Criminal Pretrial Advocacy

Book excerpt: Criminal Pretrial Advocacy fills a critical gap in the skills training for law students by providing a complete course addressing the pretrial phase of a federal criminal prosecution along with plea negotiation and sentencing. It contains materials to follow cases through all the important steps in a criminal prosecution from the decision to file charges to challenges to the investigative tactics and evidence to plea bargaining. The casebook describes the pretrial process in a federal criminal case by incorporating both a discussion of the rules and procedures in each phase as well as the basic constitutional doctrines related to criminal prosecutions that can arise. This book gives students the substantive foundation to proceed through a Criminal Pretrial Advocacy course by providing a foundation for understanding how each phase of the process unfolds. The casebook, in conjunction with the case files described below, are designed to help students improve their advocacy skills by giving them the opportunity to engage in both writing exercises and court appearances.