Spring 2022 Course Evaluations

In what way(s) did this course benefit your professional or intellectual development?

It helped me become more confident when speaking and learning to improvise on the spot which I’ve always gotten very nervous about. I now have litigation experience! I want to be a litigator, so being in the courtroom when there are literally no stakes (except my grade) is incredibly beneficial. I also, naively, never realized how insanely difficult being in the courtroom is. Like...there are literally rules for where an attorney should stand. I’ve learned to think a lot more critically about my communication, not only to a jury, but beyond. When you know a case file so well, it’s really tough to disseminate that information in bits and pieces to a jury who knows nothing, but also present it in a way to make the jury feel intelligent and empowered. Like I mentioned above, I like how Judge and Prof. Brennan provide feedback, so I’m going to take pieces from their style moving forward. Again, they don’t bullshit with the constructive feedback, but present it in a way that’s understandable so you can work to improve it in the future. There were definitely some times where my constructive feedback was a LOT, but we’re here to learn and I’d rather it now than in front of a judge. This course really required me to face my weaknesses, and it taught me that I should certainly be humble if I ever end up in the courtroom. Both the Justice and Prof. Brennan gave me invaluable honest feedback about all of my performances in the class and I really appreciated that they didn’t sugarcoat anything. When I screwed up badly on cross or direct or during an opening/ closing, they pointed it out. Too many law professors just won’t give students negative feedback, even when it is appropriate to do so, but the Justice doesn’t mince words. My oral presentation skills have drastically improved, as well as my willingness to just go for something. I am not often the type of student to participate much in classes, but this class was so welcoming and all criticism was constructive and well intended. Both professors made it easy to put yourself out there. The constructive criticism was phenomenal! The immediate feedback was relevant, instructive, and helpful. There is not other class that has this level of instruction.

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