Civil Litigation/Dispute Resolution
A Career in Civil Litigation
If you are considering the Civil Litigation/Dispute Resolution Path to Practice, you are preparing for practice in the following settings:
- Small, midsize, or large law firm
- Nonprofit legal services organization
- Attorney General’s office or other government agency
- Corporate or large nonprofit legal department
- Dispute resolution forum or services provider (e.g., American Arbitration Association, court annexed mediation program)
You may do any of the following in practice:
- Assist clients in resolving disputes using formal or informal processes, including litigation, arbitration, mediation, and negotiation
To complete the Civil Litigation/Dispute Resolution Path to Practice, students should complete 8 courses in litigation/ADR-related subject matter. Read more about course recommendations below:
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Students should take the following five Foundational Courses as early as possible:
- Evidence LAW 649
- Lawyering LAW 919 or Negotiation LAW 679 (one of these two courses)
- Pretrial Civil Litigation Simulation LAW 817A or Advanced Civil Procedure Seminar: Anatomy of a Trial-The Burden of Proof LAW 612AA
- Trial Advocacy LAW 684
- One of the following:
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Students should take at least two of the following Electives, totaling at least 6 credits (note that no course may be used as both a Foundational Course and an Elective):
- Administrative Law LAW 671
- Advanced Appellate Advocacy LAW 849
- Lawyering LAW 919
- Advanced Civil Procedure Seminar: Anatomy of a Trial-The Burden of Proof LAW 612AA
- Mediation Practicum and Seminar LAW 690
- Advanced Trial Advocacy LAW 684A
- Negotiation LAW 679
- Civil Rights Litigation: The 1983 Suit LAW 828
- New York Practice LAW 707
- Collaborative Law LAW 763
- Pretrial Civil Litigation Simulation LAW 817A
- Commercial Arbitration Law and Practice LAW 690B
- Environmental Dispute Resolution LAW 797N
- Skills Workshop: Depositions LAW 684AA
- Externship: Federal Judicial Honors LAW 764
- Skills Workshop: Forensics LAW 684BB
- Externship: Guided LAW 993FP
- Externship: State Judicial LAW 798
- International Commercial Arbitration Seminar LAW 697B
- Survey of Dispute Resolution Processes LAW 690A
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Students should take at least one of the following capstone or skills courses:
- Representation in Amelia A. Gould Representation in Mediation Clinic
- Equal Justice America Disability Rights Clinic
- Immigration Justice Clinic
- Mediation Practicum
- Externship: Environmental LAW 821 (civil)
- Fairbridge Funding Investor Rights Clinic
- Environmental Litigation Clinic
- Externship: Legal Services Law 829 (civil)
- Externship: Family Court LAW 694
Additionally, you should participate in one or more student competitions (Moot Court, Trial Advocacy or Client Counseling) through the Advocacy Programs.
Featured Faculty
Contact
For more information regarding this Path to Practice, contact Professor Jill Gross.