Civil Procedure
“Procedure is Power.”
— Stephen B. Burbank, David Berger Professor for the Administration of Justice
Civil Procedure, and more broadly Evidence and Conflict of Laws, have been and continue to be great strengths of our faculty and curricular offerings. Penn Law faculty are renowned and prolific scholars in these fields andactively involved in applying their knowledge to real world issues; in the courts, in business, and in government and policy making.
Faculty Research
Stephen B. Burbank’s article in the Nevada Law Journal, “Federal Court Rulemaking and Litigation Reform: An Institutional Approach,” illustrates how, over the last 50 years, changes in the Civil Rules Advisory Committee, whose members are appointed by the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, have been associated with shifting the balance against plaintiffs seeking to enforce rights in civil litigation.
Sample Penn Law Courses
- Advanced Problems in Federal Procedure
- Appellate Advocacy
- Conflict of Laws
- Constitution Outside of the Courts
- International Civil Litigation
- Right to Counsel
Clinics & Externships
- Civil Practice Clinic
- Legislative Clinic
- Supreme Court Clinic
- Externship: US Attorney’s Office, Civil Division
- Externship: Federal Appellate Litigation (in partnership with Dechert, LLP)
Civil Procedure in Action
The Toll Public Interest Center has numerous placements that either focus on our have civil procedure as a major component of assignment.
- ACLU - students often to ad hoc pro bono work doing litigation
- CASAC (Custody and Support Assistance Clinic)
- Innocence Project – Federal Habeas
- SAGE (Students Against Gender-Based Exploitation)
- PEAP (Prisoners’ Education and Advocacy Project)
- Employment Advocacy Project/Guild Food Stamp Clinic/Penn Housing Rights Project/Penn Law Advocates for the Homeless – deals with administrative law