Now accepting founding members

Learn the procedure the court will not teach you.

PetitionPath is a subscription-based curriculum in constitutional and administrative-court procedure — built for self-represented litigants, paralegals, journalists, and civic educators who want to walk into a hearing room knowing what they are doing.

Create your member accountSee the curriculum

Priced below most CLE libraries · cancel any month · educational use only

Case fileNo. 24–A·017
“The plaintiff, appearing pro se, has filed a complaint that, liberally construed, may state a claim for relief.”

— a phrase every pro se litigant wants to read in a court’s opening order. The curriculum gets you there.

Operating principles

Three habits we teach, end to end.

I.

Procedure over theory

Every module is anchored to a real filing, motion, or hearing. Doctrine comes with the form you can hand to the clerk of court tomorrow morning.

II.

The record is your case

A self-represented litigant wins or loses on the record they build. The curriculum spends as much time on evidence and administrative records as on argument.

III.

Credibility is craft

Plain, record-based writing and disciplined oral argument — not sympathy or theatrics — are why pro se litigants occasionally prevail.

Who it’s for

Four kinds of reader. One shared curriculum.

PetitionPath is structured around the people who actually use it — and the kinds of questions they walk in with.

  • Pro se advocates

    Filing without counsel

    You are representing yourself in federal or administrative court and need a working grasp of threshold doctrine, pleading, and motions — fast.

    "I filed a §1983 complaint and the defendant just filed a 12(b)(6). What now?"

  • Paralegals

    Working under attorney supervision

    You draft, research, and shepherd cases — and want a clearer picture of how constitutional and APA doctrines shape the litigation strategy.

    "Walk me through standing doctrine and how it constrains what we can plead."

  • Journalists

    Covering courts and agencies

    You write about agency rulemaking and federal litigation and need a reliable, non-alienating map of the terrain you cover.

    "Explain how a rule becomes law and how it can be challenged."

  • Civic educators

    Teaching the next cohort

    You teach civics, paralegal studies, or law-related undergraduate courses and want material that is rigorous and accessible — and CLE-priced.

    "A module on Article III standing my undergraduates can actually use."

Curriculum

Core curriculum, with planned practice-area outlines.

Available modules ship with a video walkthrough, a court-form artifact you can reuse, and a worked example. Planned tracks are labeled separately so their scope is clear.

How a constitutional claim travels from a perceived injury to a federal courthouse — without losing it on threshold doctrine.

  • F·01

    Article III standing

    The three irreducible elements (injury in fact, causation, redressability) and the standing pitfalls that sink pro se complaints at the courthouse door.

    6 lessonsStanding checklist (PDF)
  • F·02

    Justiciability doctrines

    Ripeness, mootness, political-question doctrine, and the Abstention doctrines — when a federal court will (and will not) hear you.

    5 lessonsThreshold-decision flow
  • READ

    Self-representation & fiduciary roles

    A public, primary-source explainer on appearing for yourself and the distinct authority of guardians, conservators, next friends, and authorized representatives.

    Read the explainer
  • F·03

    Reading a court opinion

    A walkthrough of how majority, concurrence, and dissent opinions are structured — and how to extract binding precedent vs. dicta.

    4 lessonsOpinion-decode worksheet

Planned practice-area outlines

See the next tracks before they become lessons.

These neighboring tracks are public planning outlines, separate from available member coursework. Every listed lesson is planned and outline-only; no lesson below opens as available coursework.

Planned — outline onlyFuture track

SSA Disability Hearings

An outline-only practice area for understanding the general Social Security disability claim and appeal lifecycle, from an initial determination through possible federal-court review.

Who this outline is for

For people learning about the Social Security disability hearing process and the record after an administrative decision. This outline does not imply representation or guaranteed case results.

Ordered outline

  1. Initial determination

    Initial determination

    Orient to the agency’s initial determination and identify the decision, findings, and notice that frame the next review step.

    Planned — outline only

  2. Reconsideration

    Reconsideration

    Understand reconsideration as the next administrative review of an initial determination and track the notice that follows it.

