[ Graduation Checklist ]

Objective

To help prepare those students planning a career in litigation by ensuring that they take courses particularly applicable to litigation, receive mentoring from members of the faculty with experience and interest in this field and rewarding such students who have demonstrated high degrees of ethics and competence in litigation matters.

Eligibility

Any Stetson law student in good standing who has completed not less than 30 credits and not more than 45 credits may apply for acceptance into the advocacy concentration program. The Director of the Center for Excellence in Advocacy will make final determinations on all applications for acceptance into this program based upon consideration of the student's demonstrated commitment to the program and the likelihood that they will be able to successfully complete the requirements of the program.

Requirements

In order to receive at graduation the certificate of concentration in advocacy, a student must make a timely application for inclusion in the program, be accepted into the program, and do the following:

• Complete at least 21 hours in the Approved Curriculum, including successful completion of each course in the Mandatory Curriculum, with an average G.P.A. of at least 3.0 among all of those courses taken from the Approved Curriculum. Further, the student shall not have received a grade of less than 2.5 (or "S" in any course not graded on the 4.0 scale) in any of those courses taken in the Approved Curriculum;
• Students must have achieved at least a 2.0 in the following courses: Evidence, Torts, Criminal Law, and R & W I and II and at least a 2.5 in Professional Responsibility. A student, who has not completed any of these courses must be enrolled in the course at the time of acceptance in to the concentration, and must achieve the required grade in these courses or the student will be dropped from the concentration;
• Participate in the Required Mentoring;
• Demonstrate to the satisfaction of the assigned Mentor his/her commitment to the ethical and professional practice of law;
• Fulfill the Advocacy Pro Bono requirements;
• Fulfill the requirements of membership in the Advocacy Board; and
• Fulfill his/her writing requirement by writing a paper in the area of litigation to the satisfaction of the assigned Mentor.

Course Registration

Students accepted into the Advocacy Concentration Program will be given preference by the Registrar for enrollment in any courses listed in the Mandatory Curriculum.

Required Mentoring

Upon being selected into the Advocacy Concentration Program, a student will be assigned a Mentor who is a member of the College of Law faculty. It is understood that no member of the faculty will be assigned more than three such students at any one time. The student will be expected to meet regularly with such Mentor, no less than one time each semester, for the purpose of discussing their advancement toward completion of the requirements for receipt of the certificate in concentration. Further, such students as a prerequisite for registration for each upcoming semester will be required to obtain the approval of their Mentor regarding their course selection. It is the goal of this Required Mentoring that the participating members of the faculty will pass along to the students the benefit of their own experience and/or expertise in the field of litigation. Prior to the student's receipt at graduation of the certificate of concentration, the Mentor will have to attest to the student's successful completion of all requirements for the certificate listed above.
Additionally, each student will be assigned a mentor from the practicing bar in the area of law and geographic location the student intends to practice. The student will be required to be in contact with the mentor at least once a semester to acquire information about their expertise and recommendations.

Advocacy Pro Bono

The College of Law requires each student before graduating to have completed 20 hours of Pro Bono work. To receive the Advocacy certificate of concentration, however, a student needs to have completed a total of 30 hours of Pro Bono work, with at least 50% of those hours being dedicated to Pro Bono work in the field of advocacy.

Advocacy Board

Each student selected for membership into the Advocacy concentration program will be deemed a member of the Stetson Advocacy Board, whether or not such student is actually selected to compete in any trial, moot court or client skills competitions. The student must successfully participate in the required activities of the Advocacy Board. Successful completion of the requirements of the Advocacy Board satisfies the administrative requirement for the Advocacy Concentration.

Approved Curriculum

Mandatory Curriculum

• Appellate Practice
• Interviewing, Counseling and Negotiation OR
  Interviewing and Counseling
• One of the following:
  • Federal Judicial Internship
  • FL Supreme Court Judicial Internship
  • Prosecution Clinic
  • Public Defender Clinic
  • State Appellate Court Internship
  • State Judicial Internship
• Pretrial Practice
• Trial Advocacy
• Advocacy Board (Client Skills Board, Moot Court Board, Trial Team)

Elective Curriculum

• Advanced Criminal Evidence
• Advanced Criminal Trial Advocacy
• Alternative Dispute Resolution OR
  Negotiation and Mediation OR
  Negotiation, Mediation and Arbitration
• Civil Poverty Clinic
• Complex Litigation
• Conflicts of Law
• Constitutional Litigation (Section 1983/Federal Courts)
• Consumer Protection Clinic
• Criminal Procedure
• Individual Research Project (as approved by Mentor)
• ERISA Litigation Skills
• Family Law Litigation
• Federal Government Litigation Internship
• Florida Civil Practice
• Florida Criminal Procedure
• Forensic Evidence
• Labor Law Internship
• Local Government Clinic
• Mediation Skills Training
• Military Law
• Probate Litigation
• Remedies
• Securities Litigation
• State Litigation Internship
• Technology in Litigation
• Any additional Clinic or Internship taken (from those listed in the Mandatory Curriculum)

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*Effective for students with 45 or fewer credits at the end of the Spring 2006 semester. Students with more than 45 earned credits at the end of the Spring 2006 semester fall under the old policy.

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