Harris Keenan & Goldfarb Advocacy Program

Students gain invaluable experience negotiating and mediating, conducting trials, and arguing cases on appeal, and they also learn about professionalism and ethics in legal practice.

Harris Keenan & Goldfarb Advocacy Program

The Harris Keenan & Goldfarb Advocacy Program is the home for co-curricular and specialized certificate programs at New York Law School.

These programs provide students with opportunities to compete in interscholastic competitions, work with expert faculty and practitioners to develop skills needed to excel in the courtroom and negotiations, and enhance their lawyering skills in specialized areas of dispute resolution and advocacy.

Certificate Programs

NYLS offers two certificate programs:

Alternative Dispute Resolution Certificate

The ADR Skills Program teaches practical skills in the field of conflict avoidance, management, and resolution. Students take introductory courses in each of three central alternative dispute resolution processes—negotiation, mediation, and arbitration—as well as additional electives, as they progress towards earning a Certificate in Alternative Dispute Resolution.

Learn more about the ADR Skills Program.

Advocacy Certificate

The Harris Keenan & Goldfarb Advocacy Program offers students who are interested in litigation the opportunity to earn a Certificate in Civil, Criminal, or Appellate Advocacy. Students earn an Advocacy Certificate by taking a combination of procedure, writing, and skills courses. They also complete a clinical, field placement, or externship experience in which they put the skills they’ve learned into practice.

Learn more about the Advocacy Certificate.

Competition Teams

NYLS offers three competition teams:

Dispute Resolution Team

The Dispute Resolution Team (DRT) is a student-led organization that represents the School in competitions based on alternative dispute resolution methods and lawyering skills.

Learn more about the Dispute Resolution Team.

Moot Court Association

The Moot Court Association (MCA) is one of the nation’s largest and most successful student-run moot court organizations.

Learn more about the Moot Court Association.

Trial Competition Team

The Trial Competition Team is a student-run competition group, focusing on excellence in trial advocacy.

Learn more about the Trial Competition Team.

Although academic credit earned from participating on these teams does not count towards NYLS’s Experiential Learning Requirement, the teams provide additional valuable opportunities to hone practice skills.

Office of Clinical and Experiential Learning  •  T 212.431.2179  •  E ocel@nyls.edu