Litigation Practice Across a Career: Specialization, Mentorship, and Sustained Skill

Litigation practice develops across a career through specialization, mentorship, and consistent skill building. The litigators who continue meaningfully share patterns of patient skill development, generous mentoring, and willingness to adapt as procedural rules evolve. This course is about that longer arc. You will work through written reflections and planning exercises that examine your current practice, your aspirations, and the routines that would sustain you across years. What you'll learn: - Develop specialization in specific practice areas including civil, criminal, or specialized fields - Build mentorship relationships both with senior litigators and as a mentor to junior colleagues - Stay current with procedural changes including electronic filing and remote proceedings - Develop strong relationships with court staff including clerks and judicial assistants - Consider broader involvement including bar associations, continuing education, and writing - Reflect on the longer-term role of litigation in legal career and personal meaning The course begins with specialization, moves through mentorship, staying current, court relationships, broader involvement, and finishes with long-horizon reflection. A capstone written exercise asks you to draft a multi-year litigation practice development plan grounded in your real career. This course is designed for litigators at various career stages. It is approachable for law students willing to do the foundational work first. The course is about craft, career, and the lasting practice of litigation rather than tactics that age within months.