Course Schedule

APPLICATION REQUIRED. Instructors: Robert Kepple and Erik Nielsen. The objective of this course is to educate students on the law and legal issues commonly encountered in criminal prosecution, and to familiarize the students with the unique duties and responsibilities of a criminal prosecutor not simply as an advocate, but as a minister of justice.

The course consists of a 2-credit classroom component and a 3-credit internship program in the Travis County District Attorney’s Office. All credits are pass/fail. The course is open to students who have completed the first two semesters of law school, but enrollment is limited and preference is given to students who have completed 43 credit hours or who are in their second semester of their second year of law school, and who would be eligible to appear in court for the State under the supervision of a licensed prosecutor. It is recommended that students have completed Evidence prior to this internship.

The classroom component of the course will require students to study substantive and procedural law and issues commonly-encountered by criminal prosecutors, covering topics such as charging instruments, discovery, search and seizure, jury selection, public integrity prosecution, trial tactics, evidence, post-conviction DNA, and oral advocacy. Students will also spend significant time discussing the unique ethical responsibilities and duties of a public prosecutor, with focus on the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct and the National Prosecution Standards.

Each student will also be assigned to a trial court prosecution team or to the Special Victims Unit in the District Attorney's office and will be supervised by prosecutors assigned to the court and the Unit. Students can expect to gain active experience in all aspects of the day-to-day functions of the public prosecutor, including the charging decision, pleading, discovery, motions to suppress evidence, motions to revoke probation, and the trial of the case. Commensurate with experience and opportunity, students may have the opportunity to actively participate in the courtroom proceedings.

Students are required to fill out applications for admission to the course and will consult with the instructors in advance regarding their court placement. Students must complete 150 hours of placement work for their internship. Each student will arrange a mutually convenient work schedule with their supervising attorney. Students may not receive compensation for their internship.

This public service internship course has two components: (1) a weekly class, and (2) an internship with a government or nonprofit organization that involves delivering legal services and performing other law-related tasks under the supervision of an experienced lawyer employed by the organization. Students engage in legal work in public service offices, gaining hands-on experience that they reflect upon and analyze in a weekly class. Assignments address topics relevant to the legal profession and professional identity, including ethics, advocacy and communication skills, and professional self-development.

In their internships, students will develop lawyering skills important to their current stage of professional development. Placement supervisors are experienced attorneys who broadly expose students to the activities of their offices, oversee varied and demanding assignments, and provide regular feedback on student performance. Students are required to work at least 150 hours at their internships during the semester, and students may not receive financial compensation for their internship work. The internship must involve the student and the supervising attorney working in person; regular remote work is not permitted. Students and supervisors are expected to work together at their placement offices.

The classroom component of the course is designed to enhance the educational experience of students by giving them the opportunity to reflect on their internship and to understand the broader landscape in which their internship is situated. Through the seminar, students will deepen their understanding of public service lawyering, ethical issues that confront public sector lawyers, and the role of lawyers in increasing access to justice.

Application Requirements: Students must submit an application for permission to register for the course. The course is open to students who have completed the first two semesters of law school. Before submitting an application to the instructor, a student must first arrange a government or nonprofit internship based in the Austin area. The instructor is available to consult with students about possible placements, and some organizations post opportunities on Symplicity. Each placement and supervising attorney must be approved by the instructor prior to registration. A student who wishes to intern for academic credit must obtain the internship and apply to the instructor before the first class meeting.

Students who have previously received credit through any of the other internship courses (nonprofit, legislative, judicial, etc.) are eligible to enroll in this course. Credits: 4 (graded pass/fail)

No scheduled meeting time.

Internship – APPLICATION REQUIRED. Contact the instructor for information about applying. Students must register for both Semester in Practice internship courses (one for 8 credits and one for 2 credits – for a total of 10 credits). Students must intern in-person at their field placements for this course, no remote internships will be approved.

