Advocacy and Litigation

Effective advocacy requires a robust knowledge of the law, but even the sharpest legal minds need to be able to successfully advocate their clients’ positions. To prepare Penn State Law students to be compelling advocates and litigators, they learn basic legal communication skills in their first year—and put them into practice in the 1L Mock Trial Competition—then have the opportunity to continue with upper-level coursework, advocacy in law clinics, and Moot Court and Mock Trial Competitions.

Students may earn Concentration recognition in Advocacy and Litigation using courses from the Selected Courses section below.  J.D. students must earn a minimum of 12 credits and LL.M. students a minimum of 9 credits.  A minimum grade of ‘C’ is required for each course being used toward this Concentration. Upon verification of completion, students will receive a document of recognition.

Declare your intent to complete this Concentration - Concentration Declaration Application

Advocacy and Litigation Faculty

Courses:

• Advanced LLM Legal Analysis, Writing and Research
• Civil Pre-Trial Practice and Advocacy
• Civil Procedure (LLMs Only)
• Class Actions Seminar
• Common Law Reasoning and Statutory Interpretation Seminar
• Criminal Procedure (LLMs only)
• Electronic Evidence Seminar
• Employment Discrimination
• Evidence
• Federal Court Practice
• Global Lawyering in the 21st Century
• Government Contracts Practice and Litigation
• Handling Cases in the Real World
• Higher Education Law Practice
• Human Rights, Intersectionality, and the Law
• Insurance Law
• International Litigation and Arbitration
• Introduction to IP
• Labor Law
• Litigation Skills: Cross-Examination, Direct-Examination, and Deposition Preparation Practicum  
• Mediation of Environmental & Public Conflicts
• Modern In-House Counsel
• National Security Law II
• PILOT Lab Class
• Remedies
• Representing the Professional Athlete
• Strategic Legal Research
• Street Law
• Supreme Court Seminar
• The Employment Relationship
• Trial Advocacy
• Winning Written Advocacy

Clinics:

• Advanced Entrepreneur Assistance Clinic
• Advanced Family Law Clinic
• Advanced Immigration Clinic
• Arts, Sports & Entertainment Law Clinic
• Center for Immigrants' Rights Clinic
• Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
• Criminal Appellate and Post-Conviction Services Clinic
• Entrepreneur Assistance Clinic
• Family Law Clinic
• Indigent Criminal Justice Trial Clinic
• Indigent Criminal Justice Trial Simulation
• Manglona Lab for Gender and Economic Equity
• Rural Economic Development Clinic

Additional Experiential Opportunities:

• Appellate Moot Court Board
• Externships*
• Externships Everywhere* 
• Mock Trial Competitions
• Semester in Washington*

*Associate Dean for Academic Affairs approval required: Will count towards the concentration if the work is related to the concentration.