295.5D sec. 001 - Death Penalty Clinic (Fall 2026)
Instructor: Ty Alper (view instructor's teaching evaluations - degree students only | profile)
Instructor: Elisabeth Anne Semel (view instructor's teaching evaluations - degree students only | profile)
View all teaching evaluations for this course - degree students only
Units: 4 - 6
Grading Designation: Credit Only
Mode of Instruction: In-Person
Course End: December 03, 2026
Enrollment info:
Enrolled: 11
Waitlisted: 0
Enroll Limit: 20
As of: 07/20 09:01 PM
The Death Penalty Clinic is a year-long clinic limited to J.D. students who are in their third year. Current 2Ls must apply for both the clinic and the companion seminar through the Clinical Program application process during Spring 2026. Students who are admitted to the clinic and the companion seminar for Fall 2026 are committed to participation through Spring 2027.
The clinic is counsel or co-counsel for individuals who are facing capital punishment at trial, on appeal, or in post-conviction proceedings. The Death Penalty Clinic seeks justice for individuals facing the death penalty by providing them with high-quality representation; offers students a rich opportunity for meaningful hands-on experience in high-stakes, complex litigation; exposes problems endemic to the administration of capital punishment; and advances systemic change through litigation and policy advocacy.
In academic year 2026-27, students will be supervised by the Death Penalty Clinic’s Co-Directors, Professor Elisabeth Semel and Professor Ty Alper, and the clinic's Clinical Supervising Attorney. Faculty bios are available on the law school's faculty profiles page and the Death Penalty Clinic's webpage.
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:
When this Clinic and Seminar are taken in the same semester, they are counted together as satisfying one of the following requirements:
Students who want the clinic/seminar to satisfy Option 2 of the Writing Requirement must obtain instructor approval and complete a paper or series of written work, with drafts, of 30 or more pages. To receive Option 2 credit, students must submit this form: https://na3.docusign.net/Member/PowerFormSigning.aspx?PowerFormId=db49abd6-616e-45e4-a912-e932cd3fb15c&env=na3-eu1&acct=ae094ebe-6750-44d8-a517-9886242ff735 In addition to the above-designated requirement choice, the units from this Clinic/Seminar fulfill the Race and the Law requirement. Please contact Student Academic Advising and Support Services (SAASS) with any questions. |
Exam Notes: (None) Series of papers or assignments throughout the semester
(Subject to change by faculty member only through the first two weeks of instruction)
Course Category: Clinics
This course is listed in the following sub-categories:
Criminal Law
Race and Law
Social Justice and Public Interest
If you are the instructor or their FSU, you may add a file like a syllabus or a first assignment.
Class materials may also be available on bCourses.berkeley.edu
Readers:
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Books:
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