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.
Some Facts about Miami and Miami Law:
Mike Klinkosum, J.D. '95“I find helping people who are in trouble to be incredibly rewarding. If you see what wrong has been done to people in the past, you make an even greater concerted effort to look under every stone in a case. This career requires you to be versatile and learn other disciplines outside of criminal law. For example, you must continually learn about new advances in science and technology, such as the process of digital storing and downloading of evidence. You have to continually work to stay current.”
Certified Specialist in Criminal Law and Criminal Trial Advocacy, Tin Fulton Walker & Owen
Raleigh, NC
*Course list is not exhaustive and does not set out a path of study. J.D./M.S.Ed. - Community and Social Change
Academic Programs and Concentrations
Clinics and Practicum
Joint Degrees
International Opportunities
Alex Calle, J.D. '14"I have been able to grasp complex issues because of the criminal law and criminal procedure courses that I have taken. The skills that I learned in the Litigation Skills program allowed me to be able to follow many fast paced pre-trial and trial proceedings. You're not sitting behind a desk doing transactional work; you're negotiating, you're in trial, everything is fast paced and I like that."
Attorney at Florida Department of Children and Families, Children's Legal Services
Miami, FL
Nick Bancroft, J.D. '15 (Note: After working as a Summer Public Interest Fellow during his 1L summer at the Miami-Dade Public Defender, Bancroft decided that a career in public defense was what he aspired to after law school. He spent the remainder of his time at Miami Law making this happen through his participation in the Innocence Clinic and the Litigation Skills Program, and by serving as a HOPE Fellow with the Colorado Public Defender, where he was hired upon graduation.)“I would not have the career as a public defender that I have today at the Legal Aid Society of NY without the support of HOPE. Miami Law provided me with the experiences I needed to do my job well."
Staff Attorney, The Legal Aid Society of NYC
New York, NY
**List is not exhaustive and is intended to provide examples of past externships and internships.
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: Cyber Civil Rights Initiative (CCRI) - founded in August 2012 as the End Revenge Porn campaign, which called for the criminalization of nonconsensual pornography, the distribution of sexually graphic images of individuals without their consent. CCRI has its home at Miami Law and the Initiative offers opportunities for law students and other university students eager to apply their professional skills to a cutting-edge issue with real-world implications. HOPE Public Interest Resource Center - supports students looking to work in the area of criminal law defense and advocacy. Class Action and Complex Litigation Forum - judges, lawyers, and scholars from around the country discuss current cutting edge issues and topics associated with multi-district class actions and mass tort litigation.
Conferences, Lectures, Centers