Oral Presentations In and Out of the Courtroom (SC)

Verbal presentations are central to good lawyering, even if you never intend to set foot in a courtroom. The attorney who speaks well is better able to counsel a client, persuade a judge, connect with a colleague -- even land the job in the first place. This short course is designed to help you learn to communicate persuasively in a variety of settings in which lawyers are called upon to speak. This is an experiential class, so you can expect to make a presentation in each class, and to have some fun doing it. Public speaking is a skill that you can master if you learn the fundamentals and are willing to stand up and give it a try. This class will show you how. (While this course is designed with non-litigators in mind, it is also appropriate for students who intend to practice trial advocacy. See also Hallmarks of Distinguished Advocacy for a public speaking class for litigators [mutually exclusive with this course], Persuasion for a J-term public speaking class, and Advanced Verbal Persuasion for students who would like additional instruction after taking this class.)