Criminal Law and Policy

Skills – 2 units. Courts have seen an increase in domestic violence case filings in Family Courts. A majority of domestic violence cases in Family Court are shorter evidentiary hearings that are treated like formal trials. This course is designed for students who qualify as certified law students and would like to receive the training necessary to work on domestic violence restraining order cases filed in Family Court under the supervision of an attorney.

Skills – 2 units. Parole law and practice will provide students with an opportunity to learn about parole law in criminal cases with emphasis on the preparation and representation of incarcerated persons seeking parole. Students will be expected to research and learn relevant case law, statutes and regulations pertaining to parole, primarily in California, with some exploration of other jurisdictions.

Skills – 3 units. This practicum explores the origins and enforcement of California’s Racial Justice Act (RJA). The lecture component will provide a foundation in equal protection jurisprudence and litigation, tracing the development of case law from colonial America to the current federal standards. Students will learn the structural limits of federal intent-based doctrine and the new state remedy, the RJA. Students will gain practical experience investigating, pleading, and litigating RJA violations in post-conviction settings, with focused instruction on California habeas procedure.

Skills – 2 units. In the Criminal Defense Skills class, students learn how to practice criminal defense by studying every aspect of client representation, including client interviews, case investigations, plea negotiations, pretrial hearings, trials, sentencing hearings, and ethics. This class will benefit any student intending to practice client-centered trial work, as well as any student intending to work in criminal justice. The final project will focus on simulated sentencing hearings.

Discussion - 2 units. This course examines the developing role of crime victims in the U.S. justice system and is critical for anyone who will come into contact with or work with victims of crime. Students will understand the justice system from the perspective of crime victims, learn about victims' constitutional rights, and understand why victim participation is critical for the proper functioning of the criminal justice system.

Final Assessment: Take-home exam
Grading Mode: Letter Grading

Skills — 1 unit. This course will introduce students to the practice of conscious lawyering, including concepts in professional and personal identity, self-awareness, focus, emotional intelligence, cultural and personal values, mindfulness, meditation, and mind-body connection. This course will help train students to be mindful and aware while engaging in the practice of law including litigation, negotiations, transactional deals, client management, and day-to-day work in a law practice.

Seminar — 2 units. As California moves into its second decade of criminal justice reform, we now turn our focus to how those with mental health conditions interact with law enforcement and the justice system. This class will explore the work of crisis intervention teams, collaborative courts, and California's new CARE courts. Our effort will build on a foundational study of competency, insanity, protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act, hospital holds, forced medication, and conservatorships. Special attention will be given to children and the elderly.

Skills — 1 unit. This course is designed to teach students (1) the law that restricts and supports jury selection in criminal law trials (2) the most effective methods of engaging in jury selection (3) how to think critically and strategically about voir dire questioning and juror challenges.

This course will be taught as an accelerated course. Class will meet for first 7 weeks only.

Discussion — 2 units. This course will examine major cases, statutes, and events in the law, both on the books and in action, dealing with nonwhites. The course will include discussion of the situation of African Americans, Asians, Indigenous People, and Latinx People, from the Colonial era to the present. In addition to examining legal doctrine and policy, it will explore how the contemporary United States has been shaped by racial discrimination.

Seminar — 2 or 3 units. This seminar explores the ways political units in different countries attempt to maintain social order and advance criminal justice. Students examine the people, policies, and institutions responsible for adjudicating alleged criminal law violations around the globe. They also learn about how rules of professional responsibility and legal ethics guide the behavior of the institutional actors who participate in these criminal processes.