Students in the Criminal Defense Practicum work as student defense attorneys at the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) within the Hampden County District Courts. By court rule, students in the Practicum are authorized to practice in any District Court case, which includes a mix of both misdemeanors and felonies. During the course of the semester, a student attorney may appear in many different sessions of the District Court: the arraignment session (in which students represent indigent defendants in bail hearings), the motion session (in which students prepare and litigate pre-trial motions), the violation of probation session and, ultimately, the trial session (in which a student prepares and litigate jury and jury-waived trials.) This clinic allows students to gain substantial exposure over the course of the semester to the entire process of litigating a criminal case. In addition to the fieldwork, there is a classroom component which operates as a combination seminar/simulation. Students must attend a two day orientation the week before classes begin; no exceptions will be made to this mandatory orientation. Following this initial training period, the class will meet at a designated time for a two-hour session on a weekly basis for the balance of the semester. Prerequisites: LAW 553, Evidence and LAW 706, Criminal Procedure Investigation or LAW 784 Criminal Procedure Survey. Enrollment is limited to 4 third-year full time and fourth-year part time students who have been selected through the clinic application process. A student is required to be SJC Rule 3:03 eligible. This clinic is a Restricted Withdrawal Course. See Academic Standard Section 204 and the Clinic and Externship materials for the applicable time restrictions and policies A student may not simultaneously enroll in more than one clinic, more than one externship, or a clinic and an externship. (Credist may be applied to the Criminal Law Practice Concentration.)