Litigation, Arbitration and Dispute Resolution

Develop Your Advocacy Skills through Practice

Miami Law offers an impressive range of lecture and seminar courses in the fields of litigation, arbitration, and dispute resolution. Take advantage of a plethora of opportunities to engage in these fields and hone your craft in any of our 9 clinics and 65+ experiential courses. Our students have an opportunity to take their academic knowledge further with our unparalleled Litigation Skills program which features a semester-long course that uniquely covers pre-trial and trial advocacy, beginning with the filling of a lawsuit and culminating in a mock trial. Beyond the classroom, join Miami Law’s mock trial, moot court, or international moot court team—the only one of its kind in the nation. Students have unmatched opportunities to work side-by-side with faculty, practitioners, and clients via externships and practicums. These experiences provide students access to dozens of agencies and courts - state and federal, trial and appellate, bankruptcy, immigration, family, and more.

Read more news on moot court and arbitration at Miami Law.

Cards

'A' ranking in 2024

A- in Trial Advocacy and Litigation in Pre-Law Magazine winter 2024.
(Also in 2023, 2021 and 2020.) A in Alternative Dispute Resolution in Pre-Law Magazine spring 2024.

Pre Law Magazine

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+ Attorneys & Judges

Students learn directly from and network with local attorneys and judges who teach in our Litigation Skills Program.

Courses

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

  • Advanced Appellate Advocacy I and II
  • Advanced Oral Advocacy in International Arbitration
  • Alternative Dispute Resolution: Design Systems
  • Best Practices in Pretrial Litigation in the Federal Courts
  • Civil Rights Litigation
  • Civil Rights in the Supreme Court
  • Class Action Litigation
  • Communications and Negotiations in Entertainment and Sports
  • Complex International Negotiations
  • Complex Issues in High-Profiles and High-Net Worth Divorces
  • Conflict of Laws
  • Criminal Civil Rights Investigations and Prosecutions
  • Criminal Evidence
  • Criminal Procedure
  • Criminal Procedure Adjudication
  • Criminal Prosecution & Defense Lawyering: Situational Ethics in the Adversarial System of Justice
  • Damages in International Arbitration
  • Dispute Resolution Technology and the Digital Economy
  • Drafting Complex Arbitration Clauses
  • Electronic Discovery
  • Advanced Appellate Advocacy I and II
  • Advanced Oral Advocacy in International Arbitration
  • Alternative Dispute Resolution: Design Systems
  • Best Practices in Pretrial Litigation in the Federal Courts
  • Civil Rights Litigation
  • Civil Rights in the Supreme Court
  • Class Action Litigation
  • Communications and Negotiations in Entertainment and Sports
  • Complex International Negotiations
  • Complex Issues in High-Profiles and High-Net Worth Divorces
  • Conflict of Laws
  • Criminal Civil Rights Investigations and Prosecutions
  • Criminal Evidence
  • Criminal Procedure
  • Criminal Procedure Adjudication
  • Criminal Prosecution & Defense Lawyering: Situational Ethics in the Adversarial System of Justice
  • Damages in International Arbitration
  • Dispute Resolution Technology and the Digital Economy
  • Drafting Complex Arbitration Clauses
  • Electronic Discovery
  • Environmental Appellate Advocacy
  • Federal Arbitration Act
  • Federal Courts
  • Florida Civil Procedure
  • Florida Constitutional Law
  • Florida Family Law: Complex Financial Issues
  • Florida Legal Research Techniques
  • Forensics of Advocacy in International Arbitration I
  • Globalization & Arbitration
  • ICSID Practice and Procedure
  • International Arbitration and ESG: Environment, Social and Governance Issues
  • International Arbitration and the New York Convention
  • International Arbitration in Latin America & the Caribbean
  • International Commercial Arbitration: A U.S. Perspective
  • International Energy Arbitration
  • International Moot Court I & II
  • International Sports Arbitration
  • Introduction to Death Penalty Litigation
  • Investment Arbitration
  • Judicial Writing
  • Law Practice: Systemic Advocacy
  • Legal Communication and Research I & II
  • Litigation Skills I
  • Litigation Skills II: Criminal
  • Litigation Skills II: Business
  • Litigation Skills Externship
  • Maritime Arbitration
  • Mediation
  • Mediation Advocacy
  • Memos, Pleadings, and Motions
  • Mindfulness and Negotiations
  • Negotiation Skills
  • Patent Prosecution
  • Preparing the Corporate Client for Litigation
  • Scientific Evidence
  • Social Justice Advocacy
  • Spanish for Lawyers I & II
  • Substantive Criminal Law
  • Systemic Advocacy and Complex Actions
  • The Criminalization of Homelessness: Causes, Policy and Practical Lawyering
  • Topics in Florida Practice
  • Trademark Management and Business Strategy
  • Trial Litigation
  • UN Climate Negotiations
  • Writing for the Judiciary

