Field Placement
Academic Year/Summer (DeSoto)

Important:  Students applying for this clinic should attach to their clinic preference sheet their resume and an anonymous writing sample of no more than five (5) pages. 

Faculty Supervisor

Professor Bari Burke (Fall) / Professor Anthony Johnstone (Spring)

Supervising Attorneys

Federal District Court Judge Dana Christensen and Federal District Court Judge Donald Molloy (Clerk:  Melissa Hartigan), U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen DeSoto (Clerk: Tracey Baldwin)

Prerequisites

Professional Responsibility

Recommended

Criminal Procedure - Investigative, Criminal Procedure - Adjudicative

Areas of Emphasis

Criminal law and a wide range of civil matters; legal research and writing; oral and written advocacy; litigation strategy

Sample Projects

• Draft advisory memoranda and court documents

General Information

Students at the United States District Court, Missoula Division, work on active court cases and receive instruction and detailed guidance from the judges and court staff.  Duties include legal research, oral presentation and discussion of works-in-progress, and drafting of advisory memoranda and court documents.  Students also observe a variety of pretrial conferences, settlement conferences, hearings, criminal proceedings, and trials.

Code of Conduct

Students assigned to the federal judicial placement must also be prepared to comply with the following requirements:  Students are bound by the Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees. The Code requires special attention to the integrity and independence of the judiciary, and the avoidance of an appearance of impropriety, beyond the standard rules of professional conduct. During the placement, this includes certain limits on outside legal work, financial conflicts of interest, political activities, and social media use. Students must be fingerprinted, pass a background check, and be prepared with documentation to complete an I-9 Form. Contact the faculty supervisor if you have any questions.  Clinic hours must be completed on-site using computers and materials provided by the Court.