Categories: Appellate Practice Civil Litigation and Dispute Resolution

Instructor(s)

Butler, Louis

Course Data

Room 3268
W 9:55am-11:55am

Pass/Fail: Yes

Course Description

Taught by an appellate practitioner and former justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, this class will highlight the good and the bad of appellate advocacy, as seen through the eyes of a former appellate practitioner, trial attorney, trial judge and appellate judge.  Students will explore what goes into some of the practical and strategic decisions that have to be made in identifying what issues to litigate on appeal, as well as what issues to abandon.  Students will also learn what the judges look for in effective brief writing, oral advocacy in an appellate setting, and what will catch a justice's eye when drafting a petition for review.  The instructor will also present a behind-the-scenes look into how decisions are made by the appellate court.  The class will be a three credit seminar, limited to 16 students (1 two-hour meeting per week).  Grading will be based on a number of projects, including the drafting of an appellate brief, arguing the briefed case before the class, and then drafting a petition for review, as well as classroom participation.  Students will also have an opportunity to view an actual argument before the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and then critique it. 

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