LAW 901 - Washington Lawyer Externship Seminar

1-2 credit(s)

Client problems brought to a good D.C. attorney are almost always solved through a combination of legislative pressure, executive branch pressure, and perhaps ultimately litigation against either another party and/or an agency of the executive branch. Very often the best solutions to these problems are forged behind the scenes, the opposite of the way lawyers in other jurisdictions often serve their clients¿ interests. This seminar will feature influential and successful D.C. attorneys ¿ distinguished guest lecturers ¿ to discuss one or more client problems brought to them and how they went about a solution. In preparation for each seminar, a packet of reading assignments will be uploaded. Each week, we will go through a real case study problem set that the distinguished guest lecturer encountered in his or her practice, whether in government, a nonprofit, in-house at a corporation or a law firm. Once we establish the fact pattern, we will discuss the various options for solving the legal problem. Finally, we will hear from the distinguished guest lecturer how he or she actually went about attacking the legal problem with the outcome if known. This will take up the first hour of the seminar. Once the distinguished guest lecturer departs, we will hear from each student participant about projects he or she has been working on that week, along with any issues that may have arisen. Other students are encouraged to comment.