Students in this clinical internship immerse themselves in practice, developing their professional skills and studying the role of lawyers and legal institutions. The course addresses topics relevant to public service lawyering in varied settings, including professionalism, ethics, advocacy, access to justice, the legal profession, and legal institutions. 

For placements in the U.S., students intern have the opportunity to intern full-time in government, nonprofit and legislative offices located outside of the Austin area.

For placements outside the U.S., students have the opportunity to intern full-time with specialized courts, international institutions, and nongovernmental organizations. 

Placement supervisors are experienced attorneys who expose students to the legal activities of their offices, oversee varied and demanding assignments, and provide regular feedback on student performance. Each student consults with the instructor to arrange his or her field placement, and each placement and supervisor must be approved by the instructor prior to registration. An international placement may be arranged in consultation with the Bernard and Audre Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice or arranged independently

Students are required to intern for 500 hours and may not receive a salary for their internship work, although they may receive a modest stipend to offset unusual living or travel expenses. Students are expected to complete a number of written assignments and maintain close contact with the instructor during the internship.

Interested students should review the course website (https://law.utexas.edu/internships/application-information//) and then email the instructor (Eden Harrington, eharrington@law.utexas.edu) to arrange a time to discuss the course.

No scheduled meeting time.

Internship – APPLICATION REQUIRED. Contact the instructor for information about applying. Students must register for both Semester in Practice internship courses (one for 8 credits and one for 2 credits – for a total of 10 credits). Students must intern in-person at their field placements for this course, no remote internships will be approved.

Students in this clinical internship immerse themselves in practice, developing their professional skills and studying the role of lawyers and legal institutions. The course addresses topics relevant to public service lawyering in varied settings, including professionalism, ethics, advocacy, access to justice, the legal profession, and legal institutions. 

For placements in the U.S., students intern have the opportunity to intern full-time in government, nonprofit and legislative offices located outside of the Austin area.

For placements outside the U.S., students have the opportunity to intern full-time with specialized courts, international institutions, and nongovernmental organizations. 

Placement supervisors are experienced attorneys who expose students to the legal activities of their offices, oversee varied and demanding assignments, and provide regular feedback on student performance. Each student consults with the instructor to arrange his or her field placement, and each placement and supervisor must be approved by the instructor prior to registration. An international placement may be arranged in consultation with the Bernard and Audre Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice or arranged independently

Students are required to intern for 500 hours and may not receive a salary for their internship work, although they may receive a modest stipend to offset unusual living or travel expenses. Students are expected to complete a number of written assignments and maintain close contact with the instructor during the internship.

Interested students should review the course website (https://law.utexas.edu/internships/application-information//) and then email the instructor (Eden Harrington, eharrington@law.utexas.edu) to arrange a time to discuss the course.

Instructors: Captain Andrew Lane and Prof. Susan R. Klein

No class meeting information is available for this class. Students will arrange their work schedules with their supervisors. They are expected to work about 10 hours per week during the fall 2023 and spring 2024 semesters.

Exams:            None

Registration Information:

This course is restricted to upper class students only. U.S. Army Externship – APPLICATION REQUIRED: https://law.utexas.edu/internships/u-s-army-internship/u-s-army-internship-course-information/

To apply, please e-mail a copy of your cover letter, resume and transcript (unofficial is fine) to Prof. Klein at sklein@law.utexas.edu and Captain Andrew Lane at andrew.d.lane7.mil@army.mil.  Students interested in the externship are encouraged to stop by Prof. Klein’s office at TNH 3.207 (her office hours are Wed. from 3:30 to 5:00 pm). You may call or text her at (512) 203-2257, or send her an e-mail at the above address. Alternatively, you may call Captain Lane at (770) 597-6542, or send him an email at the above address. You can reach the Fort Hood Trial Defense office at (254) 287-0476.

