Spring 2023 Criminal Appellate Advocacy (LW 903) Description

Criminal Appellate Advocacy (LW 903 — 3 credit hours) will be offered for the spring 2023 semester (dependent on case availability). The class will meet from 3:20-4:45 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday.

Randall Hodgkinson, currently working in a cooperative agreement between Washburn University School of Law and the Kansas Appellate Defender Office (the appellate public defender office for Kansas), will teach the course. Each student will work, under the supervision of Professor Hodgkinson, on two actual felony criminal appeals assigned to the Kansas Appellate Defender Office. There is a lecture component to this class, although the bulk of the time will be spent by the students going through the records on appeal and preparing his or her clients' briefs that will, under faculty supervision, be filed in the Kansas Court of Appeals.

A Rule 719 (student intern) permit is NOT a prerequisite. Because this course deals with real clients and real cases, it is very deadline intensive.

In the past students have worked on various types of cases: drug offenses, aggravated battery, aggravated burglary, forgery, arson, fleeing and eluding, criminal possession of a firearm, and robbery — basically most types of felony cases that are assigned to the Appellate Defender Office. And students have obtained relief in many cases for their clients ranging from reduced sentences to new trials to outright reversal of convictions.

This class is very appropriate for persons who are interested in criminal law (either prosecution or defense) and/or litigation and advocacy in general (trial or appellate). This class can satisfy the upper level writing requirement.

Enrollment in the class is limited to 5 students and is by instructor consent. Enrolled students must have successfully completed Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Evidence, and Professional Responsibility before taking this class (it can suffice if you are taking these courses in the fall 2022 semester, but otherwise, these prerequisites are firm).

For more information about the Criminal Appellate Advocacy course feel free to email Professor Hodgkinson  at randall.hodgkinson@washburn.edu.

Applications to enroll in Criminal Appellate Advocacy are accepted until 3:00 p.m. Friday, November 4, 2022. Download and complete the application form (16 KB Word file). Email it to Professor Hodgkinson (randall.hodgkinson@washburn.edu). Students accepted for the class will be notified shortly after November 4.