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 “Class Actions and the Counterrevolution Against Federal Litigation“ assess the counterrevolution against private enforcement of federal law from an institutional perspective. He finds that the Supreme Court has been, by far, the most effective institutional agent of retrenchment.
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