Criminal Defense Clinic

LAW8608
Section 1, Fall 25

Schedule Information

Enrollment: 7/14
Credits: 5
Days Time Room Start Date End Date

Tue

,

Thu

 		1710-1830 SL268 08/26/2025 12/02/2025

Course Description

In the semester-long Criminal Defense Clinic, students represent clients in three misdemeanor cases under the supervision of experienced criminal defense lawyers and study the processes, strategies, responsibilities and challenges of providing indigent clients with excellent representation at the trial level. Classroom lectures and discussions, readings, guest speakers and other materials supplement and support the primary learning experience of representing indigent defendants in criminal cases pending in the local courts. In addition to providing excellent representation of clients, students also examine the relationship between race, poverty and the criminal justice system as they arise in and affect cases. Each student has the opportunity to perform all the duties of representing clients, including interviewing, investigation, research, dealing with prosecutors, negotiating, assisting clients in deciding how plead, trial preparation and courtroom advocacy. Supervising attorneys, each working with no more than four students, mentor students’ case preparation, and all aspects of client representation in weekly conferences. The full clinic meets regularly in seminar sessions, where substantive areas of criminal defense practice are covered, including client communication, evidentiary issues, criminal procedure, sentencing options and ethical responsibilities. During the second half of the semester, the focus shifts to workshopping individual cases, preparing for trials and negotiation.

Course Requirements

Exam Information

Final Type (if any): None

Description: None

Written Work Product

No required paper or exam, but each student is required to prepare a series of memoranda in each case, beginning with the intial case assignment, continuing through the investigation and trial preparation, and ending with a closing memorandum.

Other Course Details

Prerequisites: (Civil Procedure (6000)) AND (Criminal Law (6003)) AND (Evidence (6104)) AND (Professional Responsibility (7071) OR Professional Responsibility in Public Interest Law Practice (7072) OR Professional Responsibility for Tax Lawyers (7134) OR Ethics and Integrity for Law Firm Lawyers and Their Clients (SC) (7605)) Third-Year JD status required; These classes are recommended but not required: Trial Advocacy, Criminal Investigation, Criminal Adjudication, Criminal Procedure Seminar, and Negotiation. Students must be eligible for Third-Year Practice Certification. Because the credits in this course count toward the JD Program Professional Skills requirement, JD candidates will be given enrollment priority for this class. Concurrencies: None

Exclusive With: None

Laptops Allowed: Yes

First Day Attendance Required: Yes

Course Resources: To be announced via Canvas.

Course Notes: Prof. Murtaugh (recently-retired Chief Charlottesville-Albemarle Public Defender) teaches the classroom component of this clinic in the fall term. NOTE REGARDING ENROLLMENT: the enrollment process is described at https://www.law.virginia.edu/clinics/faqs-about-clinics#howenroll. If seats are available in this clinic after the lottery process, students can request enrollment via https://virginia.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8AoAfjpGKKmaHxc. If a student seeking a seat in this class is enrolled in another clinic, enrollment authorization from the instructors from both clinics must be provided to the Student Records Office via email ([email protected]). MATTER ASSIGNMENT POLICY: Cases are from the local Albemarle and Charlottesville courts. Each student receives a case from each general district jurisdiction and one from domestic court. Prof. Murtaugh assigns matters that will expose students to a variety of case types. Further questions can be directed to her.

Graduation Requirements

Satisfies Understanding Bias/Racism/Cross-Cultural Competency requirement: Yes

Satisfies Writing Requirement: No

Credits For Prof. Skills Requirement: Yes

Satisfies Professional Ethics: No

Additional Course Information

Schedule No.: 125818834

Modified Type: Clinical

Cross Listed: No

Waitlist Count: 0

Concentrations: Criminal Justice , Litigation and Dispute Resolution , Public Service and Leadership

Evaluation Portal Via LawWeb Opens: Sunday, November 23, 12:01 AM

Evaluation Portal Via LawWeb Closes: Friday, December 05, 11:59 PM

Information reflected on this page was last refreshed at: Tuesday, July 08, 2025 - 7:02 AM *

*During open enrollment periods, live enrollment data may be found in SIS.