audience, and will learn about positive developments in correctional administration and management. Students will also improve their teamwork and project management skills.  

Course Requirements and Grading

Students are expected to attend all classes and team meetings, participate fully in the group work activities, submit work to their teammates in a timely manner, and produce work products that are well-written, accurate, and responsive to the assignments. Each team will produce a variety of work products, including a spreadsheet with details about their findings, short write-ups about each initiative, short reports about the types of initiatives identified, and possibly some other documents as well. Teams may also be asked to conduct an oral briefing about their research.

Students will be graded on the basis of the quality of their individual contributions to the group project, the overall group project (a team grade), and on class participation.  Students will also be asked to submit a self-assessment as well as an assessment of their fellow team members’ participation in the group work.

This course is cross-listed between the LBJ School and the Law School, which will allow for an interdisciplinary approach to this topic.

Course Overview

This course will involve intensive team research projects focused on various aspects of deaths in custody investigations. Deaths in prisons and jails are sadly all too common and have drawn significant media attention in recent years. A Congressional subcommittee also held an important hearing on this topic in September 2022, which has focused policy attention on the failures of correctional agencies to properly report all deaths in custody to the federal government.

Our class will be researching national practices about three important aspects of deaths in custody:  how investigations of deaths in custody are handled and by whom; public reporting requirements regarding these deaths; and requirements for notifying families about deaths of their loved ones. We will not actually be investigating any of these cases ourselves.

The goal is to produce research and policy documents that will help inform policymakers, practitioners, and advocates about best practices and necessary changes to the way that deaths in custody are handled in order to advance changes to policy and practice that ensure proper investigations of these deaths, learn lessons that can prevent future deaths, provide more transparency about these occurrences, and show more respect for the families of those who have died.

This project is being conducted in collaboration with the Prison and Jail Innovation Lab (PJIL) at the LBJ School. PJIL is a national policy resource center focused on the safe and humane treatment of people in custody. Course instructors Michele Deitch and Alycia Welch serve, respectively, as Director and Associate Director of PJIL.

The first few weeks of the course will involve substantive classes and a few short assigned readings to provide students with the necessary background for their research project. After that, the class will function more informally, with regular meetings between student teams and the instructor to ensure ongoing progress. Teams will likely each consist of four students. Students will look both nationally and internationally for guidance on best practices, and will have the opportunity to speak with experts and practitioners as part of their research.

Although this is considered an “advanced” class, there is no prerequisite for the course.  However, students should be prepared to engage in substantial research and writing, and should be comfortable working in teams on a significant project. While a background in criminal justice or corrections is not required for the class, it would certainly be helpful.

Learning Objectives

Through this class, students will develop skills in conceptualizing, conducting, and completing a significant research project that will be of use to policymakers, corrections practitioners, journalists, and advocates. They will learn how to research and write for a policy audience, and will learn about an important function of corrections management that goes to the heart of what it means to keep people in custody safe. Students will also improve their teamwork and project management skills. 

Course Requirements and Grading

Students are expected to attend all classes and team meetings, participate fully in the group work activities, submit work to their teammates in a timely manner, and produce work products that are well-written, accurate, and responsive to the assignments. Each team will produce a variety of work products, including a short report, a one-pager, and possibly some other documents as well, and may be asked to conduct an oral briefing about their research.

Students will be graded on the basis of the quality of their individual contributions to the group project, the overall group project (a team grade), and on class participation.  Students will also be asked to submit a self-assessment as well as an assessment of their fellow team members’ participation in the group work.

This course is cross-listed between the LBJ School and the Law School, which will allow for an interdisciplinary approach to this topic.

A course focusing on real-life cases and key strategic decisions made immediately before and during trial to position you for success. Nationally renowned trial master, David Beck, will demonstrate, share secrets and teach strategy. This is an advanced course. Texas Civil Procedure and Advocacy classes are recommended prior courses.

A course focusing on real-life cases and key strategic decisions made immediately before and during trial to position you for success. Nationally renowned trial master, David Beck, will demonstrate, share secrets and teach strategy. This is an advanced course. Texas Civil Procedure and Advocacy classes are recommended prior courses.

A course focusing on real-life cases and key strategic decisions made immediately before and during trial to position you for success. Nationally renowned trial master, David Beck, will demonstrate, share secrets and teach strategy.  This is an advanced course. Texas Civil Procedure and Advocacy classes are recommended prior courses.

A course focusing on real-life cases and key strategic decisions made immediately before and during trial to position you for success. Nationally renowned trial master, David Beck, will demonstrate, share secrets and teach strategy.  This is an advanced course. Texas Civil Procedure and Advocacy classes are recommended prior courses.

A course focusing on real-life cases and key strategic decisions made immediately before and during trial to position you for success. Nationally renowned trial master, David Beck, will demonstrate, share secrets and teach strategy.  This is an advanced course. Texas Civil Procedure and Advocacy classes are recommended prior courses.

American water law, floated by its policies and rationales, evolved under opportune circumstances that bestowed on this young country abundant seasonal rainfall; thousands of mighty and contributory surface waters; and multitudes of sub-surface geologic formations that discharged and recharged, over the unhurried course of geologic time, providing seemingly limitless quantities of naturally-cooled and filtered stores of water from underground. These gifts of a palpably benevolent natural order--and the supportive understanding that water is a renewable resource-- helped to root pragmatic societal optimism regarding the use of water "from sea to shining sea", in accord with the popular anthem "America, the Beautiful". The rights, rules, and regulations that came to embody water law were stood up under these conditions.

The local-to-global conditions that account for the stocks and flows of water resources today, including the accelerating changes in when and how it "renews", have shifted massively since our water ownership and management regime evolved. It is evident that, under current and continuing challenges, the regime needs to evolve faster and further than it has ever done before. Why and how?

In this new course, we will take a close look at several of the challenging conditions that are putting immense pressure on water resources, our understandings of them, the legal management of them, and the values and principles that ought to drive inquiries into our short- and long-term goals. As to each such major undertaking within the course, we will explore the newest ideas for regime-change--and possibly shape some of our own.  

Subjects we are likely to take up in a slow sequence to allow for the extended consideration of some of these topics includes: consumptive water use for data centers; the re-use of "produced water" (especially in Texas) for irrigation and other purposes; the federal and state regulation of toxic chemical introduction into water bodies; the de-salination alternative; and the management of water under conditions of severe drought and severe flood. At least one topic will include international waters and the special challenges for management that they pose (likely, our topic will involve the Rio Grande River.) 

The productive dividends on offer include collaborative inter-disciplinary engagement; the careful construction of factual as well as legal understandings; outside expert participation; and writing with and without the use of AI. There will be no final exam. There is no prerequisite for this course.