** This course meets the Professional Skills requirement for graduation. **

Course Description:

This externship program offers students the opportunity to apply for “for-credit” externship positions with the United States Army Trial Defense Service, Fort Hood Field Office. This course offers students a two-credit (pass/fail) externship to be completed over the fall 2023 semester and a two-credit (pass/fail) externship to be completed over the spring 2024 semester. While this externship program is not available during either summer session, students are welcome to apply for summer positions directly with that office. Students participating in this program must commit to both long semesters.

Students will assist defense counsels and paralegals in administrative separations and criminal proceedings pursuant to the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The Fort Hood Legal office is the largest and busiest office in the Army. Attorneys there have federal felony jury trials monthly, similar to those seen in a Federal District Court but often with crimes and facts unique to the military. Army JAG officers regularly change jobs, working as prosecutors, magistrate judges, defense attorneys, national security attorneys, and trial/appellate judges. This creates a level of collegiality and rapport not seen in criminal justice practice elsewhere.

Applicants may benefit from having completed or being enrolled in an upper-level criminal law course such as Adv. Fed. Crim. Prosecution & Defense, Federal Criminal Law, National Security Law, Cybersecurity Law, Criminal Procedure, Evidence, or Computer Law. None of those courses are required.

The externship component requires a commitment to work 10 hours per week, though not all hours must be completed at the office. Students should expect to spend one day per week at Fort Hood Trial Defense Service, 330 761st Tank Battalion Ave, Fort Hood, Tx 76544, working in the office or in court. Ft. Hood is located about halfway between Austin and Waco, a bit over an hour’s drive from the law school or about 50 minutes from Georgetown.

The application deadline for the next academic year is Monday, May 8, 2023. Interviews are conducted at the Career Services Office or over Zoom. Though students will know whether or not they are admitted before fall registration, the unique registration number for the fall 2023 internship will not be available until April 15, 2023.

Additional information about the U.S. Army Trial Defense Service, is available at: Trial Defense Service Public (army.mil).

No class meeting information is available for this class. Students will arrange their work schedules with their supervisors. They are expected to work about 10 hours per week during the fall 2023 and spring 2024 semesters.

Exams:            None

Registration Information:

This course is restricted to upper class students only. U.S. Attorney Internship – APPLICATION REQUIRED. Application and/or instructions on how to apply for this internship can be accessed on the web: https://law.utexas.edu/internships/u-s-attorney-internship/course-information/

To apply, please e-mail a copy of your cover letter, resume and transcript (unofficial is fine) to Professor Klein and AUSA Matt Harding. Please also send copies of the above to usatxw.staffing@usdoj.gov. Students interested in the internship are encouraged stop by Prof. Klein’s office at TNH 3.207 (her office hours Wed. from 3:30 to 5:00 pm). You may call or text her at (512) 203-2257, or send her an e-mail at sklein@law.utexas.edu. Alternatively, you may call AUSA Harding at (512) 916-5858, or send him an e-mail at matt.harding@usdoj.gov.

** This course meets the Professional Skills requirement for graduation. **

Course Description:

This internship program offers students the opportunity to apply for “for-credit” internship positions with the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas, Austin Division. This course offers students a two-credit internship to be completed over the fall 2023 semester and a two-credit internship to be completed over the spring 2024 semester, resulting in a total of 4 credits (pass/fail) for the academic year. This internship program is not available during either summer session.

Students may wish to enroll in the fall three-unit Adv. Fed. Crim. Prosecution & Defense seminar, co-taught by Prof. Klein and Aleza Remis. Students may also be interested in the three-unit Federal Criminal Law course taught by Prof. Klein in spring 2024 and the seminar taught by Judge Robert Pitman in fall 2023. Applicants may benefit from having completed either Criminal Procedure course, Evidence, any upper-level criminal law course, and any internship or clinic in the criminal justice field. None of those courses are required.

The internship component requires a commitment to work 10 hours per week for each semester, though not all hours must be completed at the office. The U.S. Attorney's Office is downtown at 903 San Jacinto Blvd., Suite 334, Austin, Texas, 78701. Students will assist in the prosecution of federal criminal cases under the supervision of Matt Harding, Dan Guess, and other Assistant U.S. Attorneys. Students should expect to spend at least one day per week at the office or in federal court.  Students must commit to both semesters.

