Civil Procedure

Study of the underlying policies and principal elements in the civil litigation process. The subjects studied include constitutional elements of a fair procedural system; powers of courts and administrative tribunals to grant different forms of relief; phases of a civil lawsuit in federal court, with an emphasis on: pleadings, joinder of parties and claims, the selection and role of the jury, and motions that may take the case away from the jury; jurisdiction over parties and claims; and an introduction to the relationships among state and federal courts and claims. We will combine theoretical principles with practical applications of the concepts studied, as well as policy discussions.