Criminal Law Commons^™

The Changing Market For Criminal Law Casebooks, Jens David Ohlin

Michigan Law Review

Criminal law is a nasty business. The field takes as its point of departure the indignities that human beings visit upon each other—each one worse than the one before. A book or article about criminal law often reads like a parade of horribles, an indictment of humanity’s descent into moral weakness. For those who teach criminal law, everything else pales in comparison. Neither the business disputes of contract law nor the physical injuries described in a torts casebook can compare with the depravity of what we teach in criminal law. Criminal law professors are often addicted to their subject. Nothing …

The Changing Market For Criminal Law Casebooks, Jens David Ohlin

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

In the following Review, I analyze the leading criminal law casebooks on the market and describe the ways in which they do — and do not — respond to the needs of criminal law teachers. At least part of the issue is the changing nature of law teaching — what actually happens in the classroom has changed in the last three decades. Moreover, there may be less uniformity in classroom practice than in the past; in other words, what works in one law school might not work in another, due in part to the changing profile of law students, as …

What Is Criminal Law About?, Guyora Binder, Robert Weisberg

Michigan Law Review

In “The Changing Market for Criminal Casebooks,” Jens David Ohlin offers an appreciative, but nevertheless critical review of established criminal law casebooks. He then introduces his own offering by describing “a vision for a new casebook” that will better serve the needs and wants of contemporary students. Ohlin begins with the arresting claim that criminal law professors are passionate about their subject because they are fascinated by human depravity. Then, throughout his essay, he stresses efficient, consumer-focused delivery of doctrinal instruction as the defining task of a successful casebook. Moreover, he argues, casebooks should devote less attention to academic theories …

Criminal Defense Clinic, Legal Clinic Program

Course Descriptions and Information

This clinic focuses on the representation of indigent clients charged with misdemeanor criminal offenses in county courts in the Ninth Judicial Circuit of Florida. Students will represent low-income clients charged with misdemeanor criminal offenses from the surrounding community as well as those defendants appointed by the court who qualify for free legal services.

Public Defender Externship, Legal Clinic Program

Course Descriptions and Information

Students represent indigent clients through various Public Defender offices in Central Florida in all phases of the criminal justice system under the direct supervision of Assistant Public Defenders.

Prosecution Externship, Legal Clinic Program

Course Descriptions and Information

The Prosecution Externship offers students the opportunity to practice criminal law as a certified legal intern under the direct supervision of an on-site supervising Assistant State Attorney. The student extern observes and participates in a range of prosecutorial duties, namely: recommending appropriate charges for new cases; negotiating pleas; drafting and arguing pre-trial motions; and participating in trials.

Criminal Defense Clinic, Legal Clinic Program

Clinical Programs Brochures

The Criminal Defense Clinic is one of five in-house clinics offered by the College of Law. The Clinic combines hands-on trial experience with an educational seminar component tailored to developing criminal litigation skills. The Criminal Defense Clinic focuses on the representation of indigent and low-income clients charged with criminal offenses, both misdemeanor and felony cases, in Orange and Osceola County. The Clinic’s goal is to make the student-attorney competent and prepared to represent a criminal defendant from arrest to the resolution of his/her case, and all things in-between.

Prosecution Externship Clinic, Legal Clinic Program

Clinical Programs Brochures

Students have the opportunity to work with federal and state prosecutorial agencies. For students interested in working at a state agency, students will be placed in one of nine State Attorney's Offices. Additionally, students may work at the Statewide Prosecutor's Office of the Attorney General's Office. The Prosecution Clinic also provides students with the unique opportunity to work with federal agencies, namely: U.S. Attorney's Office and the Office of the Chief Counsel for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office.

Teaching Criminal Procedure: Why Socrates Would Use Youtube, Stephen E. Henderson, Joseph Thai

Faculty Articles

In this invited contribution to the Law Journal's annual Teaching Issue, we pay some homage to the great philosopher whose spirit allegedly guides our classrooms, in service of two concrete goals. One, we employ dialogue to describe the “nuts and bolts” of teaching Criminal Procedure, most of which are equally relevant to any doctrinal law school course (including course description, office hours, seating charts and attendance, class decorum and recording, student participation, laptops, textbooks, class preparation and presentation, and exams). Two, we explain the benefits of using multimedia in the classroom, including a few of the many modules found on …

Legal Beagle's Blog Archive For November 2015, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Law Library Newsletters/Blog

No abstract provided.

