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Participate in a Berkeley Law JD Skills Class with the OPTION of earning 1 unit of LS 199
Individual Research Credit
In Spring 2024, undergraduates will have a unique opportunity to play the role of witnesses in a Berkeley Law JD Professional Skills Class (Depositions: Law 246.3), taught by Professor Henry Hecht.
Professor Hecht seeks six (6) students to serve as role-playing witnesses. Students selected will be expected to prepare in advance by reading a witness statement and a very limited amount of background material. Witnesses will then be expected to participate during the semester in six (6) Tuesday afternoon classes from 3:35 p.m. to 6:15 p.m., on February 6, February 13, March 5, March 12, April 2, and April 9. (Note: It is possible that events during the semester will cause a change in dates, but you will be given notice in advance of any changes.)
During these six (6) classes, you will play the role of a witness for either the plaintiff or the defendant in a mock case.
Students selected must be able to commit to attending all six (6) Tuesday afternoon classes.
Professor Hecht's Depositions course is a lawyering skills course, in which Berkeley Law students, working in small groups, simulate the process of preparing witnesses for their depositions and then taking as well as defending their depositions. Practicing Bay Area lawyers attend these sessions, observe the law students in action, and critique their performances.
(Note: A deposition is a pre-trial legal procedure in which witnesses in a civil lawsuit answer questions by the opposing parties under oath, typically in a law office rather than a courtroom.)
Playing the role of a witness will allow you to gain insight into the US system of civil litigation and to see it in operation. In addition, it will provide you with a chance to meet and talk with Berkeley Law students and Bay Area attorneys. Finally, witnesses will earn a $50.00 Amazon gift card for their service.
To Apply:
Please apply by e-mail to Professor Hecht at hhecht@law.berkeley.edu(link sends e-mail)(link sends e-mail), by no later than
Wednesday, January 24, at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Please include the words “Application to be a Witness” and your last name in the subject line of your e-mail. In your cover message, please include a brief statement about why you are interested in taking part in this class; and attach your resume.
Students' applications will be reviewed by Professor Hecht, and he will notify students of his decisions by no later than Monday, January 29, at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time.
OPTION: Earn 1 Unit of LS 199 Course Credit for Supervised Independent Research with
Professor Perry
Students who choose this OPTION have the opportunity to earn one (1) unit of LS 199 P/NP course credit for their service as a witness in Professor Hecht’s Depositions class under the supervisor of Professor Perry. In order to earn this supervised independent research credit,
2 students will be required to do some additional readings on the civil litigation process and on the participant observation method, which are described below. At the end of the semester, students selecting this option must submit a paper of at least ten pages in length, exclusive of notes and bibliography. The requirements for the LS 199 course credit, offered by Professor Perry, are described below.
Requirements for LS 199 credit:
i. Attend all six (6) class role playing sessions, and prepare for the role plays;
ii. Take notes on what you did and what you observed, preferably in a small note pad,
organized by the date of the session; and submit the raw, handwritten pages along
with your final paper;
iii. Read materials, posted on bCourses, on participant observation methods; and consider how those method(s) apply to your own experience;
iv. Read two chapters, posted on bCourses, from Robert Kagan’s Adversarial Legalism:
The American Way of Law, focusing especially on Chapter 6, which mentions
depositions; and
v. Papers will be graded on a P/NP basis by Professor Perry.
If you want to pursue this option, specify that in your cover message to Professor Hecht when you apply; and he will let Professor Perry know.
Please look here for details.
SIGN UP TO WALK in the Legal Studies Commencement here.
The deadline to sign up is March 15.
Sign up by March 15th to get two free tickets.
Link to buy tickets will be sent out and posted on our website later on.
It's not set up yet, but you will be able to purchase as many tickets as you need online.
(So far 53 of you have signed up to walk in the Legal Studies ceremony. Thank you!)Title: Discovery Documentation Assistant
Time: Spring 2024, part-time project, 15-20 hours of work
Pay: $600 stipend
Job Description
Are you interested in shaping the future of your education at Berkeley? The Discovery Initiative is a campus-wide effort to increase access to hands-on education for all undergrads. We are seeking a Discovery Documentation Assistant this Spring 2024 for a $600 stipend to capture and document best practices for teaching experiential learning.
Application Process
To apply, email info.discovery@berkeley.edu by Jan 31, 2024 with your resume and a short cover letter highlighting how you would use your skill set to create the symposium report or resource.
[Public Policy 98/198: Applied Policy Lab] is now accepting applications! Please use this link to fill out the application to be considered for enrollment.
Applied Policy Lab is a space for students to analyze and craft public policy to address social issues. Students are free to select any topic that interests them, and they will be taught methods for researching, analyzing, and advocating their chosen policy topics. The class is lightweight and flexible in format. Students may take the course for 1, 2, or 3 units, and only one discussion section per week – either, 6-7 PM on Mondays at Dwinelle 229 or 6-7 PM on Wednesdays at Dwinelle 182.
The course is open to all majors and years. Students have the opportunity to explore any policy topic that interests them in a relaxed, supportive setting, and no previous experience with policy or social sciences is required. The course’s four class assignments center around building a portfolio on the student's policy topic, with one assignment due per month, with the assignments scaling for unit count.
Applied Policy Lab is organized by the Student Policy Institute at Berkeley, a student-led, interdisciplinary public policy think tank. Please reach out to akesavalu@berkeley.edu with any questions.
Essentially, I am looking for someone to fill my position. To provide context, I majored in Legal Studies at UC Berkeley as a pre-law student knowing I wanted to pursue law school but take a gap year. I was very interested in criminal justice - The Law Office of Cliff Gardner focuses on post-conviction representation, specifically appellate and habeas representation, and the majority of our clients are indigent. This has been a great way for me to learn more about the criminal justice system and the field of work I want to get into before committing the time and finances it takes to pursue a law degree.
I am hoping your university has a similar pre-law student body or students graduating this year looking for a job opportunity to gain experience in a gap year before law school. An interest in criminal justice is recommended, but any interest in going to law school definitely pertains to the position.
Following is a description of the position:
The Law Office of Cliff Gardner is looking for a Paralegal to begin working starting Late February or early March. The position is full-time, Monday-Friday, and mainly in person, but the small office nature allows for plenty of scheduling flexibility. Additionally, the job offers competitive hourly pay of $25.00 an hour, and a flexible working schedule that can accommodate a recent pre-law graduate balancing law school applications, scholarship applications, and more. The office is located in Berkeley, California just minutes away from UC Berkeley’s campus and Berkeley's 4th street filled with great restaurants and shops.
Experiences include going to oral argument at The California Supreme Court, working on high profile murder cases, researching complex social science issues, hiring forensic experts, learning how to identify appellate issues in reporter’s and clerk’s transcripts, attending moot court sessions, learning how to draft filed motions and applications, and much more! Cliff is one of the most experienced appellate/ habeas representation lawyers in the state and represents indigent clients all across the state of California. Mr. Gardner is an adjunct professor at UC Berkeley School of Law, teaching a course in post conviction remedies. Working at The Law Office of Cliff Gardner is a once in a lifetime opportunity where recent graduates interested in going to law school can build their resumes and become not just a stronger law school candidate, but a stronger law student. If interested, please reach out to the current Paralegalegal amna.tanvir.choudhary@gmail.comwho can offer more insight and answer any questions you may have.