The application deadline for the next academic year is Monday, March 27, 2023. Interviews are conducted at the Career Services Office or over Zoom. Though students will know whether or not they are admitted before fall registration, the unique registration number for the fall 2023 internship will not be available until April 15, 2023.

Additional information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office is available at: www.usdoj.gov/usao/txwd/.

Students may also review https://www.justice.gov/legal-careers/job/law-student-volunteer-academic-year-2023-2024.

This course introduces you how to use economic reasoning to analyze legal issues. The course will focus on the common law areas of property, contracts, and tort as well as the legal process and criminal law. Economic analysis of law analyzes legal rules with one main question in mind: how will people and firms respond to a given legal rule? That is, rather than look at the inherent "fairness" or "justness" of a legal rule, law and economics focuses on the incentives that a legal rule creates. The normative aspect of law and economics then asks how legal rules should be structured to create the most desirable incentives.

The materials for this one-hour pass-fail course are still being worked out.  What is most likely is that each week will focus, for the two-hour class period, on one or, at most, two, stories or a short novel that raise issues relevant to the law.  For example, under what circumstances do we properlyaccept private revenge, because, for example, a working legal system that provides adequate "justice" is lacking?  Does Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure" offer any useful lessons about "the rule of law" and/or "fidelity to law"?   We might also assign some legal opinions or essays that are thought to be of particular literary merit and analyze what that may (or may not) be true.  Each student will be required to provide three short essays (of roughly 500-600) words responding to the pieces assigned during particular weeks of your choice.  They will be ungraded, but we hope that they will provide the agenda for much of the class discussion for those weeks.

Stretching from Texas to California, the U.S.-Mexico border brings together diverse cultural experiences and identities, along with a unique set of legal issues.  This course will provide students with an opportunity to examine these issues from a historical perspective. 

We will begin with the role of conquest – beginning with the Spanish conquest of indigenous peoples, and the subsequent annexation and conquest of the border territories by the United States.

We will then turn to the impact of nationality, national origin, class, ethnicity, race and language on the law affecting border communities, focusing on developments in U.S. immigration, labor and civil rights law, as well as the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the 2020 United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement.    

The course will end with an examination of major controversies currently affecting the border region, including the militarization of the border zone; the construction of a border “wall;” and the treatment of undocumented immigrants and their children. 

There are no prerequisites.  Each student will prepare and present weekly reaction papers, along with an independent research project.

Prerequisite: Legal Analysis and Communication

This course is restricted to upper division students who have completed the first year, two semester, Legal Analysis and Communication course or who otherwise obtain the permission of the instructors. LLM and Exchange Students interested in taking the course should first contact the instructors to discuss whether their prior coursework includes instruction similar to a first year, two semester, Legal Analysis and Communication course. 

This one credit, pass-fail, seven week course will solidify and build upon legal research skills acquired during the first year of law school. It will focus on the identification and evaluation of relevant primary and secondary sources and efficient information retrieval. Students will learn how to design a research strategy that effectively integrates using online tools with an underlying understanding of traditional print resources.  Students who successfully complete this course will gain a thorough understanding of the use of legal information and research resources in diverse contexts. Emphasis will be placed on U.S. federal sources, but Texas materials will be referenced in the course, and will serve as a model for research in the legal materials of other states. 

Students will be required to complete both in- and out-of-class exercises throughout the course, but there is no final examination.

This one credit, pass-fail course focuses on research resources used in business and commercial practice. The emphasis of the course is on identifying sources and efficiently undertaking corporate, securities, and general business and commercial law research. It is not a class on the substantive aspects of corporate and securities law except as those aspects relate to the finding and interpretation of legal materials. Students will be evaluated on take-home and in-class research assignments.