Peacemaking And Provocation: A Response To Professor Tracey Jean Boisseau, Dan Subotnik

Akron Law Review

I will show in this response a psychological link between what the academics did in the Duke Lacrosse case and the very circumstances they and Professor Boisseau decry.

The Duke Rape Case Five Years Later: Lessons For The Academy, The Media, And The Criminal Justice System, Dan Subotnik

Akron Law Review

The time that has since passed allows for a more comprehensive evaluation of the cultural meaning of the Duke Rape case. This is the goal of the newly released “Institutional Failures,” which constitutes a point of departure for this review. The aim of this article is first to clarify the contribution this book makes to an understanding of the case. I will describe and analyze the content of the nine essays that make up the book; I will make reference to related works, and I will offer a concluding evaluation of the book’s likely impact.

Newsroom: A New Voice For Access To Justice, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

What Is Criminal Law About?, Guyora Binder, Robert Weisberg

Journal Articles

In a recent critique, Jens Ohlin faults contemporary criminal law textbooks for emphasizing philosophy, history and social science at the expense of doctrinal training. In this response, we argue that the political importance of criminal law justifies including reflection about the justice of punishment in the professional education of lawyers. First, we argue that both understanding and evaluating criminal law doctrine requires consideration of political philosophy, legal history, and empirical research. Second, we argue that the indeterminacy of criminal law doctrine on some fundamental questions means that criminal lawyers often cannot avoid invoking normative theory in fashioning legal arguments. Finally, …

Newsroom: Coombs Named Weisberger Professor, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

Introduction To The Symposium On Entrepreneurial Lawyering, Anthony J. Luppino, Ellen Suni

Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

There's A Dyin Voice Within Me Reaching Out Somewhere: How Tj Can Bring Voice To The Teaching Of Mental Disability Law And Criminal Law, Michael L. Perlin

Articles & Chapters

In this article, I discuss my historical involvement with therapeutic jurisprudence (TJ), how I use it in my classes (both in the free-standing TJ class and in all the others that I teach), its role in my written scholarship, and its role in conferences that I regularly attend. Although this is all positive and supportive of all efforts to widen the appeal of TJ as well as its applicability in the classroom, in scholarship and in “real life,” I also share some information that is far from optimistic with regard to the way that TJ is being reacted to by …

Teaching “The Wire”: Crime, Evidence, And Kids, Andrea L. Dennis

Scholarly Works

I have a confession: I have only watched Season 1 of The Wire, and it has been many years since I did that. Thus, both my knowledge and pedagogical use of the show are limited. What explanation can I offer for my failings? I am a Maryland native with family who resides in Baltimore City, or Charm City as it is affectionately called. I worked for several years as an assistant federal public defender in Baltimore City. Over time, I have seen the city evolve, and I have seen it chew up and spit out many good people and some …

Teaching The Wire: Integrating Capstone Policy Content Into The Criminal Law Curriculum, Roger Fairfax

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

When I first proposed teaching a seminar on The Wire at the George Washington University Law School in 2010, I encountered very disparate reactions. Those unfamiliar with the show generally wondered whether the law school curriculum was any place for a course with the name of a popular television drama in the title. Those who had heard glowing things about, but had not seen, The Wire typically professed their intention to watch the show but shared the skepticism of the former group on its suitability as the focus of a law school course. Finally, those who had viewed the series …

Teaching The Methods Of White-Collar Practice: Investigatios, Roger Fairfax

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

When Ijoined the George Washington University Law School [GW] faculty after practice as a federal prosecutor and white-collar criminal defense attorney, I quickly learned that a GW law student interested in exploring white-collar crime had a great many courses from which to choose. Several of my full-time colleagues teach courses that cover various topics relevant to white-collar crime, including a computer crimes course, a course in criminal tax litigation, and courses on anti-corruption in government contracting and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act [FCPA]. GW is also fortunate to have a dedicated and talented adjunct faculty, which includes a former senior …

A Dedication To Andrew E. Taslitz: "It's All About The Egyptians," And Maybe Tinkerbell Too, Stephen E. Henderson

Oklahoma Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Dedication To Andrew E. Taslitz: “It’S All About The Egyptians,” And Maybe Tinkerbell Too, Stephen Henderson

Other Faculty Publications

This brief memorial remembers Andy's incredible friendship and service, and explains why this Symposium volume is so appropriately dedicated to his memory.

