This course examines how a criminal case advances through the court system. Topics include prosecutorial power and ethical obligations; grand jury, competency, and bail proceedings; jury selection; the rights to effective assistance of counsel and self-representation; rights at trial; plea bargaining; and sentencing. 

This course is designed to complement Law 202 ("Criminal Procedure: Investigation"), Law 711 ("Pre-trial Criminal Litigation"), Law 715 ("Criminal Defense Clinic"), and Law 720 ("Criminal Trial Advocacy"), but those courses are not prerequisites.

At the conclusion of this course, you should be able to: (1) understand and critically evaluate the constitutional and non-constitutional rules related to pre-trial, trial, and sentencing processes; (2) apply those doctrines to a set of facts from both a prosecutor’s and defense attorney’s standpoint in an organized and persuasive way; (3) articulate a well-reasoned prediction as to how a court would apply the doctrine; and (4) address open questions of law within the doctrine.