UML Court Environment and Legal Dispute Resolution Paper

Written Assignment IGo to Court
The assignment is worth 25 points.
Purpose: To gain exposure to and a greater understanding of the courtroom
environment and legal dispute resolution.
Special Covid-19 Instructions
If appearing at the courthouse is not viable due to Covid-19 restrictions; students
may view streaming proceedings. There may be available streams at the links
below. You may also search for any live streaming proceedings.
The assignment calls for a live stream. Previously recorded proceedings are not
acceptable.

home

https://public.courts.in.gov/INCS – /
https://www.piercecountywa.gov/6807/Live-Courtroom-Feed
https://www.fultoncourt.org/judges/virtualhearings.php
There are others as well. Students are encouraged to share any other sources of live
streams.
Written Assignment I
Go to Court
You will observe courtroom proceedings for at least 1 hour. You may observe whatever
proceedings interest you. Take down as much information as possible about the proceedings you
observe. Note the date and time of your observations and if possible, the names of the cases,
defendants, judges and attorneys. Include the name of the court (Municipal/Justice
Court/District Court and Department Number). Given the limited amount of time that you are
going to observe you might not be able to observe every aspect of the proceedings.
Downtown does have parking garages, but you will pay for those spots. You might be able to
find street parking that is unmetered.
There are many different types of court proceedings you might observe. Some may find
themselves watching a trial. If you do observe a trial, based upon what we discuss in class, try to
identify which portion of the trial you are witnessing. Some may watch small court trials. These
are cases that have a limited dollar amount, and generally the litigants represent themselves.
Some will observe traffic court, wherein the court negotiates citations received by drivers.
You may find yourself watching initial arraignments. Those are criminal proceedings. The court
advises the accused of the charges and takes an initial plea. Often times there are status checks.
In these proceedings the court is verifying if certain actions have been completed. Some students
will sit in on Motion Calendar. Motions are where one party is asking the court to make a ruling
on a particular issue. We will discuss certain motions in class.
After you finish your observational study, analyze you own reactions to what you saw. Did the
proceedings seem fair and just? Did the courts meet your expectations? Were you surprised at
anything you observed? These are not meant to be check list, but rather suggestions.
The Paper: Follow the format instructions. Failure to do so will result in point reductions.
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You will write a paper of approximately 600-900 words concerning your courtroom
experiences. The word count does not include captions.
When submitting the file be sure to include a word count at the top of the paper.
Font size should be no smaller than 12 point.
There should be three sections to your paper.
Be sure to label each section.
I.
Anticipation.
In the section describe any preconceived notions you have regarding how a courtroom
works. You should write this section before going to the courthouse.
II.
Courtroom Observations.
This should include a description of what you observed in the courtroom. Give the date,
name, and type of the court proceeding you observed, and describe the proceeding. For example,
if you saw a trial, you might describe the court atmosphere, defendants, victims, evidence, legal
issues, sympathy related factors, etc., of the trial.
III.
Reactions and Analysis.
Give your personal reactions to and analysis of the proceedings. Were you surprised by
anything you saw? Shocked, or even bored? What appeared to govern the outcome in the case
you observed? Did the strength of evidence seem to determine the outcome, or were other factors
more influential, in your opinion? How did the observations match or differ from your
Anticipations? These are suggestions, not a checklist.
A Few Tips: Dress appropriately for your day in court. There are dress codes that must be
followed; no shorts, tank tops, and hats/sunglasses must be removed in the courtroom. No cell
phone use. Be as unobtrusive as possible when you are observing court proceedings, e.g., do not
talk, laugh, gasp, leave and return every few minutes, etc. You can ask the Marshalls for help in
locating a proceeding to observe.
Time permitting, I will set aside time for class discussion regarding your experiences.
Court Houses:
Regional Justice Center: 200 Lewis Ave.
http://www.lasvegasjusticecourt.us/
Henderson Municipal and Justice Courts: 243 Water Street (Justice Court closed on Fridays)
http://www.clarkcountynv.gov/justicecourt/henderson/Pages/default.aspx
North Las Vegas Municipal and Justice Court: 2428 N Martin L King Blvd
https://www.clarkcountynv.gov/justicecourt/nlv/Pages/default.aspx
US Federal District Court: 333 S. Las Vegas Blvd

United States District Court

US Bankruptcy Court: 300 S. Las Vegas Blvd
https://www.nvb.uscourts.gov/