Law 971 Innocence Project Externship

Participants in this are placed with the Department of Public Advocacy’s Kentucky Innocence Project. Students are assigned one or more cases involving claims of factual innocence. The clients are individuals convicted of serious criminal offenses who received sentences of twenty years or more. The experiential component of the will give students the opportunity to learn a variety of practical skills, such as developing, organizing, and conducting case investigations, interviewing clients and witnesses, researching legal issues, drafting legal documents and correspondence, and working with experts. The component provides instruction on the above topics and other topics such as DNA and problems with eyewitness testimony. The class generally meets every other week. Enrollment is limited to ten students. Students are required to work on their cases for a minimum of one hundred hours each semester and must maintain a case log documenting their activities. This course is only available as a full-year . Credits will not be awarded for participation in the Fall only and students will not be permitted to register for the course in the Spring unless they have met the course requirements for the Fall semester. The course is worth four credits: 2 for the Fall semester and 2 for the Spring semester.

RECOMMENDED: Evidence (Law 890) and Criminal Procedure (Law 811).