The politics department has an exciting course to offer this Spring! Trial Advocacy will provide students with an introduction to the necessary skills for trial work. At the end of the semester, the students will present a trial at which Ursinus alumni act as the presiding judge and the jury members! Through the process of making this trial, students will learn basic legal analysis, courtroom layout, how to develop a case theory and theme, creating opening statements, closing arguments, and many more skills necessary for a career in law.
If you can’t take Trial Advocacy this spring, no fear! The same Professors teach Legal Writing and Oral Advocacy every other spring. This class is also referred to as Moot Court and is a sneak peek into how a real law school course would be taught. It helps students develop their oral presentation and legal writing skills. At the end of the semester, students will compete in an oral argument competition that is judged by Ursinus alumni. Both courses are taught by two Ursinus College alumni.
Professor Michelle Stranen graduated from Ursinus in 2005 as a Media and Communications major with minors in French and Business Management. After Ursinus, she earned her J.D. from Villanova University in 2008. She then began her career as the Assistant District Attorney in Delaware County and there she tried numerous jury and non-jury trials. Then, Professor Stranen shifted to civil litigation and worked briefly for a large mortgage foreclosure firm in Philadelphia. Now, she is a partner at a small firm in Delaware County that focuses on the area of association law.
Professor Russell Krause graduated from Ursinus in 2006 as a Politics major with minors in History and Math. After Ursinus, he graduated from Drexel University with his J.D. in 2009. Professor Krause then worked at plaintiff’s personal injury firms that represent people who have been injured. Now, he runs his own law firm that specializes in car accident injuries.
Both of these professors are extremely accomplished and dedicated to the politics students on campus! Professors Krause and Stranen, “We both truly love watching the individual growth of students. There are so many ‘light bulb’ moments during the semester and we do see significant growth with students over the span of both courses. We also love hearing from former students, and especially love their feedback about how the class(es) truly helped them feel more comfortable as they entered law school.” There is so much thought and effort put into these courses that are made to help all students, not just those that are pre-law. “We love the team approach to teaching the courses as we each come from different legal backgrounds. The purposeful balance of our approach is intended to maximize what students are able to gain from the experience,” said Professors Krause and Stranen.
They are definitely a great team! “Profs. Stranen and Krause are dedicated to making Pre-Law students better writers, better advocates, and more informed about what law school and the legal profession is all about. The two professors make Ursinus Pre-Law the dynamic and cohesive program that students love,” Anna Marks, the pre-law coordinator, commented.However, it is not just Professors Stranen and Krause that make these courses possible!
“We are so thankful to our predecessors, Jim Baer and Houghton Kane, who began the program when we were students at Ursinus. With the dedication of Anna Marks, the program has evolved over the years into something that we believe provides students with a solid foundation to hit the ground running once admitted to law school, or decide that law is not the right path to pursue” explained Professors Krause and Stranen.
If you are interested in law or pursuing a law career, you should definitely consider taking Trial Advocacy. However, it is open to all students, so you don’t have to be a politics major or pre-law to take the class. It’s an opportunity you don’t want to miss! “While both courses involve lots of reading and writing that you would typically find in most Ursinus classes, these courses are also very unique and are a special niche within the politics department,” stated Professors Krause and Stranen.
Trial Advocacy, POL-050, is taught on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:30-8pm this spring as a two-credit course. This class is open to all interested! Then, next Spring, consider taking Legal Writing and Oral advocacy to further hone your law skills!