Only a small portion of international criminal law disputes are resolved in some form of international court like the International Criminal Court or a special tribunal. The majority are instead resolved in a domestic court system, meaning that, effectively, the practice of international criminal law occurs in a number of different criminal justice systems. This course familiarizes students with the varieties of criminal justice systems around the world. Though each country or region has its own individual system tailored to its history and culture, regional and cultural similarities exist in the structure and approach of individual systems. The course will ground students in the major types of criminal justice systems around the world, from the Anglo-American system to a European system to an Islamic system. The course will look both at individual systems from countries that have a strong presence in the world of international criminal law and at the general principles that underlie the differences in major systems.

This course serves as the capstone to the process begun with the International Criminal Law Survey course. Students will complete a significant research and writing project on a subject of their choice under the supervision of a faculty member. The project will include a set of deadlines for outlines and drafts as well as frequent interaction with the Professor. The emphasis will be on a product reflective of a significant analytical effort rather than a merely broad descriptive one.

Pretrial Advocacy is a 2-L simulation course. Each of the two sections is a law firm. Each firm has an experienced litigator/professor in the role of "senior partner," and the 2L scholars are "junior associates." There are also two 3L scholars in each firm who serve as "senior associates". Actors play the roles of the parties and various witnesses. Working both in small groups and alone, the junior associates: interview clients and witnesses; prepare or answer a complaint; prepare and answer interrogatories; take and defend a deposition with an actual court reporter who takes it in "real time" and provides a transcript; prepare a motion or an objection to a motion for summary judgment which is then argued before a real judge in the judge's courtroom; and prepare a final pretrial statement for submission to the court. Throughout the semester, the "junior associates" also submit time sheets to their "senior partners." "Junior associates" receive constructive feedback from their "senior partners," "senior associates," and each other, as well as from court reporters, judges, attorneys, standardized clients and witnesses. They also observe and critique their taped deposition and oral argument performances. At the end of the course, each scholar prepares a reflective paper in which, using the MacCrate skills and values as a guide, the student identifies those skills and values that were addressed in the course, reflects upon the student's own perceived strengths and weaknesses, and discusses how the student plans to cultivate strengths and improve weaknesses. Eligibility: Required DWS course. Non-DWS students may apply by lottery. Course enrollment is limited to 20 students. Course format: simulation. Grading: other (see syllabus), 100%. This course cannot be taken for an S/U grade.

In this course, students acquire a basic understanding of the numerous career paths available to lawyers, explore basic concepts of legal professionalism, understand the fundamentals of the business of law, practice the ?soft skills? necessary for effective lawyering, and develop an individual career development strategy for exploring their unique professional interests throughout the next three years. During classes, students meet practitioners from a variety of practice areas. The attorneys address various business and professional issues they handle on a daily basis so that students can begin to discern not only the legal and business issues in different legal practices, but also the professional standards that attorneys will expect of them in the workplace. During a portion of each class, students apply the information they learned from the attorneys to a practical aspect of their own professional development. Students also research and establish a mentoring relationship with a practitioner, attend networking events, participate in community service projects, attend additional events, meetings, and conferences and practice other ?soft skills? as requirements of the course. This class meets for two hours every other week. Students are expected to complete several specific written assignments. Grading is S/U and is based on attendance, participation and satisfactory completion of all projects and written assignments. This is a required 1L course.