Courses 2020 - 2021

LAW E 566 Washington Innocence Project Clinic

Credits: 3-4, Max 12

Clinical training in investigating and litigating claims of actual innocence on behalf of prisoners under the supervision of members of the Law School faculty. The Clinic will provide students with a background in case investigation and in post-conviction practice in state and federal court. The seminar component of the course will cover legal issues commonly raise in post-conviction practice, such as ineffective assistance of counsel, prosecutorial misconduct, police misconduct, newly discovered evidence, witness misidentification, the use of unreliable jailhouse snitches and government informants, false confessions, and tainted evidence. In the practice component of the course, students will screen inmates’ requests for legal assistance to identify cases where there may be a viable claim of innocence and where there is evidence, such as post-conviction DNA testing, to support the claim. Students will conduct factual investigation in cases where there is strong evidence of innocence. Students will conduct research, write briefs, and advocate in all appropriate forums for the release of clients. B515 - Criminal Procedure, B521 - Appellate Advocacy, and B510 - Problems in Professional Responsibility are recommended prior to or concurrent with enrollment, but not required. Open to second- or third-year students. When registering in autumn quarter, students must commit to enrolling the entire academic year, and will receive credit for the course only upon completion of all three quarters. Offered on a credit/no credit basis. Enrollment limited to 10 students. Enrollment priorities for clinics apply.