CIVIL JUSTICE THROUGH THE COURTS (2) (PBL294)

Professor Joanne Doroshow

Students will work with the Center for Justice and Democracy, http://www.centerjd.org/, a civil justice advocacy organization, on various projects designed to raise awareness about attacks on consumer and citizen access to civil justice through the courts. In a time when so‐called ‘tort reform’ once again appears to be at the center of political scrutiny, CJ&D has a mission to increase public awareness of the value of the civil justice system.  Topics of interest will include health care and medical malpractice litigation
protection, product safety and environmental litigation strategies, civil justice and human rights, and federal regulations, along with the full range of contemporary civil litigation areas. Possible projects include legislative analysis and memos for legislative committees, preparation of advocacy materials and policy papers, and assistance with Congressional testimony.  Students will work in teams to prepare documents and present research.  There will be the opportunity to discuss current tort subjects with practitioners and opinion leaders in the field. Student may have the opportunity to ‘shadow’ a practitioner during tort litigation. The goal of this course is to acquaint students with the critical role that litigation through court proceedings plays in protecting consumer and citizen health and safety, Exhibit H
and to engage students in learning and applying the skills of public policy advocacy.