Students enrolled in the Capital Defense Clinic represent defendants in Nevada death penalty cases, focusing primarily on preparing mitigating evidence and argument, the legal case for a sentence less than death. Students will work as members of the capital defense team on selected cases under the direction of the professor and appointed counsel. The cases are at the trial, appellate, or habeas corpus stage. Lawyering responsibilities handled by students include fact development and investigation, interviewing, brief writing, preparing witnesses for trial, and other aspects of capital defense work. Students participate in a twice-weekly seminar and are expected to devote an average of three hours per credit hour each week to clinic activity. In order to facilitate greater clinical opportunities for part-time students, an appellate focus is available for students who are unavailable except during evenings and weekends. The Capital Defense Clinic course will not be offered in Fall 2006.

Credits: 4-6. Graded.
Professor Joan Howarth