LAW 901 - Externship Seminar

College of Law
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 and distinguished guest lecturers to discuss one or more client problems brought to them and how they went about a solution. Each week, students will go through a real case study problem set that the guest lecturer encountered in his or her practice, whether in government, a nonprofit, a corporation, or a law firm. After establishing a fact pattern, students will discuss the various options for solving the legal problem. Finally, students will hear from the guest lecturer how he or she actually attacked the legal problem, and the outcome if known. Students will also discuss projects that they have been working on along with any issues that may have arisen.