Relevant bar examination topic.

Four semester hours credit.

Introductory course on the history and objectives of civil litigation, including sources of law, case law and the doctrine of stare decisis, and the history and development of equitable remedies; the anatomy of a legal proceeding before, during, and after trial of a civil case, including basic jurisdictional concepts in federal and state court, the law applied in federal court, adjudication of multiple claims and cases involving multiple parties, discovery, pretrial procedures and disposition without trial; basic concepts and strategies regarding litigation; and the law of former adjudication.

Relevant bar examination topic.

Four semester hours credit.

Historical development of the federal constitution; the judicial function in constitutional cases; express and implied federal legislative power, including the Commerce Clause; express and implied federal executive power; doctrine of separation of powers; doctrine of delegation of powers; doctrines of federalism, including powers reserved to the states, federal preemption, and the dormant commerce clause; incorporation of the Bill of Rights into the 14th Amendment; the state action doctrine; substantive and procedural due process; the Equal Protection Clause; and procedures regarding constitutional amendment. (Material on the First Amendment’s freedom of speech and the press, free exercise of religion, the Establishment Clause, and right of assembly and freedom of association are covered in an upper-level First Amendment Law elective course.)

Relevant bar examination topic.

Three semester hours credit.

The course focus is upon the basic understanding of criminal accountability that dictates, in other than strict liability offenses, the government must establish four basic components: a mens rea (or mental state), an actus reus (a prohibited act), a concurrence of the two, and causation. The primary offenses focused upon as well as their historical and philosophical development include homicide, non-homicide offenses against the person or against public safety, accomplice liability and inchoate offenses, theft and related crimes, strict liability offenses, and law of the parties. Attention will also be given to the presumption of innocence, burdens of proof, and a number of defenses, such as self-defense, defense of others, defense of property, and insanity. Additional topics covered may include theories of punishment, sentencing, constitutional limitations on penal legislation, historical development of certain felonies and defenses, the Model Penal Code, Texas criminal law, the role of prosecutorial discretion, modern federal criminal statutes, and regulatory offenses.

Three or four semester hours credit.

Prerequisites: Successful completion of all courses required for graduation (with the exception of the substantial writing requirement) and not less than 45 credit hours and a 2.8 grade point average. Completion of or concurrent enrollment in Texas Pretrial Procedure is recommended.

Students arrange their own placements with local governmental agencies. Potential placements include the Texas Attorney General’s Office, the legal department of the City of South Texas College of Law, the Harris County Attorney’s Office, the EEOC, the IRS, the Office of Homeland Security, and many others. These placements provide access to the South Texas College of Law legal community and give law students the opportunity to expand their professional skills and identify challenging and fulfilling work possibilities.

Two semester hours credit.

Prerequisites: Successful completion of not less than 30, nor more than 44, credit hours and a 2.8 grade point average.

Students arrange their own placements with local, federal, and state judges on both the trial and appellate level, including probate, bankruptcy, and immigration courts. During the Judicial Process Clinic, students observe how the law works in practice, what lawyers do and what judges expect. All students will apply lawyering skills and improve their legal research and writing abilities while preparing legal memoranda, as required by the supervising judge.

Two or three semester hours credit.

Prerequisites: Successful completion of all courses required for graduation (with the exception of the substantial writing requirement) and not less than 45 credit hours and a 2.8 grade point average. Completion of or concurrent enrollment in Texas Pretrial Procedure is recommended.

Students arrange their own placements with local federal and state judges on both the trial and appellate level, including probate, bankruptcy and immigration courts. During these clinics, students observe how the law works in practice, what lawyers do and what judges expect. All students will apply their analytical skills and improve their legal research and writing abilities through the production of legal memoranda.

Two semester hours credit. Offered periodically.

Examination of the organization and operation of legislative bodies, including the role of the executive, public agencies, and private groups in the legislative process; drafting of statutes; enactment, amendment and repeal of statutes; limitations on legislative power and statutory interpretation and the use of legislative history.

Two semester hours credit. Graded honors pass, pass, low pass, or fail. Normally offered as an intersession course.

Examination of the attorney-client relationship, including establishing the relationship in the initial interview; billing arrangements; the importance of continuing communications; case analysis; decision-making; counseling with the client as to case development and strategy; preparation of the client for settlement negotiations as well as trial; termination of the relationship, including the collection of fees. Students will conduct several mock interviews throughout the course.