 

Concentrations and Programs

Clinics and Practicums

Joint Degrees

International Opportunities

International Moot Court Program: The only one of its kind in the U.S., Miami Law offers a unique and comprehensive International Moot Court Program in which students travel and compete, in Spanish and English, in competitions around the world. Students advocate the different sides of a case and analyze the problem, identify the legal issues, research the law, write the briefs and orally present it to a tribunal. In essence, the students learn how to litigate a case in front of an international tribunal doing what an attorney does in real life. Past competitions have included:

  • Competencia UBA-Rosario International Commercial Arbitration
  • Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot - Frankfurt, Germany
  • International and European Tax Moot Court - Leuven, Belgium
  • International Criminal Court Trial Competition - The Hague, Netherlands
  • International Maritime Law Arbitration Moot - Singapore, Australia, or UK
  • La Competición Internacional de Arbitraje y Derecho Mercantil (Moot Madrid) - Madrid, Spain
  • Willem C. Vis Arbitral Moot - Vienna, Austria

Accordion Group

Extracurricular Opportunities

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Fellowships, Scholarships, and Awards

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  • Fellowships

    • Litigation Skills Fellowships
    • Ervin Gonzalez Fellowship
    • HOPE Fellowship Program
    • Summer Public Interest Fellowship Program

  • Scholarships and Awards

    • Marco A. Vazquez Memorial Scholarship
    • John F. Evans Memorial Scholarship
    • Honorable Theodore Klein Endowed Scholarship
    • Litigation Skills Adjunct Faculty Scholarship
    • Honorable Stanford Blake Mediation Award
    • Richard L. Lapidus Endowed Memorial Scholarship Fund
    • John M. Hogan Fund for Public Interest Litigation
    • American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) Civility Matters Award
    • Ervin A. Gonzalez Endowed Scholarship
    • Daniel S. Pearson Endowed Scholarship

Externships and Internships

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  • Hands-On Learning Opportunities

    • 3rd District Court of Appeal
    • 18th Judicial District of Colorado (Centennial, CO)
    • ACLU – American Civil Liberties Union (New York, NY and Atlanta, GA)
    • Bristol-Myers Squibb
    • Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
    • DLA Piper
    • Federal Communications Commission
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • Greenberg Traurig
    • Hogan Lovells
    • Holland & Knight
    • Jones Day
    • Kirkland & Ellis
    • Legal Services of Greater Miami
    • McDermott Will & Emery
    • Miami-Dade County School Board Attorney's Office
    • Miami-Dade Legal Aid
    • Miami-Dade Public Defender's Office
    • Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office
    • National Women's Law Center (Washington, DC)
    • Office of the District Attorney (TX, MA, NY, GA, PA)
    • Office of the Public Defender (CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, ID, IL, MD, OH, RI)
    • Office of the Commonwealth Attorney (Lexington, KY)
    • Office of the State Attorney (CT, FL, IL, KS, MA, NM)
    • Shutts & Bowen LLP
    • Sidley Austin LLP
    • Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP|The Legal Aid Society (New York, NY)
    • University of Miami, Contract Administration  
    • University of Miami, Office of Privacy and Data Security  
    • U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Florida  
    • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
    • U.S. Department of Homeland Security 
    • U.S. Department of Justice (Washington, DC)
    • U.S. District Court (Southern District of FL, Northern District of IL) 
    • U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
    • U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission 
    • U.S. Southern District Court of Florida
    • White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs  (Washington, DC)

