Students represent pro se clients before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Under the supervision of Yale faculty and attorneys from the appellate group at Wiggin and Dana, teams of students will work on cases referred through the Pro Bono Counsel Plan for the Second Circuit. This program provides legal representation to pro se appellants with meritorious civil cases pending before the court. The issues raised in these cases may include immigration, employment discrimination, prisoners’ civil rights, and other section 1983 claims. The Project will focus on prisoners’ civil rights but may also include other types of cases. Students take primary responsibility for drafting the briefs in their assigned case, and one of them will deliver oral argument before the Second Circuit. In the instructional portion of the project, students will learn principles of appellate law and practice, including concepts such as standard of review, preservation of issues, and understanding the appellate record. Students will also receive instruction in brief writing and oral advocacy.
The instructors are David Roth and Tadhg Dooley.
