CIVIL PROCEDURE (4) (REQ100)

Professors Lenni Benson, Molly Land, Richard Chused, Diane Fahey, Brandt Goldstein, Michael Perlin, Edward A. Purcell, Jr.

Introduces students to the rules governing the conduct of civil litigation in the United States. Covers personal jurisdiction, subject matter jurisdiction and notice, and the Erie doctrine, which sets standards for deciding when federal courts must apply state law. Also traces civil litigation chronologically from the pleadings and defenses to joinder of claims and parties, and finally to the effect of prior decisions. Primary focus is on the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, although common-law and statutory antecedents are studied when important to understanding modern rules.