experiential learning - Georgetown Law - Georgetown University

APPELLATE LITIGATIoN CLINIC
Students in the Appellate Litigation Program handle both civil and criminal appellate cases
involving issues such as immigration, habeas corpus, and a variety of civil rights issues. The
Program exposes students to litigation in several different courts including federal circuits, the
Board of Immigration Appeals, and the D.C. local courts. The clinic also has had four cases
reach the United States Supreme Court on grants of writs of certiorari. Over twenty students
working on those cases had the opportunity to participate in litigation before the highest court
in the United States before they even graduated from law school.
Regardless of the case, the clinic strives to provide the best representation possible, comparable
to that provided by the best appellate firms in the country. Students learn not only how
to litigate on appeal but how to litigate well, adopting professional and ethical standards that
will guide them throughout their legal careers. Students enrolled in the program receive intense
training in the art of oral and written advocacy as it is practiced in some of the highest courts
in the nation, at a level appropriate to those courts and the issues presented. This training includes
appellate practice, procedure, research, issue formation, and writing. Each clinic student
produces two major briefs and several students will have the opportunity to argue their cases in
the appellate courts.
8 www.law.georgetown.edu/clinics/al/