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.
246.11 sec. 001 - Criminal Trial Practice in Federal Court (Spring 2026)
Instructor: Shailika Kotiya (view instructor's teaching evaluations - degree students only)
View all teaching evaluations for this course - degree students only
Units: 2
Grading Designation: Graded
Mode of Instruction: In-Person
Meeting:
Th 3:35 PM - 5:25 PM
Location: Law 140
From January 15, 2026
To April 23, 2026
Course End: April 23, 2026
Class Number: 34105
Enrollment info:
Enrolled: 18
Waitlisted: 0
Enroll Limit: 18
As of: 02/19 02:15 AM
This course is devoted to the continued development and performance of trial advocacy skills in the courtroom. Through a combination of lecture and in-class simulations, this advanced skills course will teach fundamental trial concepts and techniques for criminal trials in Federal District Court. Throughout the semester, students will work on advanced concepts and techniques, including pretrial motions in limine and motions to suppress; jury selection and voir dire; strategies for examining government informants, testifying defendants, defense character witnesses, law enforcement officers and expert witnesses; raising and responding to evidentiary objections in real time; opening statements and closing arguments.
Shailika Kotiya spent over a decade as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of California and in the Eastern District of North Carolina. She has handled over a hundred criminal cases before the Federal District Court and Circuit Courts of Appeal, including conducting multiple felony jury trials and presenting oral arguments on appeal. As an AUSA, she prosecuted a wide variety of cases involving firearms offenses, robbery, sex trafficking, transnational organized crime, narcotics distribution, health care and wire fraud, and child exploitation offenses, among others. Presently, Mrs. Kotiya is a litigation partner at McGuireWoods LLP where she handles white-collar criminal defense and government investigations, complex civil litigation, investigations and appeals. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and graduated with honors from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 2009.
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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Exam Notes: (SP) Presentations that count for a significant portion of the grade
(Subject to change by faculty member only through the first two weeks of instruction)
Course Category: Simulation Courses
This course is listed in the following sub-categories:
Criminal Law
Social Justice and Public Interest
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Readers:
No reader.
Books:
Instructor has indicated that no books will be assigned.