Practicum Options for J.D. Students
Building Worker and Community Power to Respond to the Carceral State
This course explores the impact of incarceration and movements to develop alternatives to current carceral policies and will be taught in collaboration with Beyond the Bars (BTB). BTB is a membership-based organization in Miami-Dade County with membership of workers who have experienced incarceration. Through work with BTB, students will be exposed to, and assist with, efforts to change the carceral system in Miami-Dade County. Students may elect to work in partnership with a classmate on a project identified by the instructors. The course is for 3 credits. The course meets weekly for 2 hours. Students are required to participate in 2-3 field trips and attend other meetings for additional credit. Application is required. Interested students should send their application to agonzalez1@law.miami.edu describing their interest and any related work or career goals.
Death Penalty Practicum
Students work with the Office of the Public Defender or with other highly qualified death penalty attorneys who are litigating capital cases. Students work on different aspects of case preparation such as client and witness interviewing, depositions, development of mitigation, motions practice, and plea negotiations. The introductory course Introduction to Death Penalty Litigation, offered in the fall semester, is a mandatory prerequisite to the Death Penalty Practicum, offered in the spring semester. The practicum allows a limited number of students to be placed with practicing criminal defense attorneys working on capital cases under the supervision and training of the professor.
General Counsel Practicum
Students to learn, in a hands-on environment with the Legal Department at the MIAMI Association of REALTORS®, the skills needed to practice as a general counsel. Topics include contract drafting, regulatory compliance, risk management, corporate and nonprofit governance (for both MIAMI REALTORS® and its subsidiaries), alternative dispute resolution (arbitrations, ombud program, mediations, and ethics cases), government affairs, public policy, labor and employment issues, and strategic legal decision-making. The practicum allows a limited number of students to be placed with the largest local realtor association in the United States with 62,000 members, and second largest in the world.
Practicum Options in Post-Graduate LL.M. Programs
This hands-on component is also required in many LL.M. programs and is also available to J.D./LL.M students.
Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law
In the Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law LL.M., a practicum requirement affords students the opportunity for additional training in the workplace. Practicum placements have included: NBC Universal/Telemundo, HBO Latin America, BBC Worldwide Americas, Warner Music, Universal Music, Universal Creative, Spotify, Ultra, Jazwares, the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Chase Lawyers, and Attorneys David Ehrlich, Janine Small, Henry Root and Lita Rosario. Specialty practicum courses include: LegalArtLink Practicum and the Women's National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA).
LegalArtLink Practicum
Students in the EASL LL.M. or J.D./LL.M. program gain practical legal experience by assisting artists with legal issues. Students work under a supervising attorney and may be assigned to matters which could include helping artists with forming a business entity or nonprofit organization, strategizing, and managing an artist's intellectual property portfolio, drafting or review of contracts, and advising an artist regarding using copyrighted material in their own work. For more information about this practicum, please contact Dean Greg Levy at: glevy@law.miami.edu
Women's National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) Practicum
In the EASL-Women's National Basketball Players Association practicum, LLM and JD/LLM students work with the WNBPA, the first labor union for professional women athletes, where they gain practical skills which may include assistance with CBA matters, player legal assistance, partnership development and other player outreach and advocacy programs. Students must first complete the short course Women in Professional Sports: A Legal, Social and Business Analysis to be eligible for the practicum in the Spring or Summer. The short course will explore the formation of the first and longest standing sports union for professional women athletes. Open to EASL JD/LL.M. and EASL LL.M. students or by permission of the Director.
Real Property Development Affordable Housing Practicum
The Affordable Housing Practicum is a requirement of the Robert Traurig-Greenberg Traurig Real Property Development LL.M. It provides a deep overview into issues to consider in affordable housing development. Students work on a variety of documents which are part of an actual affordable housing transaction and have the opportunity to meet clients, attend public hearings, and nurture a further understanding of the affordable housing area. Students complete 40-50 hours of client-related work most of which takes place at the offices of Legal Services of Greater Miami.
Estate Planning
The practicum component of the Heckerling LL.M. in Estate Planning comes together as a Capstone Project. This is a part of a semester-long drafting course that culminates in the preparation of an estate plan under the supervision and guidance of an experienced estate planning attorney.
International Arbitration
Select students in the White & Case International Arbitration LL.M. may complete a two-credit legal practicum with prominent international arbitration firms in Miami during their study. This includes completing a minimum of 80 field hours at an approved practicum placement and attending a number of on-campus lectures pertinent of international arbitration and transnational litigation.
Read: "Students Gain Hands-On Training with Newly Launched International Arbitration LL.M. Practicum" and "Growth of LL.M. Practicum Broadens Opportunities for International Arbitration Students"
