The Branstetter Litigation & Dispute Resolution Program

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Build the Skills Litigators Need

In the Branstetter Litigation and Dispute Resolution Program, students will develop the core competencies essential to succeed as a litigator, including strong analytical, communication, negotiation, and writing skills. The program also teaches students what litigators do, how they interact with clients and other involved parties, and how litigation really works. They learn to deal effectively with litigation starting in the pretrial stage, when cases may involve complicated discovery disputes and pretrial motions as well as strategy, finance, and ethics.

Current students that plan to fulfill the program’s 20-hour requirement prior to graduation may list the Branstetter Litigation and Dispute Resolution Program as an activity on their resumes. The requirement is met through a combination of Knowledge, Skills, and Experience courses.

Knowledge Courses

Civil Procedure is the foundational course in litigation and dispute resolution.

Appellate Litigation ArbitrationComplex Litigation
Conflict of Laws Criminal Procedure: Adjudication Criminal Procedure: Investigation
Evidence Evidentiary Challenges in the CourtroomInternational Arbitration
Negotiation RemediesTransnational Litigation

Elective Courses

  • Skills Courses

    Skills courses provide the opportunity to apply knowledge to hypothetical disputes. These courses use exercises, writing assignments, and moot arguments to inculcate litigation and dispute resolution skills.

    Litigation students would usually take at least one skills course in their second or third year. They also may participate in the Moot Court Competition to hone advocacy skills (and earn extracurricular credit).

    Skills courses include:

    Advanced Evidence & Trial Advocacy: CivilAdvanced Evidence & Trial Advocacy: CriminalAdvanced Legal Research
    Corporate LitigationLegal Interviewing & CounselingMediation
    Moot CourtNegotiationPatent Litigation Practicum
    Pretrial AdvocacyTrial Advocacy

  • Experience Courses

    Experience courses allow students to work directly with clients under the direction and guidance of experienced clinical professors or practitioner supervisors. Litigation students would usually spend a summer or semester working as an extern in a litigation-related position and/or enroll in a clinic during their third year.

    Related clinics include:

    Criminal Practice ClinicFirst Amendment ClinicImmigration Practice Clinic
    Intellectual Property and the Arts ClinicYouth Opportunity Law Clinic

  • Seminars & Short Courses

    Seminars & Short Course Examples Include:

    Advanced LitigationJudicial ActivismLitigation Finance
    Scientific EvidenceMultidistrict LitigationPublic Interest Litigation