Appellate Clinic

The Appellate Clinic Experience

In the Appellate Clinic, students brief and argue cases in the United States Courts of Appeals. The Appellate Clinic primarily represents clients in pro bono, court-appointed cases involving civil rights or criminal appeals, but the Clinic can handle all manner of federal appeals. Students work on all aspects of the appeal. This includes regular client interaction, intensive analysis of the record, substantial legal research, and drafting, revising, and finalizing appellate briefs. In most cases, one student will also have an opportunity to present oral argument to the court. And in addition to the Clinic’s primary casework, students may have an opportunity to draft an appellate amicus brief.

The Appellate Clinic also involves a weekly classroom seminar in which students learn various aspects of appellate practice, including advanced writing techniques, best practices for case management, federal appellate procedure,  judicial decision-making, and Supreme Court practice. Towards the end of the semester, all students will present moot oral arguments during the classroom seminar.