Teaching The Art Of Defending A White Collar Criminal Case, Katrice Bridges Copeland

Faculty Scholarship

This Article discusses the author's experience with effectively teaching a white collar crime course.

The First Day Of Criminal Law: Forgetting Everything You Thought You Already Knew, Kami Chavis Simmons

Faculty Publications

Whether from the media or the seemingly endless rotation of Law and Order episodes, many students enter law school with a great deal of knowledge about important concepts that dominate Criminal Law, including murder, manslaughter, conspiracy, self-defense, or insanity. This familiarity with criminal law presents a dual challenge for students and professors alike. First, as future lawyers, they must force themselves to think critically about these familiar topics, and despite their basic knowledge of the criminal justice system, students quickly learn that there is much more to criminal law than meets the eye. Second, part of this critical analysis requires …

It's Not Just For Death Cases Anymore: How Capital Mitigation Investigation Can Enhance Experiential Learning And Improve Advocacy In Law School Non-Capital Criminal Defense Clinics, 50 Cal. W. L. Rev. 31 (2013), Hugh Mundy

UIC Law Open Access Faculty Scholarship

As this article proposes, law school criminal defense clinics provide an excellent environment to design and implement a non-capital mitigation investigation protocol based on the techniques used in death penalty cases. From a pedagogical perspective, such a model promotes student development of foundational lawyering skills and values, especially in the vital area of “narrative thinking characteristic of everyday practice.” From a pragmatic standpoint, creation of a mitigation investigation model benefits clinic clients and boosts the likelihood that similar investigative methods will become a staple of the student's post-graduate practice.

Part I charts the evolution of capital mitigation investigation and highlights …

"I Am Ronald Cotton": Teaching Wrongful Convictions In A Criminal Law Class, Cynthia E. Jones

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

No abstract provided.

Panel Discussion Iii: Recognizing And Addressing Immigration Concerns In The Criminal Process, Violeta Chapin, Dan Kesselbrenner, Christina Kleiser

Publications

No abstract provided.

The Importance Of Being Empirical, Michael Heise

Pepperdine Law Review

Legal scholarship is becoming increasingly empirical. Although empirical methodologies gain important influence within the legal academy, their application in legal research remains underdeveloped. This paper surveys and analyzes the state of empirical legal scholarship and explores possible influences on its production. The paper advances a normative argument for increased empirical legal scholarship.

Challenges And Choices In Criminal Law Course Design Commentary Symposium: Criminal Law Pedagogy, Roger Fairfax

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

I thoroughly enjoy every course in my teaching package, but the first-year Criminal Law course occupies a special place in my heart. The subject matter in the Criminal Law course is perhaps the most compelling of any offered in the first-year curriculum. As such, it provides Criminal Law instructors the tremendous opportunity to capture the imagination of students and to highlight the nexus between law in books and law in action.

Teaching Social Justice Lawyering: Systematically Including Community Legal Education In Law School Clinics, Margaret Martin Barry, A. Rachel Camp, Margaret E. Johnson, Catherine F. Klein, Lisa V. Martin

All Faculty Scholarship

There is a body of literature on clinical legal theory that urges a focus in clinics beyond the single client to an explicit teaching of social justice lawyering. This Article adds to this emerging body of work by discussing the valuable role community legal education plays as a vehicle for teaching skills and values essential to single client representation and social justice lawyering. The Article examines the theoretical underpinnings of clinical legal education, community organizing and community education and how they influenced the authors’ design and implementation of community legal education within their clinics. It then discusses two projects designed …