J.D. Criminal Law

The Criminal Law curriculum at Marquette University Law School offers a rich diversity of classroom and internship experiences for students interested in the practice of criminal law. The classroom component of this curriculum begins with a series of core courses in Criminal Law, Criminal Process, and The Constitution and Criminal Investigation (a study of the law regulating arrest, search and seizure, interrogation, and the identification of suspects). Augmenting the core courses are multiple elective classes in more specialized subjects, including Federal Criminal Procedure, Sentencing, Post-Conviction Remedies, Terrorism and Federal Law, Comparative Criminal Law, and Community Prosecution. The Criminal Law curriculum also features seminar experiences, like those in Corporate Criminal Liability and Criminal Punishment, and it enjoys a natural subject matter link to the Law School’s Restorative Justice Initiative.

Numerous clinics and internships augment the Criminal Law classroom experience and provide students with opportunities to develop essential lawyering skills in a variety of venues. Marquette’s flagship Prosecutor Clinic and Public Defender Clinic, which have been in continuous operation for close to 40 years, place interns in the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office and in the Milwaukee Trial Division of the Wisconsin State Public Defender’s Office where, under the auspices of the Wisconsin Student Practice Rule, they actively participate in all phases of the criminal case and acquire substantial courtroom experience. Related internships are also available with the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin (federal criminal prosecution), the Wisconsin State Public Defender Juvenile Division (representation of juveniles accused of delinquent acts), Centro Legal (representation of adults accused of misdemeanor offenses), and various District Attorney’s Offices in nearby counties. The Criminal Law curriculum also features numerous criminal court judicial internships in which students intern with judges who preside in the Felony and Misdemeanor Divisions of the Milwaukee County Circuit Court.