Appellate Law

Overview

Northwestern is the first law school to offer a federal appellate clinic, a Supreme Court clinic, and an appellate concentration together for comprehensive training in the theory and practice of appellate law. This concentration is designed for students interested in pursuing careers as appellate lawyers or for those students who would like focus more heavily on their legal research and brief-writing skills during law school. The concentration consists of a series of required and elective courses as well as several recommended extracurricular activities.

Concentration Checklist (pdf)
Sample Three-year Appellate Concentration

Interim Program Director: Meredith Rountree

Concentration Requirements

Required Courses

Students must complete the following courses:

  • Appellate Advocacy
  • Research Requirement: Students must complete a research project of at least 6 credits with approval from the Program Director and within the Senior Research Rules.

Additional Distribution Requirement

Students must complete at least three of the following core classes with at least 16 credits and may choose within these offerings to focus on civil or criminal litigation.

  • Administrative Law
  • Civil Procedure II
  • Clinic: Federal Criminal Appellate Clinic
  • Clinic: Supreme Court Clinic
  • Clinic: MacArthur Justice Center
  • Clinic: Center on Wrongful Convictions
  • Conflict of Laws
  • Constitutional Criminal Procedure
  • Criminal Process
  • Evidence
  • Federal Jurisdiction
  • Fourteenth Amendment
  • Law and Rhetoric
  • Law and Social Change
  • Legal Ethics
  • Legislation
  • Practicum: Criminal
  • Practicum: Judicial
  • Remedies
  • Torts II

Recommended Extracurriculars

  • Moot Court
    • Miner
    • Jessup
    • National Teams
  • Journal
  • Judicial Externship (and related coursework)