Faculty

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  • Meet Our Faculty Experts

    • Anthony V. Alfieri is an expert in civil procedure, environmental litigation, civil rights litigation and heads the Center for Ethics and Public Service.
    • Paula Arias is an expert in alternative dispute resolution in Latin America, international arbitration and litigation, international written and oral advocacy, and leads the International Moot Court Program.
    • Jill Barton is Director of the Legal Communications and Research Skills Program.
    • Ricardo J. Bascuas is an expert in evidence, criminal procedure, international criminal law.
    • Donna K. Coker is an expert in criminal law, evidence, gender and inequality.
    • Charlton Copeland is an expert in civil litigation, elements, administrative law, and federalism.
    • Christie Anne Darias Daniels teaches legal writing and is a former Assistant State Attorney for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida, focusing on Domestic Violence crimes
    • Michele DeStefano has expertise in civil procedure and runs the LawWithoutWalls program.
    • Andrew Elmore's main area of expertise is employment law litigation, and torts.
    • Abigail Fleming has expertise in environmental litigation and runs the Environmental Justice Clinic.
    • Sandra Friedrich has expertise in international arbitration and directs the White & Case International Arbitration LL.M. program.
    • Christina M. Frohock is an expert in legal communication and research.
    • Donald M. Jones has expertise in criminal procedure, constitutional law, employment discrimination.
    • Jeannie Jontiff is the Acting Director of the Litigation Skills Program and is an experienced litigator.
    • Tamara Rice Lave is an expert in criminal law and litigation, criminal procedure, ethics, punishment, and sex offender legislation.
    • Marni Lennon teaches in the area of alternative dispute resolution and directs the HOPE Public Interest Resource Center.
    • Martha R. Mahoney has expertise in criminal law, race and urban development, public interest law, property and land use.
    • JoNel Newman directs the Health Rights Clinic and has expertise in civil procedure and civil rights litigation.
    • Shara Kobetz Pelz teaches in the area of legal communication and research.
    • Rebecca Sharpless directs the Immigration Clinic and has expertise in immigration and refugee law, civil litigation and procedure, evidence, and trial advocacy and practice.
    • K. Renee Schimkat has expertise in electronic discovery, legal communication and research, and complex litigation.
    • Scott E. Sundby is an expert in corporate governance, criminal law and litigation, criminal procedure, constitutional law, and innocence and wrongful conviction.
    • Annette Torres has expertise in civil litigation and procedure, antidiscrimination, and legal writing.
    • Craig Trocino runs the Innocence Clinic and is an expert in wrongful death penalty litigation, criminal law and procedure, and appellate practice and procedure
    • Cheryl E. Zuckerman has expertise in legal communication and research.

Conferences / Centers

  • Class Action and Complex Litigation Forum- This event offers a unique perspective for attorneys looking to understand the latest issues and topics associated with multi-district class actions and complex litigation.
  • HOPE Public Interest Resource Center - This center runs the HOPE Fellows Program in which students have the opportunity to create summer "dream jobs" in the public interest arena, often in Offices of the Public Defender.
  • International Arbitration Institute - The International Arbitration Institute is an embodiment of the University of Miami’s long tradition of engagement with the law of arbitration. The Institute strives not only for progress through the education of the new generation of arbitration lawyers, but also for progress through research in international arbitration. 

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