Marquette University Law School offers a strong program of Dispute Resolution (DR) and Litigation courses taught by talented and nationally-known faculty. The DR program is nationally recognized. The Restorative Justice Initiative at Marquette serves as a resource for victims and communities in the healing process. Marquette University law students have excelled at national moot court competitions and international and national mediation competitions. Many students also participate in the law school's intramural Jenkins Moot Court Competition during the spring semester.
Civil Litigation
What do civil rights cases, for example, have in common with mortgage foreclosures, car wrecks, fights over land use, and insurance coverage disputes, to name only a few possibilities? All involve civil litigation, the process by which people, businesses, and even governmental agencies pursue their rights or defend claims brought against them. Marquette University Law School prides itself on a long history of educating superb lawyers, judges, and justices who have dedicated themselves to the civil justice system.
Building on this tradition and taking full advantage of Eckstein Hall’s resources, the Law School offers students an opportunity to obtain the Certificate in Litigation when completing their J.D. degree. The program blends knowledge of legal doctrine, rules, and policy with the development of skills essential to representing clients effectively. Courtroom advocacy is stressed along with the equally critical pretrial stages where complex procedures govern how claims are brought, facts are discovered, and cases are prepared for trial or settlement. Students write briefs, argue motions, and present witness testimony in simulated practice settings; emphasized are the oral and written communication skills that successful lawyers possess. To better understand the litigation process as it unfolds in real cases, students are also offered a wide-range of internships in federal and state courts, various public interest law firms, and designated governmental agencies. For details about the Certificate in Litigation program, click here.
Dispute Resolution
Dispute Resolution (DR) is of growing importance in today's legal landscape, as both a necessary skill and a specialty area of practice.
Marquette has three nationally-known, full-time faculty in the field of Dispute Resolution (DR): Distinguished Professor of Law Janine Geske, Professor Jay Grenig, and Professor Andrea Schneider.
Many other schools staff the majority of their DR courses with adjuncts. Our primary courses in DR are all taught by full-time faculty as is the mediation clinic. Each of the professors has written numerous articles and textbooks in their respective areas. In addition, the Marquette Law Review hosted a special symposium on the Uniform Mediation Act in 2001. A similar symposium on the emerging interdisciplinary negotiation canon was held in Fall 2003, and the International Media and Conflict Resolution Conference took place at Marquette University Law School in 2009. The Marquette Law Review Symposium Issue from the IMC conference is available here. In Fall, 2011, the Dispute Resolution Program partnered with the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts and the Resolution Systems Institute to host The Future of Court ADR: Mediation and Beyond. A symposium issue of the Marquette Law Review focused on The Future of Court ADR conference will be released in 2012.
Contact us for more information on Marquette University Law School's nationally-ranked program in Dispute Resolution.