Apart from their assigned mod courses, 1L students may only enroll in courses offered as 1L electives. A complete list of these courses can be found on the 1L Elective Listings page. 1L students must use the 1L class number listed on the course description when enrolling.
245.2 sec. 001 - Civil Trial Practice (Spring 2025)
Instructor: Evelio M Grillo
Instructor: Winifred Younge Smith (view instructor's teaching evaluations - degree students only)
View all teaching evaluations for this course - degree students only
Units: 3
Grading Designation: Graded
Mode of Instruction: In-Person
Meetings:
W 3:35 PM - 6:15 PM
Location: Law 140
From January 15, 2025
To April 26, 2025
Sa 08:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Location: Booth Auditorium
On 2025-04-26
Course End: April 26, 2025
Class Number: 32824
Enrollment info:
Enrolled: 16
Waitlisted: 5
Enroll Limit: 16
As of: 01/13 09:15 AM
This course teaches the fundamentals of trial advocacy using a civil law case file. Students will learn the core skills of witness examination, opening/closing statements, introducing evidence, making evidentiary objections, jury selection, and trial preparation. The course will also cover trial strategy and ethical issues that may arise during trial.
This is a “learning by doing” class. Each week every student will perform an assigned trial skill exercise. Fellow students will act as witnesses and opposing counsel and there will be feedback by the instructors and classmates. There will be assigned reading each week. At every class, an instructor will provide a lecture to introduce the topic area of the following week's class and trial skill exercise. The course final will be a mock jury trial during which students will argue motions in limine, make opening statements, examine and cross examine witnesses, introduce evidence, and make a closing argument to a jury selected from class members and volunteers.
The mock jury trial is the final exam and will be held on April 26th.
The instructors for this class are Judge Winifred Smith (Ret.), and Judge Evelio Grillo (Ret.)
Judge Winifred Smith (Ret.) was appointed as a judge of the Alameda County Superior Court in 2000. During her tenure, Judge Smith was assigned to the Civil Law and Motion, Civil Direct Calendar and Complex Litigation Departments, where she served with distinction until her retirement in 2021. Judge Smith served as the Supervising Civil Judge and the Presiding Judge of the court and has tried over 100 cases to verdict, one of which--a products liability/complex litigation case--resulted in the largest civil jury verdict in California history. Alameda County Superior Court. Judge Smith received her undergraduate degree from Stanford University and her JD from Boston University School of Law.
Evelio Grillo is a retired Judge of the Alameda County Superior Court . During his tenure on the bench, Judge Grillo was assigned to a Complex Trial Department (class action, mass tort, insurance coverage and other complex litigation), Civil Law and Motion Department and the Civil Direct Calendar Departments. Over 40 of Judge Grillo’s trial court decisions have resulted in published appellate opinions in both the Court of Appeal, and the California Supreme Court. Judge Grillo received his undergraduate degree (BA --Political Science) and his masters degree (MPP --Public Policy) from the University of California at Berkeley, and his JD from Harvard Law School.
Attendance at the first 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.
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Requirements Satisfaction:
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Submit teaching evaluations for this course between 14-APR-25 and 29-APR-25
Exam Notes: (F) In-class final exam
(Subject to change by faculty member only through the first two weeks of instruction)
Exam Length: 4 hours
Course Category: Simulation Courses
If you are the instructor or their FSU, you may add a file like a syllabus or a first assignment to this page.
Readers:
No reader.
Books:
Required Books are in blue
- Taylor V. Pinnacle Packaging Products, Inc.: Trial Materials
Andrew P. Rodovich, Thomas J. Leach
Publisher: Aspen Publishing
ISBN: 9781601564450
e-Book Available: unknown
Price: To Be Determined - Effective Direct and Cross Examination
William A. Brockett, John W. Keker, Herbert Gross
ISBN: 9780881241433
e-Book Available: unknown
Price: To Be Determined - Modern Trial Advocacy: Analysis and Practice
Steven Lubet, J.C. Lore
Edition: 6th
Publisher: Aspen Publishers
ISBN: 9781601568984
e-Book Available: unknown
Price: 139
Note: prices are sampled from internet bookstores. Law-school Bookstore prices are unavailable at this time.