Interviewing and Counseling

Good communication between lawyers and clients is crucial to competent and ethical representation. The focus of this course is on understanding the relationship between communication skills and effective representation. The theories of interviewing and counseling are presented through the traditional means of assigned reading and class discussion. In addition, however, in most classes, substantial time is devoted to simulated problems in which students play the roles of lawyers and clients. An important goal of the course is to teach students to learn from experience through constructive critique of their own performances and those of other students. To that end, students are required to conduct simulated interviewing and counseling exercises, which are graded. The class also frequently analyzes role-playing exercises, presented live in class, on videotape or in a written transcript form.

Grading and Method of Evaluation:
Letter grade with pass/fail option. Students graded on in-class simulations.