Curriculum

Concentration

Trial & Appellate Advocacy

23credits required

The largest concentration at twenty-three credits, and the most structured. It takes an evidence course, a pretrial course, an appellate course, an ADR course, and a clinic or trial team.

Enrol by October 1 (January graduates) / February 1 (May graduates) · completion form November 1 (January graduates) / March 1 (May graduates)

Plan around these

Courses listed by a concentration but absent from the 2026-27 catalog may be on a multi-year rotation, renamed, or discontinued. Verify with Academic Services.

  • Listed but not running in 2026–27: Federal Criminal Practice Seminar, Appellate Practice and Advocacy, Online Dispute Resolution for ADR, Accelerator-to-Practice Program, Family Advocacy Clinic, Health Law Clinic, Immigrant Justice Clinic, Human Rights & Indigenous People Clinic, Intellectual Property & Entrepreneurship Clinic, Litigation Related Externship

What it takes

  • Completing the five (5) required core courses;
  • Completing an externship with a litigation placement or a Clinical Program; and
  • Completing at least three (3) additional elective courses so that it is possible to complete the required twenty-three (23) credits in approved Trial and Appellate Advocacy Concentration courses by the time the student graduates;
  • Periodically reviewing the student's progress in attaining the requisite grade point averages with one of the Concentration Faculty Director and/or the Assistant Dean for Academic Services.
  • Obtaining the Concentration Faculty Director's approval of the student's plan for completing the Concentration's writing requirement.

Suffolk's requirements page · its course list · Academic Rules

Courses that count

55 listed, 32 running this year.

1. One (1) Evidence course:

Evidence4 crBoth terms

Isaac Borenstein, Maurice Dyson, Rosanna Cavallaro

2. One (1) Pretrial course:

Federal Criminal Advocacy2 crFall only

Gustavo Gelpi

Complex Litigation and Counseling2 crFall only

Kevin Adam

Pretrial Civil Litigation3 crFall only

Brian Kelly

State Criminal Practice2 crFall only

Eddie Jenkins

Federal Criminal Practice Seminar2 crNot offered 2026-27

3. An Appellate course:

Appellate Practice and Advocacy3 crNot offered 2026-27

4. An Alternative Dispute Resolution course:

Mediation3 crSpring only

Beth Aarons

Negotiation2 crBoth terms

Darren Braham, Diana Chiang, Gabriel Teninbaum

Online Dispute Resolution for ADR2 crNot offered 2026-27

5. A Trial Advocacy course:

Trial Advocacy2 crBoth terms

Donald Cabell, Linda Giles, Michael Bolden

Trial Advocacy - Intensive3 crSpring only

Christopher Dearborn

At least 1 course:

Accelerator-to-Practice Program5 crNot offered 2026-27
Family Advocacy Clinic5 crNot offered 2026-27
Health Law Clinic5 crNot offered 2026-27
Immigrant Justice Clinic5 crNot offered 2026-27
Human Rights & Indigenous People Clinic5 crNot offered 2026-27
Intellectual Property & Entrepreneurship Clinic5 crNot offered 2026-27
Litigation Related Externship2 crNot offered 2026-27
Juvenile Defender Clinic5 crNot offered 2026-27
Suffolk Defenders Clinic5 crNot offered 2026-27
Suffolk Prosecutors Clinic5 crNot offered 2026-27

At least 3 courses:

Access to Justice2 crFall only

Danielle Johnson

Administrative Law3 crBoth terms

Erin Braatz, Renee Landers

Advanced Civil Procedure3 crFall only

Linda Sandstrom Simard

Advanced Criminal Law: Substance Abuse2 crNot offered 2026-27
Advanced Immigration Law2 crSpring only

Ragini Shah

Advanced Legal Writing3 crBoth terms

Ann Santos, Chelsea Kendall, Michael Ilin

Advanced Practice Skills2 crSpring only

Benjamin Carroll

Advanced Topics in Constitutional Law3 crFall only

Rene Reyes

Advanced Torts2 crFall only

Michael Rustad

Cannabis Law2 crFall only

Laury Lucien

Civil Rights Litigation: Police Misconduct2 crSpring only

Robert Cunha

Constitutional Law Moot Court Team2 crNot offered 2026-27
Criminal Procedure3 crBoth terms

James Rehnquist, Michael Ricciuti, Rene Reyes

Digital Evidence2 crSpring only

Christina Miller

Directed Study ii1 crNot offered 2026-27
E-Discovery Law2 crNot offered 2026-27
Family Law3 crBoth terms

Sheila Scheuerman

Federal Courts3 crNot offered 2026-27
Forensics2 crSpring only

Ann Santos

Housing Discrimination Law, Theory and Practice: Brainstorming & Implementing Solutions to Discrimination2 crNot offered 2026-27
Immigration Law3 crFall only

Alexandra Peredo Carroll

International Investment Law3 crSpring only

Christopher Gibson

Interviewing and Counseling2 crBoth terms

Cara Libman, Martsyl Joseph, Richard Pizzano

Labor Law3 crFall only

Katie Lev, Thomas Henry

Medical Malpractice2 crFall only

Carol Kelly

Mental Health Law3 crSpring only
National Trial Team2 crNot offered 2026-27
Patent Litigation Practice2 crSpring only

Philip Swain

Patent Prosecution II: PTO Practice2 crNot offered 2026-27
Public Interest Lawyering2 crBoth terms

Julien Mundele, Reyna Ramirez

Trial & Appellate Advocacy Concentration Thesis2 crNot offered 2026-27
Workers Compensation2 crNot offered 2026-27
Zealous Advocacy3 crSpring only

Nicole Oribhabor, Peter O'Karma

Verified 2026-08-27. Confirm with Academic Services before you plan around it.

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