No CrimPro until 3rd year? Forum

[LearnedHandofJustice]

1L/Rising 2L here.

Just had our class registration for next year. Like many schools, mine divides CrimPro into two classes - one for Adjucation, one for Investigations, offered in the Fall/Spring respectively.

My school drastically underestimated the demand for Adjudication, the class is full, and there's a large waiting list-- 3:1 enrolled to waiting list ratio.

I did not get in.

We are being told "We'll have better luck in the Spring for Investigations," as if all the same people won't want to take Investigations, and 25% of us won't be left out in the cold, again. We are being told that we will have registration priority 3L year, and can take Adjudication then.

I am dead set on a career in criminal law, and have a relevant internship this summer. I will be gunning DA/PD at OCI.

*Will I be boned at OCI when I'm trying to sell myself as serious about CrimLaw to retention-minded public-interest recruiters, yet I am not enrolled in CrimPro, and cannot even promise I will be able to take a CrimPro class before 3L?

*If I get a BigWig OCI DA/PD summer internship for 2L summer, will I be boned if I show up without having taken CrimPro (or any CrimLaw since 1st semester 1L year?). Am I gonna fall on my face?

*Is this situation as atrocious as I think it is, or am I freaking out over nothing? Is it okay to wait until 3L to take CrimPro if I want to DA/PD?

Seriously, pissed the hell off to the point I'm thinking of transferring if they can't fix it. Talk me down (or push me off the edge).

[futurePD24]

You'll be fine. Crim pro investigation is the one that you'll want to take, anyway. That's the class that traditionally covers the 4th, 5th, and 6th amendment, which is far more applicable to the work that you'll be doing.

I've done several PD internships and will be working in a well known PD system after graduation. There is hardly anything from my criminal adjudication course that has been relevant to the work I've done so far. Typically, criminal adjudication covers the federal rules of criminal procedure, as well as other procedures governing federal criminal trials--things like the federal bail reform act, federal sentencing guidelines, the federal grand jury statute, the rules in the federal rules of crim pro that govern plea deals, etc. etc. None of that has been relevant to my work as a state level PD. So you should be fine not taking crim pro adjudication until 3L.

Make sure you take trial practice at some point, and get as much real experience as you can (through internships/externships/clinics). Real experience in court--especially trying cases--is valued far higher than everything else.

[LearnedHandofJustice]

You'll be fine. Crim pro investigation is the one that you'll want to take, anyway. That's the class that traditionally covers the 4th, 5th, and 6th amendment, which is far more applicable to the work that you'll be doing.

I've done several PD internships and will be working in a well known PD system after graduation. There is hardly anything from my criminal adjudication course that has been relevant to the work I've done so far. Typically, criminal adjudication covers the federal rules of criminal procedure, as well as other procedures governing federal criminal trials--things like the federal bail reform act, federal sentencing guidelines, the federal grand jury statute, the rules in the federal rules of crim pro that govern plea deals, etc. etc. None of that has been relevant to my work as a state level PD. So you should be fine not taking crim pro adjudication until 3L.

Make sure you take trial practice at some point, and get as much real experience as you can (through internships/externships). Real experience in court--especially trying cases--is valued far higher that everything else.

This is all very encouraging.Thank you for taking the time. Still open to more input though if anybody has different thoughts.

[sdancer89]

Seconding futurePD. I'm a 2L hoping to do PD work and have been externing in an office this semester and will be at another PD office this summer. Investigations is more relevant to state work and will be the basis for any research/motion writing you do. Also, honestly I don't recall any of the interviewers asking me for a transcript or what classes I was taking unless it mattered for bar certification so that I could appear in court. If they do care, I'm sure an explanation of the situation will resolve it. It isn't like you screwed up.

Adjudication is interesting and definitely take it, but it has been much more relevant to federal work than anything I've done in a state office. FWIW, there are plenty 3Ls with PD offers for fall in my adjudication class, so it clearly hasn't been an issue for them.

[LearnedHandofJustice]

Seconding futurePD. I'm a 2L hoping to do PD work and have been externing in an office this semester and will be at another PD office this summer. Investigations is more relevant to state work and will be the basis for any research/motion writing you do. Also, honestly I don't recall any of the interviewers asking me for a transcript or what classes I was taking unless it mattered for bar certification so that I could appear in court. If they do care, I'm sure an explanation of the situation will resolve it. It isn't like you screwed up.

Adjudication is interesting and definitely take it, but it has been much more relevant to federal work than anything I've done in a state office. FWIW, there are plenty 3Ls with PD offers for fall in my adjudication class, so it clearly hasn't been an issue for them.

Cool. Thank you.

[gatorgirl94]

My school does Crim Pro Investigations as a 1L course instead of Criminal Law. Well worth it I think - the 4th/5th/6th Amendments are the important ones in criminal work. Lots of 1Ls working in the PD's office and 2Ls who did and can't stress how much more valuable Investigations was, and then they decided later if Adjudication was worth taking (only like 60 people/yr out of 320+ who took Investigation take Adjudication)

[encore1101]

Multiple DA offices extended me an offer during Fall 3L, and I was taking CrimPro: Investigations at the time. Only one office asked why I waited so long, and it seemed like they weren't interested in me anyway.

edit: adjudication is interesting, since you learn about bail, jury stuff and batson challenges, repugnant verdicts, etc. definitely recommend taking, even though its a little dryer than investigation.