Clinical Programs: Prosecution Practicum

The Prosecution Practicum provides students with the exciting opportunity to represent the state of Ohio in the prosecution of criminal law cases. Students take responsibility for prosecuting a wide range of criminal cases, from theft and drunk driving to drug possession and domestic violence.

Students handle their own cases, interviewing victims and other witnesses, negotiating plea bargains with defense attorneys, and conducting hearings and jury trials. In classroom work, students learn basic litigation skills through intensive simulations and also discuss prosecutorial discretion, ethics, sentencing policy, and other aspects of the criminal justice system. The clinic works with the Delaware City Prosecutor's office, which handles most misdemeanors committed in Delaware County.

The Practicum is team-taught by two clinical faculty members who have been appointed as special prosecutors for the City of Delaware. Professor Ric Simmons is a former Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan, where he specialized in prosecuting domestic violence felonies. Professor Robert Krivoshey practiced criminal law for 10 years in the Columbus area before joining the Ohio State faculty, where he has taught the Prosecution Practicum since 1988.

The Practicum meets twice per week. Classes will be focused on both developing litigation skills in the context of the actual cases being prosecuted and on the deeper issues of understanding the role of the prosecutor and the underlying doctrines and issues surrounding the practice of criminal law.

Students in the Practicum have the unique advantage of practicing in one of the only courtrooms in Ohio equipped with cameras that record every aspect of the trial proceedings. As such, their in-court work can be viewed (and reviewed) by both faculty and students, and their hearings and trials can be replayed and critiqued in class.

• Watch case involving Moritz clinical students (12/5/02)
• View a live Internet broadcast of the Delaware City courtroom

Prosecution Practicum Faculty

Robert Martin Krivoshey
Clinical Professor of Law

Ric Simmons
Associate Professor of Law