THE TRIAL PRACTICE CURRICULUM AT INDIANA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW
The Trial Practice curriculum is part of the Law School's Litigation program. "Litigation" refers to the resolution of legal disputes through the court system. It encompasses everything from traffic court
and small claims to murder trials, class-action suits, and Supreme Court cases on the posting of the 10 Commandments. Litigators must be competent in five areas: 1) the substantive law governing the
subject-matter of the dispute (contracts, family law, criminal law, civil rights, torts, etc), 2) civil and criminal pretrial procedure, 3) negotiation and other alternative methods of dispute resolution, 4)
trial practice, and 5) appellate practice.
The first year of law school gives students some preliminary exposure to litigation, but does not focus on trial practice, That comes in the second and third years. The IU Law School offers a sequence
of four courses that should be taken in the order listed:
1. Evidence
2. Trial Advocacy
3. Advanced Trial Practice
Many other courses are available that have a litigation and skills focus -- Negotiation, Pretrial Litigation, Labor Arbitration, and a variety of clinical courses. See the Guide to Litigation-Related Courses
.