    Planned — outline only

  3. Hearing request

    Hearing request

    After reconsideration, identify the hearing request, its timing, and the issues and evidence to organize for the hearing level.

    Planned — outline only

  4. ALJ hearing

    ALJ hearing

    Study the hearing-day sequence, testimony, questioning, expert participation, and the administrative law judge’s procedural role.

    Planned — outline only

  5. Written decision

    Written decision

    Read the administrative law judge’s written decision as a reasoned record of the findings, evidence, and outcome.

    Planned — outline only

  6. Appeals Council review

    Appeals Council review

    Understand the role of Appeals Council review and the transition from the hearing decision to a possible final agency decision.

    Planned — outline only

  7. Possible federal-court review

    Possible federal-court review

    Study the limited federal-court review path after a final decision of the Commissioner and the need to verify the governing deadline and record.

    Planned — outline only

Learning outcomes

  • Sequence the key deadlines and decision points from denial through hearing and post-hearing review.
  • Build a focused administrative record by matching evidence to the issues that must be proved.
  • Frame the issues for reconsideration, hearing preparation, testimony, and written decision review.
  • Prepare testimony and supporting evidence for the ALJ hearing, including questions raised by experts.
  • Evaluate whether Appeals Council or possible federal review options fit the record and the desired relief.
Planned — outline onlyFuture track

Federal Civil Rights and §1983

An outline-only track for organizing a federal civil-rights claim under 42 U.S.C. §1983 from forum selection through post-judgment review.

Who this outline is for

For people learning about or litigating federal civil-rights claims under 42 U.S.C. §1983, including self-represented litigants, paralegals, and civic learners. It provides general educational orientation, not representation or guaranteed case results.

Ordered outline

  1. 1

    Claim and forum orientation

    Orient the constitutional theory, injury, requested relief, jurisdiction, venue, and the federal forum in which a §1983 claim may be evaluated.

    Planned — outline only

  2. 2

    Defendants, state action, and threshold issues

    Identify the defendant or defendants, examine state action and personal involvement, and spot immunity, standing, exhaustion, and other threshold questions.

    Planned — outline only

  3. 3

    Pleading and motions

    Map the facts and legal theory into a complaint, anticipate responsive motions, and track the procedural decisions that shape what remains in the case.

    Planned — outline only

  4. 4

    Record and discovery development

    Build an organized record through disclosures, discovery, declarations, documents, and preservation choices tied to the elements and defenses at issue.

    Planned — outline only

  5. 5

    Adjudication and remedies

    Prepare for adjudication, evaluate proof and burdens, and distinguish the forms of prospective, declaratory, or monetary relief that may be available to study.

    Planned — outline only

  6. 6

    Post-judgment review

    Recognize the decisions, deadlines, preservation questions, and appellate or post-judgment paths that require further research after judgment.

    Planned — outline only

Learning outcomes

  • Organize a constitutional theory and supporting record around the elements of a potential §1983 claim.
  • Evaluate procedural decision points involving forum, defendants, state action, pleading, motions, and review.
  • Recognize what must be researched or prepared at each stage before choosing a filing or litigation step.
  • Separate factual development, legal authority, requested relief, and unresolved questions that need qualified counsel.
Open public outline
Planned — outline onlyFuture track

Immigration Court Respondents

A public, outline-only track for people navigating immigration court removal proceedings, from the first court notice through post-decision review.

Who this outline is for

For people navigating immigration court removal proceedings, including self-represented respondents and the family members, community advocates, and supporters who help them understand the process.

Ordered outline

  1. 1

    Notice to Appear and master calendar orientation

    Learn how to orient to the Notice to Appear, the allegations, the first master calendar hearing, representation questions, and ongoing court-contact obligations.

    Planned — outline only

  2. 2

    Relief screening and evidence or record preparation

    Build a general map of possible relief questions, court-set deadlines, supporting evidence, and the record a respondent may need to organize for study with qualified help.

    Planned — outline only

  3. 3

    Individual or merits hearing

    Orient to the purpose and structure of the individual hearing, including testimony, witnesses, exhibits, questions, and the hearing record.

