246.1 sec. 001 - Criminal Trial Practice (Fall 2020)
Instructor: Charles Denton (view instructor's teaching evaluations - degree students only | profile)
View all teaching evaluations for this course - degree students only
Units: 3
Grading Designation: Graded
Due to COVID-19, this class is remote for Fall 2020.
Mode of Instruction: Remote Instruction
Meeting:
M 6:25 PM - 9:05 PM
Location: Internet/Online
From August 17, 2020
To November 23, 2020
Course End: November 23, 2020
Class Number: 32254
Enrollment info:
Enrolled: 8
Waitlisted: 0
Enroll Limit: 16
As of: 12/07 09:41 AM

This course focuses upon the courtroom application of criminal law principles and practices. Students will prepare and present opening statements, direct and cross examination, documentary and demonstrative evidence, and closing arguments. They will also gain a practical understanding of common issues in criminal law, including bail, sentencing, preliminary hearings, ethics, misconduct, objections and motions to suppress.
The format will be hands-on and participatory, and the emphasis will be on learning practical techniques for shaping the evidence, using the law, and exploiting the courtroom to create a coherent and convincing case theory. All performances will be videotaped and the course will culminate in a half-day jury trial.
Enrollment is limited to 16 students. Class enrollment will be determined by the beginning of the second class meeting. Therefore, all students interested in enrollment should be present for both the first and second classes. Final trials will be Friday, November 20th-Sunday, November 22nd.
Due to the nature of this class, real-time attendance is required (without an alternative way to earn equivalent credit) except in cases of illness or emergency.
Instructor Biography: Charles Denton is in his 37th year as an attorney with the Alameda County Public Defender's Office. Nearly all of that time has been spent in the courtroom. Mr. Denton has litigated hundreds of motions and hearings and has tried nearly every kind of criminal case -- from drunk driving to the death penalty. He is one of the most prolific lecturers on trial practice and criminal litigation in the state and a well-recognized expert on criminal law and procedure. He is currently the author of Criminal Defense Jury Instructions: California Criminal Jury Charges. For nearly a decade, he was one of the principal authors of California Continuing Education of the Bar's Recent Developments in Criminal Law Practice as well as a contributor to their California Criminal Law: Procedure and Practice. He is currently one of the authors of California: Criminal Sentencing Enhancements. His written manuals and practice guides are highly acclaimed and widely published, and he is the past president of the California Public Defender's Association and its current training coordinator. This is Mr. Denton's 24th year teaching at Berkeley Law.
Real-time attendance at the first Zoom class is mandatory for all currently enrolled and waitlisted students; any currently enrolled or waitlisted students who are not present on the first day of class (without prior permission of the instructor) will be dropped. The instructor will continue to take attendance throughout the add/drop period and anyone who moves off the waitlist into the class must continue to attend or have prior permission of the instructor in order not to be dropped.
Requirements Satisfaction:
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Exam Notes: (T) Course ends in a final practice trial, arguments, or other presentation (e.g. Powerpoint)
Course Category: Simulation Courses
This course is listed in the following sub-categories:
Criminal Law
If you are the instructor or their FSU, you may add a file like a syllabus or a first assignment to this page.
Readers:
A reader will be used in this class.
Books:
Required Books are in blue
- Trial Techniques and Trials
Mauet, Thomas
Edition: 10th Edition
Publisher: Aspen
ISBN: 9781454886532
e-Book Available: Yes
e-Book procurement note: https://www.wklegaledu.com/aspen-coursebook-series/id-9781454886532/trial_techniques_and_trials_tenth_edition
Copyright Date: To Be Determined
Price: $171.00
Price Source: user provided - California Evidentiary Foundations
Imwinkelreid, Edward & Leach, Thomas
Edition: 5th
Publisher: Lexis Nexis
ISBN: 9781522185918
e-Book Available: Yes
e-Book procurement note: https://store.lexisnexis.com/products/california-evidentiary-foundations-skuusSku7222
Copyright Date: To Be Determined
Price: 162.00
Price Source: user provided - Evidentiary Foundations
Imwinkelreid, Edward
Edition: 9th Edition
Publisher: Lexis-Nexis
ISBN: 9781632815460
e-Book Available: unknown
Copyright Date: To Be Determined
Price: To Be Determined - Modern Trial Advocacy Analysis & Practice: Law School Fourth Edition (NITA)
Lubet, Steven
Edition: Fourth Edition
Publisher: NITA
ISBN: 9781601565730
e-Book Available: Yes
e-Book procurement note: https://www.vitalsource.com/products/modern-trial-advocacy-steve-lubet-v9781601565747
Copyright Date: To Be Determined
Price: To Be Determined