Faculty: Rachel Brockl

Rachel Brockl

Title(s):
Visiting Associate Professor of Law, Director of the Litigation Center
School(s):
415-369-5212
Campus(es):
San Francisco
rbrockl@ggu.edu
GGU Faculty Bios

Professor Brockl joined  the faculty as the Director of the Litigation Center and a Visiting Professor of Law after approximately six years of service as a Deputy District Attorney. During her time as a prosecutor, Professor Brockl conducted over 30 jury trials, including cases such as DUI, child molest, battery, theft, resisting arrest, and more. She spent several years in general misdemeanors and handled numerous felony preliminary hearings. Professor Brockl was the lead and sole attorney in charge of the Juvenile Unit for one year and of the DUI Unit for over two years.

Professor Brockl has been a featured speaker at several trainings for prosecutors and law enforcement on the topics of alcohol and marijuana DUI cases, as well as report writing. For three years, she was a mentor in the Puente Mentorship Program in Napa where she assisted underrepresented students to graduate from community college in order to excel in the community and pursue additional degrees. Professor Brockl successfully coached the Napa High School Mock Trial team for two years, leading the team in her final year as Head Coach.

As the first attorney in her family, she graduated from law school with legal specializations in the areas of Criminal Law, Litigation, and Public Interest. While attending GGU, she held numerous board member titles, most notably as the President of the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund (SALDF). In this position, she founded and directed the first annual California Animal Law Symposium (CALS), an educational conference run by law students regarding animal welfare topics. Professor Brockl's love for animals crossed over into her job as a prosecutor where she was acknowledged as the first Napa County Deputy District Attorney to be granted permission by the Court to allow a support dog to accompany a victim on the witness stand during a child molestation jury trial. Professor Brockl leads the 1st STEP Summer Honors Litigation Program and will bring her criminal law expertise to GGU for current and future litigation courses: Introduction to Litigation, Trial Advocacy, Advanced Trial Advocacy, Mock Trial/Advanced Mock Trial, and Effective Brief Writing & Motion Advocacy.

COURSES TAUGHT

  • Evidence in the Courtroom
  • Summer Honors Litigation Program
  • Introduction to Litigation
  • Trial Advocacy
  • Criminal Litigation
  • Advanced Trial Advocacy
  • Effective Brief Writing & Motion Advocacy
  • Mock Trial/Advanced Mock Trial

RESEARCH INTERESTS & AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION

  • Animal Law
  • Litigation
  • Criminal Law

EDUCATION

  • JD, Golden Gate University School of Law
  • BS in Criminal Justice, San Francisco State University

PROFESSIONAL & TEACHING EXPERIENCE

  • Napa District Attorney's Office
  • Mentor in the Puente Mentorship Program in Napa 
  • Sacramento District Attorney's Office
  • Napa High School Mock Trial Coach 

PUBLICATIONS

  • Closing Argument is for Warriors Who Know How to Have Fun, ch. in Collective Wisdom - The Closing Argument: Essentials and Advice (NITA 2022). 
  • Tempo, ch. in Collective Wisdom: One Memorable Cross Examination Lesson (NITA 2022). 
  • Know Every Document and Piece of Evidence In Your File, ch. in Collective Wisdom: One Bit of Advice (NITA 2021). 

HONORS & AWARDS

  • The American Bar Association named her a Top 40 Young Lawyer on the Rise in 2022.
  • She was asked to be the moderator and a speaker for a conference panel titled "Mock Trial - Protests, Penalties & Prejudice (Protests that Kill)" in the 2021 Training Advocates Conference: Back to the Future.
  • While working at the Napa District Attorney's Office, she was presented with the award of “Trial Attorney of the Year” for completing the most jury trials in 2018.
  • She received the 2018 "Young Lawyer of the Year" award from the Napa County Bar Association applauding her outreach in the community, efforts in the courtroom, and involvement with local bar associations.
  • Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) honored her at their annual Law Enforcement Recognition event in 2019 as an outstanding DUI prosecutor.

MEDIA & INTERVIEWS

  • 2019, the Napa Valley Register newspaper featured an interview with Professor Brockl highlighting her zealous advocacy on DUI cases. The article may be accessed here.