Civil Procedure

Catalog description

Civil Procedure concerns the rules, statutes, Constitutional provisions, and principles that govern the litigation of a civil case in federal court. The course begins with procedural due process, then familiarizes the student with the stages of a civil lawsuit including: pleading; structuring the lawsuit; discovery; termination of a lawsuit without trial (including settlement and use of dispute resolution processes); trial; and actions that may be taken after a jury verdict or bench trial. The course then addresses systemic issues related to how and where a lawsuit is filed including: personal and subject matter jurisdiction; venue; notice; removal; and which substantive law-- state or federal - should apply in federal court. Although reference is made to state rules and laws, the course concentrates on the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.