American Civil Procedure: An Introduction (Yale Contemporary Law Series)

Geoffrey C. Hazard Jr.; Michele Taruffo

ISBN 10: 0300065043 / ISBN 13: 9780300065046

Published by Yale University Press, 1995

About this Item

Seller Inventory # 0300065043-3-35461374

Bibliographic Details

• Title: American Civil Procedure: An Introduction (Yale Contemporary Law Series)
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication Date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0300065043
• ISBN 13: 9780300065046
• Binding: paperback
• Condition: Good
• Weight: 10 ounces

About this title

Synopsis

From divorce proceedings to personal injury disputes to lawsuits over busing, affirmative action, and labor relations, most conflicts in American society may eventually find their way into a courtroom. Such civil conflicts, which do not involve violations of the criminal code, encompass both actions between private parties and public controversies.

This clear and direct book by two distinguished professors of law describes and analyzes civil litigation in the United States. Geoffrey C. Hazard, Jr., and Michele Taruffo discuss both specific details and broader themes of American civil litigation, explaining (without legalese) jury trial, the adversary system, the power of courts to make law as well as to "declare" it, and the role of civil justice in government and in the resolution of controversial social issues. Hazard and Taruffo examine the stages of civil procedure, including the lawyers' role in: preparing and presenting cases; the pretrial, pleading and discovery, trial, and appeal process; and procedural variations. They explore the historical evolution of common law and procedure and compare American civil procedure with that in other modern societies in Europe, Latin America, and Japan. They conclude by discussing the economic, political, and moral constraints on litigation, possible innovations to the process, and the political significance of public access to civil justice.

About the Author

Geoffrey C. Hazard, Jr., is Sterling Professor of Law at the Yale Law School. Michele Taruffo is professor of law at the University of Pavia in Milan.