This seven-week course will focus on the resources and methodology used in performing legal research in Texas. Through a series of lectures and assignments students will become familiar with the various types of legal research, including statutory law, case law, administrative regulations, and secondary practice materials. The course is offered on a Pass/Fail basis. Students are required to complete in-class and out-of-class exercises throughout the course, but there is no final exam.

This course is designed to acquaint students with the various genres of legal scholarship that can contribute both to the understanding of our legal system and to the practice of law. Three broad categories of legal scholarship will be read and discussed: (1) jurisprudential scholarship about the correct way to determine the internally-right answer to any legal-rights question in our legal system as well as about the existence of internally-right answers to legal-rights questions in our legal system, (2) analyses of the internally-correct answer to particular legal- rights questions or more general doctrinal questions, and (3) external-to-law analyses of the causes, consequences, "nature," or attractiveness of given bodies of law or legal-decisionmaking processes. To a significant extent, the course will be concerned with the contribution that philosophical, historical, sociological, and economic approaches can make to the study of these issues. The class will meet for three hours once a week. Each session will be divided into two 75-minute, related halves. Most weeks, the two halves will be taught by different presenters or sets of presenters who will discuss articles typically that they have written or occasionally that someone else has written that fall into a particular category. (In addition to the listed instructor, the course will be taught by something like 20 members of the law faculty and possibly some members of other faculties.) Each session will address not only the articles assigned themselves but wider issues the relevant genre of scholarship raises—for example, the jurisprudential assumptions behind a particular doctrinal article, the circumstances in which economic or historical analysis is internal-to-law and external-to-law, the prescriptive-moral relevance of economic-efficiency conclusions. In addition to having an obligation to participate orally in the class, students will be required to write four five-to-ten-page papers on the readings for particular weeks (that can address questions the presenters will pose in advance) and a longer (15-25 page) paper at the end of the course on one or more issues raised during the semester, on how (if at all) and why the course has or has not changed their view of legal education or their professional plans, and/or on anything else related to the course to which the instructor agrees. Within limitations associated with the value of spreading each student's writing evenly throughout the semester and the goal of having the same number of papers written each week, short-paper assignments will be based on student preferences. Short papers will not be assigned for the first two sessions or the last session of the course.

This course aims to familiarize students with Spanish-language legal concepts and terminology and to better prepare them for the use of Spanish in the practice of law. It is designed for students who are proficient in Spanish, but have limited exposure to its use in legal settings. The course will include lectures, readings, and written exercises, primarily in Spanish. The course size is limited to allow students ample opportunities to participate in classroom discussions and exercises, with an eye toward being comfortable communicating with clients or third parties in professional settings. The course will cover general concepts relating to the civil law tradition, as well as specific areas of law, including employment law, immigration law, civil procedure, M&A, and others.

To be added to the waitlist (after all seats are full), please email the instructors at: chris.weimer@gmail.com and ctrevino@jw.com

Advanced Legal Writing: Analysis and Process covers legal analysis, organization, clarity of expression, and writing mechanics, as well as managing research-and-writing projects. A key focus is on producing professional written work on the job.

In this course, students will practice distilling immigration arguments into the persuasive and pleasant-to-read prose necessary for successful advocacy. Documents to be produced, edited, and/or studied may include client declarations, legal memos, trial and appellate briefs, and others. Students will learn to draft for the various audiences an immigration practitioner will encounter, including clients, agency officials, trial and appellate judges, non-immigration lawyers, and the public.  Through peer-editing, students will become more empathetic writers and more skilled self-editors. 

This 2-credit class meets once each week. There is no midterm or final exam. It will be graded Pass/Fail.

Through lecture, discussion, legal writing assignments, and workshopping, this course will help students develop the legal writing skills necessary for successful litigation practice.  Students will draft litigation documents and participate in exercises meant to simulate actual legal practice.  We will also engage in creative writing activities to improve basic writing skills.