    Planned — outline only

  4. 4

    Immigration judge decision

    Learn how to identify the decision, preserve the relevant record, and organize questions about what the immigration judge decided and what may follow.

    Planned — outline only

  5. 5

    BIA appeal and post-decision review

    Map the general post-decision landscape, including BIA appeal questions and other review paths, while treating every deadline and eligibility question as current-law research.

    Planned — outline only

Learning outcomes

  • Understand the major stages of a removal proceeding and the obligations that may arise at each stage.
  • Recognize deadlines, decision points, evidence questions, and unanswered issues to verify with qualified counsel or authoritative court sources.
  • Organize questions and records for a more informed conversation about representation and case-specific choices.
Open public outline

Plain-language guide

Three legal terms to know before you begin.

These short definitions are educational orientation, not legal advice or individualized guidance. Reading them does not create an attorney–client relationship.

Standing
Standing is the legal idea that a person asking a federal court to act must show a concrete injury connected to the challenged conduct and likely to be addressed by the requested relief. It is a threshold question, not a prediction about whether a claim will ultimately win.Study standing in Article III Standing & APA Judicial Review 101
Judicial review
Judicial review is a court’s process for examining whether government or agency action followed the law and required procedure. The timing, record, and relief available depend on the governing law and the facts of the matter.Study judicial review in Article III Standing & APA Judicial Review 101
Administrative agency
An administrative agency is a government body that carries out a program or regulatory responsibility, often by applying statutes, issuing rules, and deciding matters under its authority. Its procedures and review options vary by agency.Explore Agency Adjudication 101

Planned CLE extensions

Future learning paths for legal professionals.

Planned — not yet available

Paralegals

A planned extension for paralegals who support litigation teams: connect procedural doctrine to research, record organization, and drafting work performed under attorney supervision.

Attorneys

A planned extension for attorneys who want a focused continuing-education path: deepen procedural analysis and translate doctrine into disciplined strategy for federal and administrative matters.

Educational preview · Not legal advice

Opening the case file…

Loading the first lesson’s excerpt and learning outcomes.

Outcomes

What you’ll be able to do after the first twelve lessons.

Every curriculum is judged by what a member can produce on Monday morning. We list ours up front so you can decide whether the program is for you before you enroll.

  • 01

    Filing

    A caption, a complaint, and a checklist that survives a Rule 12(b)(6) motion.

  • 02

    Motions

    Twelve reusable motion forms with timing and burden notes built in.

  • 03

    Argument

    A 30-second frame for hostile questions and a written outline you can hand to the bench.

  • 04

    Rulemaking

    A comments kit that an agency must address in its final-rule preamble.

  • 05

    Research

    A docket-search field guide keyed to regulations.gov and the Federal Register.

  • 06

    Writing

    A style handbook for record-based, plain-language briefs.

Founding-member pricing

Learn the rules. Build the record. Know your next move.

Choose a starting point that respects both the stakes of your case and the reality of learning without a legal budget.

How it works

Three steps from sign-up to first filing.

  1. 01

    Enroll & orient

    Pick the track that fits your case or coverage area. A 20-minute orientation maps the curriculum to your situation.

  2. 02

    Work through modules

    Self-paced video lessons, downloadable templates, and case-study walkthroughs. Move through them in any order — they cross-link naturally.

  3. 03

    Bring it to the record

    A checklist and a worked example for every module, so the doctrine becomes a form you can actually file.

Frequently asked

Plain answers to the questions we get most.

Don’t see your question? Write to us — every answer to a member becomes a future module.

Enroll

Procedure, properly taught — for the price of a single CLE bundle.

Founding-member pricing is locked in for the first cohort. Monthly, cancel any time. Subscriptions keep the curriculum independent and member-funded.

Email to enrollRead the full curriculum

Plain disclaimer

PetitionPath is an educational curriculum.

Nothing on this site or in the course is legal advice, and nothing here creates an attorney–client relationship. You remain responsible for your own filings. When your situation calls for it, retain counsel — many bar associations offer modest-means referral panels.

Questions about enrollment, accessibility, or licensing for journalism rooms and civic-education cohorts? Write to propirapersonacom@polsia.app.