Michigan DUI Attorney Patrick T. Barone recently accepted a re-appointment to the position of Adjunct Professor of Law at the Thomas M. Cooley Law School. Beginning May 2009, he will again be teaching a course entitled “Drunk Driving: Law and Practice.” Cooley is the nation’s largest law school, and they have campuses in Auburn Hills, Lansing and Grand Rapids.
According to the syllabus, several weeks of the course will include instruction about the elements of the various drunk and drugged driving charges and the various defenses applicable to these cases. Course topics also include the science involved in drunk driving, such as alcohol metabolism, breath and blood testing, and field sobriety testing.
Throughout the year students will have the opportunity to apply what they learn to the “real world” practice of law. This is because each week of practical instruction will be followed by a week of trial skills training. Consequently, the week covering field sobriety testing will be followed by a week that covers a specific trial skill such as cross-examination. During this second week the students will be asked to link the information learned during the cross-examination lecture to the court room skill of cross-examination.
Professor Marj Russell will be assisting Mr. Barone in teaching the trial skills portion of the class. Professor Russell is the chair of the Practice, Advocacy & Litigation Skills Department, as well as the Litigation Concentration. She specializes in teaching Trial Advocacy, both at Cooley and for trial lawyers nationwide.