Criminal Law

Gain Invaluable Experience in One of the Nation's Most Comprehensive Litigation Skills Programs

Miami Law provides extensive training for both state and federal practice as an aspiring prosecutor, criminal defense lawyer, or advocate for criminal justice reform and policy. Miami is home to a nationally recognized Public Defender’s office, State Attorney’s Office, and government agencies specializing in all areas of criminal law. Miami Law students have direct opportunities with these agencies through our externship programs. You can become practice-ready through our numerous experiential learning opportunities, and Miami Law’s highly acclaimed Litigation Skills Program engages you in rigorous, hands-on training providing you with practical skills and courtroom experience.

Cards

10th in U.S.

Our excellent moot court is ranked 10th in the U.S. for 2023-24,
 3rd in the U.S. for 2022-23, and 17th in 2021-22.

65+

Highly experienced trial attorneys and judges teach our students in our Litigation Skills Program.

'A' ranking

We received an ''A' ranking in 2024 for Criminal Law in Pre-Law Magazine
(also in fall 2023, fall 2021, fall 2020, fall 2019).

Pre Law Magazine

Courses

Note: Course list is not exhaustive and does not set out a path of study.

  • Building Worker and Community Power to Respond tot he Carceral State
  • Comparative Criminal Justice
  • Comparative Criminal Justice After COVID-19
  • Controlled Substances
  • Craft Alcohol Beverages and Cannabis
  • Crimes at Sea
  • Criminal Justice Policy Reform
  • Criminal Litigation
  • Criminal Procedure
  • Criminal Procedure: Adjudication
  • Criminal Prosecution
  • Criminal Prosecution and Defense Lawyering
  • Evidence False Confessions and Interrogations
  • Federal Criminal Motion Practice
  • Federal Criminal Tax Practice
  • Florida Criminal Procedure
  • Florida Post-conviction Procedure
  • Gender Violence, Social Justice, and Law
  • Habeas Corpus
  • Human Trafficking
  • Building Worker and Community Power to Respond tot he Carceral State
  • Comparative Criminal Justice
  • Comparative Criminal Justice After COVID-19
  • Controlled Substances
  • Craft Alcohol Beverages and Cannabis
  • Crimes at Sea
  • Criminal Justice Policy Reform
  • Criminal Litigation
  • Criminal Procedure
  • Criminal Procedure: Adjudication
  • Criminal Prosecution
  • Criminal Prosecution and Defense Lawyering
  • Evidence False Confessions and Interrogations
  • Federal Criminal Motion Practice
  • Federal Criminal Tax Practice
  • Florida Criminal Procedure
  • Florida Post-conviction Procedure
  • Gender Violence, Social Justice, and Law
  • Habeas Corpus
  • Human Trafficking
  • Images of Evil in Criminal Law
  • Impeachment Politics in Constitutional Perspective
  • International Criminal Law
  • Introduction to Death Penalty Litigation 
  • Law and the Media Law of International Treaties
  • Legislation
  • Mental Health Law
  • Philosophies of Sentencing
  • Piracy, Terrorism, and Drug Smuggling in the Maritime Domain
  • Policing the Police
  • Post-Conviction Relief
  • Problems in Criminal Law and Procedure
  • Race and Economic Justice
  • Race and the Law
  • Race, Class, and Power: the #BlackLivesMatter Movement
  • Restorative Justice Processes
  • Scientific Evidence
  • Second Amendment Fundamentalism
  • Substantive Criminal Law
  • The Criminalization of Homelessness
  • The Death Penalty in Decline
  • The Language of Habeas Corpus
  • The Wire
  • Torture and the Law
  • Trial Litigation
  • White Collar Criminal Law
  • Wrongful Convictions 

 

Academic Programs and Concentrations

Clinics and Practicums

International Opportunities

Extracurricular Opportunities

Externships and Internships

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  • Hands-On Learning Opportunities

    Note: List is not exhaustive and is intended to provide examples of past externships and internships.

    • 11th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, Domestic Violence Division
    • Arc National Center for Criminal Justice and Disability (Washington, DC)
    • Arizona Criminal Justice Commission (Phoenix, AZ)
    • Bronx Criminal Division, Legal Aid Society (New York, NY)
    • Broward Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel
    • Broward Public Defender’s Office
    • Center for Children’s Law and Policy (DC)
    • District Attorney’s Office (TX, MA, NY, GA)
    • Florida Justice Institute
    • Guardian Ad Litem in Tanzania (Arusha, Tanzania)
    • Internal Revenue Service (DC)
    • Legal Aid Society (IL, FL)
    • Legal Services of Greater Miami
    • Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office (CA)
    • Manatee County Attorney’s Office
    • Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office
    • Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office
    • Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office - Racketeering Organized Crime & Narcotics Unit
    • National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (DC)
    • New York Legal Aid Society, Criminal Division
    • Office of Police Complaints (DC)
    • Office of the Attorney General (FL & VA)
    • Office of the Attorney General, Economic Crimes Division
    • Office of the Attorney General, Office of Statewide Prosecution
    • Office of the Federal Public Defender of the Southern District of Florida
    • Office of the Public Defender (CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, IL, MD, OH, RI)
    • Office of the State Attorney (CT, FL, IL, KS, MA, NM)
    • United Nations (NY)
    • United Nations (Santo Domingo,Dominican Republic)
    • United Nations International Criminal Tribunal (Kigali, Rwanda)
    • U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of New York
    • U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Florida
    • U.S. Department of Defense, Military Commissions Defense Organization (Washington, DC)
    • U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DC & FL)
    • U.S. Department of Justice (DC, FL, NC, WI)
    • U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps (DC, HI, VA)
    • U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps (Germany & Italy)
    • U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (DC,  FL)
    • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (DC)

Faculty

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  • Meet Our Faculty Experts

    The faculty teaching in the criminal law area has published articles and books on a diverse array of topics. One professor has devoted twenty years to the Capital Jury Project and the Project's effort to decipher the inner workings of juries. Another professor is engaging in empirical research that digs down past myths and assumptions surrounding sex offenders as a way to understand the realities of sex offenders.

    Some of our faculty members have been prosecutors, others have been criminal defense attorneys, and others have worked for both the government and the defense. Full-Time Faculty With Criminal Law Expertise:

    • Ricardo J. Bascuas is an expert in evidence, criminal procedure, international criminal law.
    • Donna K. Coker is an expert in criminal law, gender and inequality.
    • Elizabeth M. Iglesias is an expert in International criminal law.
    • Donald M. Jones is an expert in criminal procedure, constitutional law, employment discrimination.
    • Tamara Rice Lave is an expert in criminal law, criminal procedure, ethics, punishment, sex offender legislation.
    • Martha R. Mahoney is an expert in criminal law, race and urban development, public interest law, property and land use.
    • Irwin P. Stotzky is an expert in criminal procedure.
    • Scott E. Sundby is an expert in criminal law, criminal procedure, constitutional law.
    • Craig Trocino is Director of Miami Law's Innocence Clinic and an expert in wrongful convictions.

Conferences, Lectures, Centers

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