Civil Procedure Study Aids

Marc on Civil Procedureby Marc Greco, 1L

Civil Procedure: Examples and Explanations (8th ed.)

Joseph W. Glannon
KF8840 .G58 2019
Examples & Explanations Series
The E&E for civil procedure emphasizes practice more than theory. It discusses substantive law economically, intending it as a starting point for answering lengthy hypotheticals. The hypotheticals, in turn, are the real learning tool of the supplement. Glannon provides model answers to each hypothetical, which aid exam preparation by showing concepts in action. The only caveat to my endorsement is that working through all the problems is a very time-consuming endeavor.

Civil Procedure (11th ed.)

Kevin M. Clermont
KF8841 .C56 2018 (and online)
Black Letter Outlines
The Black Letter thoroughly summarizes the course's major subject areas, all the while paying homage to the important doctrinal cases. It presents the information in a logical, easy-to-follow framework, neither too quickly nor too verbosely. The outline also contains a number of useful sample questions, diagrams, and charts, which afford the reader different avenues to grasp the underlying material. Because of the relative depth with which it treats topics, it is best used for targeted problem areas.

Questions and Answers: Civil Procedure (4th ed.)

William V. Dorsaneo, III and Elizabeth C. Thornburg
KF8841 .D67 2015
Questions & Answers Series
The Q&A provides hundreds of multiple choice and short answer questions aimed at testing one’s working knowledge of civil procedure. Since there are no specific discussions of substantive law, this supplement should only be consulted for pure practice after one has a grasp on the fundamentals. The answers briefly discuss the governing law and focus on the more important task of explaining why one answer is correct and others are not. Understanding why certain answers are wrong usefully teaches the student how to avoid certain trap answers in the future.

Civil Procedure (6th ed.)

Steven E. Emanuel
KF8841 .E524 2015
CrunchTime Series
Emanuel delivers the goods in the sixth installment of the CrunchTime series. It comes replete with everything the civil procedure student might need: substantive law summaries, flow charts, exam tips, and practice questions. Though certainly a jack-of-all-trades, this supplement is far from master-of-none: the practice portions are superlative. The questions come in every variety—multiple choice, short answer, and essay—sure to satiate the hungriest of intellectual appetites.

Civil Procedure (6th ed.)

Richard D. Freer
KF8841 .F34 2009 AUDIO
Law School Legends CDs
The Law School Legends lectures on CD present an attractive study option for those who want a break from reading. Freer offers concise, digestible synopses of the course’s major topics. Though the CDs are not an ideal outlining tool, they are a valuable means of understanding the material that goes into one. This alternative will prove particularly useful for those who prefer learning by listening, or simply desire a different way to get at the core principles of civil procedure.

A Short and Happy Guide to Civil Procedure (7th ed.)

Richard D. Freer
KF8841 .F74 2019 (and online)
Short & Happy Law Series
If you’re like me, you might think a gargantuan supplement on substantive law is somewhat self-defeating. Enter the Short and Happy Guide to ease our troubles. Freer delivers once again, distilling civil procedure down to a very accessible 167 pages. He succinctly presents the crucial takeaways of the course, mentioning doctrinal cases as needed to show where certain fundamental principles derive from. Brief, yet more than sufficiently informative, this guide will prove useful in helping you outline, and understand civil procedure in general.

Acing Civil Procedure (5th ed.)

A. Benjamin Spencer
KF8841 .S654 2019 (and online)
Acing Law School Series
Acing Civil Procedure approaches the supplement game in a novel, ingenious way. It arms the reader with crafty checklists that enable one to systematically tackle exam questions. Beyond this useful tool—in itself enough to merit the book's recommendation—the Acing offers concise reviews of the course's main topics, and practice exam questions. All in all, a very handy guide in helping one navigate the complex web of standards and rules that comprises civil procedure.