There is more to legal writing than the appellate brief. Legal Writing, Adv: Litigation introduces the types of documents used in civil litigation, such as the complaint and answer, discovery requests and objections, and jury instructions. All students will be required to write several litigation documents, evaluate documents written by others, and lead class discussions.

Legal Writing, Advanced: Litigation is a two-credit, pass-fail course. The course covers documents typically drafted during litigation, including pleadings, discovery requests, motions, and letters. Students will draft a variety of litigation documents and critique documents drafted by others.  Students will also make presentations and engage in in-class discussions and exercises.  Attendance is required.

The course focuses on the structure and style of contracts and agreements with a focus on modern drafting conventions. Students will practice revising and drafting various kinds of transactional documents.

The course focuses on the structure and style of contracts and agreements with a focus on modern drafting conventions. Students will practice revising and drafting various kinds of transactional documents.

Course Description Writing for Practice aka Yes, you can practice law in simple American English Among the major problems encountered by young lawyers as they enter practice is the transition from writing like a student to writing like a lawyer. This course is designed to make that transition easier by working on the differences between the two styles. This is not a litigation course. We will not be writing briefs, motions, etc. and very little research will be required. Some case reading and analysis will be required but you won’t have to find the cases; I’ll tell you which they are. My goal is to show you how to write for clients, which is very different from writing for teachers or professors. Accordingly, most of your work product will be client communication in one form or another. During the semester, we’ll work on a simple editing exercise, attempting to convert a poorly written letter to something that a client can understand and apply. We’ll look at a simple escrow agreement in connection with a real estate sale and explain to our client what’s wrong with it, and then move into a complicated business transaction involving taking a public company private and hiring its CEO as CEO of the private company. That involves a “how to” letter to the client, a term sheet for the CEO’s agreement and eventually a draft of the employment agreement with a memo to the client describing the agreement’s open questions and some of the choices that the client has to make to finalize the agreement. The emphasis throughout the course is not on preparing business documents – there are other courses for that – it’s on how to explain those documents to the client in a way that is as clear, concise and simple as can be accomplished.

Course Description Writing for Practice aka Yes, you can practice law in simple American English Among the major problems encountered by young lawyers as they enter practice is the transition from writing like a student to writing like a lawyer. This course is designed to make that transition easier by working on the differences between the two styles. This is not a litigation course. We will not be writing briefs, motions, etc. and very little research will be required. Some case reading and analysis will be required but you won’t have to find the cases; I’ll tell you which they are. My goal is to show you how to write for clients, which is very different from writing for teachers or professors. Accordingly, most of your work product will be client communication in one form or another. During the semester, we’ll work on a simple editing exercise, attempting to convert a poorly written letter to something that a client can understand and apply. We’ll look at a simple escrow agreement in connection with a real estate sale and explain to our client what’s wrong with it, and then move into a complicated business transaction involving taking a public company private and hiring its CEO as CEO of the private company. That involves a “how to” letter to the client, a term sheet for the CEO’s agreement and eventually a draft of the employment agreement with a memo to the client describing the agreement’s open questions and some of the choices that the client has to make to finalize the agreement. The emphasis throughout the course is not on preparing business documents – there are other courses for that – it’s on how to explain those documents to the client in a way that is as clear, concise and simple as can be accomplished.

This course examines the problems and issues that arise when state and federal legislative bodies exercise their power to conduct oversight and investigations of the public and private sector by focusing on the scope and nature of formal and informal processes such as oversight hearings, specialized studies, citizen and select study committees, legislative agency activity, subpenas and examinations, legislative review of administrative rules, and the removal of executive and judicial officers by the legislature. The course includes an examination of how legislative fact-finding compliments and collides with other law enforcement investigations and prosecutions and unique attorney-client privilege issues.

This course is a focused examination of mediation processes. We will take the topics from the Alternative Dispute Resolution course and extend our understanding with practical exercises. The student should leave this course better equipped to represent clients at mediation. This is a skills-oriented course that requires active participation, with the goal of immersing you in the developing realities of mediation.