Trial Advocacy Program

The Earle Mack School of Law’s Trial Advocacy Program is at the heart of the school’s commitment to preparing students for practice. The Trial Advocacy Program trains students in the essential practical skills of litigation. Our goal is to ensure that Drexel graduates are prepared to be litigators before they take their first case.

The program includes courses in pretrial advocacy as well as trial advocacy and incorporates cutting-edge features such as videotaped classes that allow professors to give students feedback on their performance arguing cases. Our carefully selected Trial Team enables students to compete against peers at the national level.

The academic program unfolds over two semesters. First, in Pretrial Advocacy, students learn all aspects of the pretrial preparation phase. They learn how to interview a client, plan pretrial investigation, identify and retain experts, and draft pleadings and motions. Students also learn how to develop the cornerstone of any successful litigation strategy: a theory of the case. Pretrial Advocacy also covers deposition strategies and techniques leading up to jury selection.

After completing Pretrial Advocacy, students take Trial Advocacy courses from experienced trial lawyers and judges who introduce them to the “real world” of litigation. These distinguished trial lawyers and jurists teach effective trial techniques by providing live demonstrations relating to jury selection, opening and closing statements, and direct and cross-examination of lay and expert witnesses. Students also learn how computer technology is now used to create and introduce state-of-the-art trial exhibits that will enhance the presentation of evidence at trial.

Trial Advocacy ends with a capstone experience: each student will litigate a mock trial in real and simulated hearings.

The program adds new courses, such as Improv for Lawyers, reflecting the vitality of Trial Advocacy at the law school.