Criminal Law

Lewis & Clark Law School has an outstanding program in criminal law, providing a solid foundation for legal practice as either a prosecutor or a defense attorney in both state and federal courts. Recent Lewis & Clark Law School graduates routinely find work as government prosecutors, public defenders, and private defense attorneys in some of the top offices throughout the nation. Lewis & Clark is also home to the National Crime Victim Law Institute, the nation’s leading center for advocacy on behalf of victims of crime.

Lewis & Clark Students can choose from a broad range of courses in the area of criminal law, including unique offerings like terrorism and national security law, complex federal crimes, environmental enforcement, and crime victim advocacy. Lewis & Clark students have the opportunity to pursue a specialized certificate in Criminal Law by focusing their upper-division courses in this area. Students concentrating in other areas of the law also frequently choose to take a couple of criminal law courses to enhance their law school education.

Certificate in Criminal Law & Procedure

The Certificate in Criminal Law and Procedure, awarded to qualified students of Lewis & Clark Law School upon graduation, recognizes successful curriculum concentration in the field of criminal law and procedure. To obtain the certificate, a student must complete a comprehensive research paper on an issue of criminal law or procedure and complete the following course requirements with a satisfactory grade:

Criminal Procedure I
This course examines constitutional constraints on government investigation of crime. Topics include search and seizure, interrogations and confessions and eyewitness identification. While the focus is the United States Constitution (4th, 5th, and 6th amendments and due process), some attention will be paid to state constitutional issues. Some coverage will also be given to the role of victims at this stage of the procedure. The first-year day sections (1y) and the upper-division sections (ud) cover the same material. This is a bar course, and it is a graduation requirement for those who entered Fall '98 or later.

Criminal Procedure II
An introduction to the procedural rules governing the adjudication of criminal cases, with emphasis on fundamental constitutional doctrines. Topics include charging decisions and prosecutorial discretion, discovery, pre-trial motions, plea negotiations, the rights of the defendant at trial, jury selection, the role of the jury, sentencing, appeal and post-conviction relief. Final exam.

Criminal Law I
An introduction to the general principles of substantive criminal law—what the government must prove before it can take away an individual's liberty. Included are general topics such as the nature of criminal acts, mental state, defenses, attempts, conspiracy and accomplice liability. The course will also focus on some specific crimes such as homicide. Substantive criminal law is a basic law school course and is covered on all bar exams. Evaluation is by final exam.

Evidence
This course is an in-depth examination of the rules governing the use of evidence at trial. Samples of the topics covered include competency of witnesses, direct and cross-examination of witnesses, the rule against hearsay and its exceptions, expert and lay opinion testimony, privileged communications, relevancy, procedural considerations, burden of proof and objections.

In addition to the above courses, students must take two other elective, upper-division, criminal law courses in order to fulfill the requirements of the certificate. The following list includes examples of such courses and are typical of those offered during a student’s enrollment at Lewis & Clark.

• Clinical Internship Seminar: Criminal Law
• CJ: Criminal Practice Seminar
• CJ: Criminal Victim’s Appellate Clinic
• Criminal Law II
• CJ: Terrorism and National Security Seminar
• CJ: Victims in Criminal Procedure
• Environmental Enforcement
• Externship: Criminal Justice
• Juvenile Justice Seminar
• Moot Court
• Oregon Constitutional Law Seminar
• Trial Advocacy

View course schedule & descriptions for 2006-2007.