Oral Argument Workshop

Building on the skills developed in Federal Litigation, this simulation course will give students the unique opportunity to argue and judge pretrial motions from actual federal court cases. The instructor will provide the written briefs, and each week half the class will argue and half the class will judge a motion. Preparation will require reading the cases cited in the briefs and coming to class ready either to present an argument (attorneys) or interrogate counsel (judges). Students will critique each other both orally and in writing, and the instructor will provide oral critiques of all arguments. The goals of this class are: to train students to argue in court; to provide them with a chance to polish their public speaking skills and practice thinking on their feet; to prepare students to engage in challenging dialogue with both colleagues and future clients; and to improve self-confidence. Thus, while the context of the course is litigation, the objectives are much broader than the mastery of litigation technique. This course is not open to first year Law School students. LLM students may enroll if they have familiarity with U.S. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Priority will be given to those students who commit to taking the class (i.e., actually taking the class, barring unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances) if given consent to enroll. Please indicate your commitment on the consent form. Elements used in grading: Class attendance, participation, and preparation. CONSENT APPLICATION: To apply for this course, students must complete and submit a Consent Application Form available on the SLS Registrar website https://registrar.law.stanford.edu/. Click SUNetID Login in the top right corner of the page and then click the "Consent Courses" tab. See Consent Application Form for instructions and submission deadline. NOTE: I recognize that the first class meeting occurs on the first evening of Passover, and I am happy to make accommodations.