Law School for Everyone

Law School for Everyone « Series from 2017

Series from 2017

Broadcast info
Genres: Documentary

Get the same foundational knowledge as lawyers - without law school.

In Law School for Everyone, four exceptional law professors recreate key parts of the first-year law student experience, introducing you to the areas of law most every beginning student studies: litigation and legal practice, criminal law and procedure, civil procedure, and torts.

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Litigation and the American Legal System

Use a 1963 Supreme Court case, Gideon v. Wainwright, as a window into the relationship between litigation and the American legal system. You'll explore why we adopted this particular system, how it works, and why we teach law in America the way we do.

Thinking like a Lawyer

To think like a lawyer, you have to approach legal doctrine actively and critically. Here, Professor Shadel teaches you how to read cases with an eye for particular concepts every good lawyer must keep in mind, including the role of precedent, inductive and deductive reasoning skills, and the use of analogies.

Representing Your Client

All lawyers have responsibilities to their clients and to the integrity of the justice system. But what are the bounds of a lawyer's responsibility in representing a client? What's confidential and what's not? For answers to these and other questions, consider challenges arising in the State of Florida v. George Zimmerman.

Trial Strategy behind the Scenes

Continuing with the case of George Zimmerman, explore the intricate nature of trial strategy that takes place away from the jury's eyes. Learn how lawyers operate before a trial, and how a jury is selected. Also, examine how media coverage impacts what happens inside (and outside) the courtroom.

Opening Statements: The Moment of Primacy

A powerful opening statement requires many things: credibility, persuasion, logic. Using the George Zimmerman and O.J. Simpson trials as case studies, go inside the (sometimes tricky) art of crafting palpable opening statements that grab the jury's attention and leave it eager to hear the testimony to come.

Direct Examination: Questioning Your Witness

Direct examination has been popularized by countless TV crime dramas. But how does it work in a real courtroom? Learn how lawyers figure out whom to put on the witness stand, what questions they should ask, and how to prepare witnesses for their day in court.

The Art of Objection

Problematic Evidence

Controlling Cross-Examination

Closing Arguments: Driving Your Theory Home

Understanding the Appellate Process

Arguing before the Supreme Court

Who Defines Crimes, and How?

Crime and the Guilty Mind

Homicide and Moral Culpability

The Law of Self-Defense

Federal Crimes and Federal Power

Cruel and Unusual Punishments

Due Process and the Right to Counsel

Government Searches and Privacy Rights

The Shrinking Warrant Requirement

The Fifth Amendment Privilege

Miranda and Police Interrogations

Plea Bargains, Jury Trials, and Justice

Procedural Rights and Why They Matter