Interviewing and Investigating: Essentials Skills for the Legal Professional

Interviewing and Investigating: Essential Skills for the Legal Professional, Seventh Edition, reflects a thorough and practical approach for a strong foundation in interviewing and investigating, as well as in the civil, criminal, and non-litigation contexts in which they are used. This comprehensive text uses realistic case scenarios, practical exercises, illustrations, and examples to teach the essential skills of interviewing and investigating, helping students to master rather than memorize the skills. Led by Stephen P. Parsons, an experienced practitioner and author, readers will make connections between law and fact, engage in critical analysis, and develop specific communication skills that are indispensable in practice.

New to the Seventh Edition:

• Updated and additional websites
• New and freshened Examples, Hypotheticals, LBDs and Sleuth on the Loose features
• More in-depth coverage on how to locate and obtain medical, educational, and employment records
• References to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure reflecting the latest amendments
• Summaries of newly decided cases dealing with ESI issues including spoliation and proportionality raised by the recent amendments to FRCP 26(c)(1)(B), 37(e) and 16(b)(3)
• Updated coverage of the Federal Rules of Evidence, including newly amended FRE 902(13) regarding self-authentication of electronic records and 803(16) regarding ancient records
• Discussions of the latest developments in online social networking and technology including smart phones, social networking, and constant Internet as well as the role of public and private surveillance cameras and surveillance drones

Professors and students will benefit from:

• A dynamic pedagogy, including hypotheticals, Learn by Doing exercises, chapter summaries, and basic review questions in every chapter
• Examples from civil, criminal, litigation, and non-litigation scenarios
• Emphasis on ethical and professional standards, integrated throughout the text and focused on in a chapter devoted to ethical issues
• Four realistic cases for analysis and use in the Learn by Doing exercises—homicide, personal injury, domestic relations, and a real estate development project