Appellate Litigation Clinic

The purpose of the clinic is for law students to gain experience representing actual clients in existing state and federal appellate litigation and in meeting the standards of professionalism required in practice. Students will also further develop and strengthen their written and oral advocacy skills. In addition, the Clinic affords law students, and the law school, an opportunity to provide high quality legal representation to an underserved community, i.e., pro se litigants, and to assist the appellate courts by accepting court appointments.

Students will handle all aspects of representation for an assigned appeal including: ensuring that the appeal has been perfected procedurally; researching the substantive issues; preparing any interim motions or correspondence for the court and/or client, including regular client status reports; drafting appellate briefs; and presenting oral argument before the Third Circuit or Pennsylvania Superior Court.

Students will also attend a weekly two-hour seminar in which they will be assigned readings on the procedural aspects of appellate litigation, preparing the appellate brief, and presenting oral argument. Students will also be assigned noteworthy cases and other readings on immigration law, habeas corpus litigation, constitutional law, and prisoners’ rights among other topics. Guest speakers, including local appellate practitioners, judges, and law clerks, will be invited to address the seminar.