Relevant bar examination topic.

Four semester hours credit. Normally offered three times each academic year.

This course focuses on federal criminal procedure, and includes the constitutional and statutory rules defining the limits of permissible government conduct in the investigation, trial, and punishment of criminal suspects and defendants. Some attention may be given to those parameters that differ at the state level.

Relevant bar examination topic.

Three semester hours credit. Normally offered three times each academic year.

Problems of the family, including marriage, termination of the marital status, the parent-child relationship, assisted reproduction and adoption.

Two semester hours credit. Normally offered twice each academic year.

Prerequisites: Must have completed 45 semester hours and have taken or be concurrently enrolled in Texas Pretrial Procedure. These prerequisites will be strictly enforced.

The structure of the course involves students in preparing a realistic civil case against an opponent. Students engage in all aspects of pretrial discovery and motion practice, including client interview, attempts to settle, drafting pleadings, paper discovery, taking depositions, procedural and dispositive motions, and pretrial orders.

Three semester hours credit. Normally offered twice each academic year.

Prerequisites: Must have completed 45 semester hours and Evidence. These prerequisites will be strictly enforced.

Note: Students may receive credit toward graduation for only one trial advocacy course (Civil Trial Advocacy, Criminal Trial Advocacy, or Family Law Trial Advocacy).

The structure of the course involves students in trying a realistic civil case against an opponent. Students engage in all aspects of the trial, including trial motions, voir dire examination of jurors, opening statement, examination of witnesses and closing argument.

Three semester hours credit. Offered periodically.

Consideration of the special problems encountered in complex litigation. Topics include permitted, required, and forbidden party joinder issues; the problem of parallel litigation, including consolidation of separate actions, transfers between federal courts, parallel federal and state lawsuits, and multidistrict litigation transfers; class actions, including general requirements for a class action, defendant classes, and class-wide and individual remedies; discovery issues; judicial control of the litigation, including selecting lead counsel, attorney’s fees, and sanctions; former adjudication issues, such as claim preclusion and issue preclusion; and alternatives to litigation, such as nonjudicial processes or mini-trials and other judicial devices.

One semester hour credit. Graded honors pass, pass, low pass, or fail. Normally offered twice each academic year.

Prerequisites: Completion of Legal Research & Writing II and completion or concurrent completion of the first 30 hours of required courses.

Students are divided into teams of two members. Each team prepares an appellate brief and presents oral arguments in a competition. (The Leroy Jeffers Competition is conducted in the fall and the Spurgeon Bell Competition takes place in the spring.) Students practice and develop skills in legal research, brief writing and forensic persuasion. No final examination. Students are encouraged to register for Appellate Advocacy in their first semester or session after completing their first 30 required hours.

Three or four semester hours credit.

Prerequisites: Successful completion of all courses required for graduation (with the exception of the substantial writing requirement) and not less than 45 credit hours and a 2.8 grade point average. Completion of or concurrent enrollment in Texas Pretrial Procedure is suggested.

Students arrange their own placements with local nonprofit agencies or with charitable organizations. Potential placements include the Lone Star Legal Aid Society, the Texas Defender Project, Catholic Charities, Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts, South Texas College of Law Volunteer Lawyers Program (HVLP), Children at Risk, the Cathedral Justice Project, and many others. These placements provide broad access to the South Texas College of Law legal community and give law students the opportunity to expand their professional skills and identify challenging and fulfilling work possibilities. Students with a particular interest in family law should contact Assistant Dean Elizabeth Dennis to inquire about the Family Law Internship Program (FLIP) where students work in private law offices on HVLP referral cases.

Students who have completed 60 credit hours, or have completed 45 credit hours and are concurrently enrolled in an academic internship, are encouraged to acquire a temporary bar card and thereby increase opportunities to apply their knowledge in practice under the tutelage and supervision of a licensed attorney.

Two semester hours credit. Graded honors pass, pass, low pass, or fail. Normally offered as an intersession course.

This course examines problems encountered in establishing and operating the business side of a successful law practice, and offers practical solutions. During the course, students will design a business plan for their own potential practice with the professor’s guidance. Among the subjects covered are office location and layout, technology, including the web-based law library, filing and control systems and accounting methods, insurance needs, IOLTA, SBOT and other administrative obligations, document retention requirements, alternative systems of fee determination and billing with an introduction to case evaluation, and attracting, retaining, interviewing and counseling clients.