Litigation

General Advice

Students interested in litigation need to plan a balanced schedule of courses from four general categories: (1) courses covering the substantive law to be litigated (2) courses concerning legal principles important to the judicial system and the litigation process (3) simulation courses introducing the pertinent skills and (4) the live-client clinics in which students practice those skills. The litigation related live-client clinics have a limited enrollment and require Rule 13 certification (which requires completion of 42 credit hours and permits students to appear in Missouri courts).

Students should consider the concentrations in Criminal or Civil Litigation skills.

Specific Courses/Frequency of Offering

Courses and Seminars Covering Pertinent Substantive Law

• Admiralty (3 hrs.) (alternating years/day or evening)
  
• Constitutional Law II (3 hrs.) (every year/day; alternating years/evening)
  
• Commercial Transactions (3 hrs.) (every fall/day; alternating years/evening)
  
• Health Law (3 hrs.) (every fall/day; occasionally/evening)
  
• Family Law: Marriage, Divorce, and Child Custody (3 hrs.) (every year/day; alternating years/evening)
  
• Labor Law (3 hrs.) (every fall semester/day; alternating years/evening)
  
• Environmental Law (3 hrs.) (every year/day; occasionally/evening)
  
• Juvenile Delinquency (2 hrs.) (alternating years/day or evening)
  
• Products Liability (3 hrs.) (alternating years/day)
  
• Health Care Provider Liability (2 hrs.) (every year/day)
  
• Insurance (2 hrs.) (usually summer)
  
• Employment Discrimination (3 hrs.) (every year/day; occasionally/evening)
  
• Antitrust (3 hrs.) (every year/day or evening)

Courses and Seminars concerning Legal Principles important to the Judicial System and the Litigation Process

• Administrative Law (3 hrs.) (every spring/day; alternating years/evening)
  
• Evidence (4 hrs.) (every fall/day; alternating years/evening)
  
• Remedies (3 or 4 hrs.) (every year/day; alternating years/evening)
  
• Legal Profession (3 hrs.) (every spring/day; alternating years/evening)
  
• Criminal Procedure (3 hrs.) (every fall/day; alternating years/evening)
  
• Criminal Procedure: Adjudication (formerly Criminal Procedure II) (2 hrs.) (occasionally/day or evening)
  
• Federal Courts (3 hrs.) (every year/day; alternating years/evening)
  
• Conflict of Laws (3 hrs.) (every year/day; alternating years/evening)

Seminars (usually offered in late afternoon)

• Appeals (2 hrs.) (usually every year/late afternoon)
  
• Child Abuse and Neglect (2 hrs.) (alternating years)
  
• Jury Instructions (2 hrs.) (alternating years)
  
• Negotiation: Theory and Strategy (2 hrs.) (usually every year)

Simulation Courses

• Civil Practice (3 hrs.) (every semester day; alternating fall semesters/evening)
  
• Trial Advocacy I (2 hrs.) (every semester/evening)
  
• Trial Advocacy II (2 hrs.) (every semester; limited enrollment)
  
• Moot Court I, II (1 hr.) (every fall/spring semesters, respectively - available to day and evening students)
  
• Client Counseling I (1 hr.) (every fall semester/day)(limited enrollment)

Live - Client Clinics

• Civil Advocacy Clinic (3-4 hrs.) (every semester) includes:
  
• Litigation Clinic (limited)
  
• Health Law Clinic
  
• Housing Law Clinic
  
• Externships
  
• Criminal Defense Clinic (6 hrs.) (every year)
  
• Corporate Externship (2 hrs.) (alternating years)
  
• Judicial Process (3 hrs.) (every semester/day)

Sequencing of Courses

Including all the relevant courses in your schedule without denying yourself other needed courses will be very difficult. Students are therefore encouraged to plan carefully in selecting courses most important to specific areas of litigation. At minimum, to prepare for a litigation career, students need to take Evidence, Civil Practice and Trial Advocacy.

If at all possible, a litigation-related clinic is important to the development of litigation skills. Evening students need to understand that some, but not all, clinics require daytime hours in order to learn and function effectively in those clinics.

Students should choose the substantive law courses pertaining to the kind of litigation of interest to them. Students who have not developed a specialized substantive law interest should consider enrolling in the basic Family Law course, and Constitutional Law II.

It is very important not to neglect the courses which cover the principles of litigation and adjudication. Students interested in federal court litigation should be sure to take Federal Courts. Most litigation today is shaped in some way by principles studied in Administrative Law and Remedies.

A few, but only a few of these courses are prerequisites for others. For example, Evidence and Criminal Procedure are prerequisites for the Criminal Clinic. Civil Practice is a pre or co-requisite for litigation-related clinics which may be taken in the 3rd year (or 4th/5th year evening). Simulation courses (e.g., Civil Practice and Trial Advocacy) may not be taken until after completion of all first year requirements and any other prerequisites.